Orkney Single Malt The Dark 17YO
⏳ Drinking Window
As a fully matured premium single malt whisky bottled at its optimal peak, it is ready to be enjoyed immediately upon release and will remain in pristine condition for decades when stored upright and away from direct light.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Rich blue cheeses such as Stilton, high-quality dark chocolate desserts, and slow-roasted game meats or smoked duck breast.
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the wind-swept Orkney Islands at the northern edge of Scotland, Highland Park's 'The Dark' 17 Year Old is a celebratory tribute to the dramatic autumn and winter seasons of its Norse-influenced homeland. This expression is deeply shaped by Orkney's unique terroir, where treeless, heather-rich peat is hand-cut from the Hobbister Moor to smoke the malted barley, imparting a distinctively sweet, floral smokiness. Matured for 17 years exclusively in sherry-seasoned European oak casks, this single malt captures the essence of long, cold island nights. It delivers a rich, deeply complex profile of dried dark fruits, warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, toasted oak, and a whisper of peat smoke, reflecting a distilling heritage that dates back to 1798 and is steeped in Viking lore.
🍾 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.