Orkney Single Malt Orcadian Vintage Series Bottled 45.6%
⏳ Drinking Window
As an ultra-premium, 40-year-old single malt, this expression is fully matured and ready to be savored immediately. Once bottled, spirits do not age further, meaning it will remain in peak condition indefinitely if stored upright, sealed, and away from direct sunlight and temperature fluctuations.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Rich blue cheeses like Stilton or Roquefort, premium artisanal dark chocolate with a high cacao percentage, and slow-cooked venison or roasted game birds.
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the wind-swept Orkney Islands, Highland Park is one of Scotland's most remote and historic distilleries, founded in 1798 by the legendary smuggler Magnus Eunson. The Orcadian Vintage Series represents the pinnacle of this northern outpost's craft. Distilled in 1968 and bottled in 2009 at 45.6% ABV, this ultra-rare single malt spent four decades maturing in hand-selected oak casks. Orkney's unique terroir plays a vital role in its character; the local peat is composed almost entirely of decomposed heather, yielding a sweet, aromatic, and gentle smoky profile rather than the medicinal brine of Islay. Combined with traditional floor maltings and cool, maritime maturation, this expression delivers an incredibly complex tapestry of dried stone fruits, warm winter spices, wild heather honey, and a whisper of peat smoke.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 1798 in Kirkwall on the remote archipelago of Orkney, Highland Park stands as one of Scotland's most historic and northernmost single malt distilleries. Owned by the Edrington Group, the distillery fiercely guards traditional whisky-making practices, still conducting its own hand-turned floor maltings and cutting dense, heather-rich peat from nearby Hobbister Moor. Maturation takes place predominantly in premium sherry-seasoned oak casks within Orkney's cool, windswept maritime climate. This unique convergence of terroir and technique yields Highland Park's internationally revered signature style, distinguished by gentle aromatic peat smoke, luscious heather-honey sweetness, and rich, complex spice.