Highland Park

ScotlandSingle MaltOrkney

Founded1798

DistilleryKirkwall · Orkney

OwnerEdrington

StyleSingle Malt · Island · Lightly Peated

ColourNatural · No colouring

Core12 · 18 · 25 · 30

Heather honey and aromatic smoke from Orkney — a northern single malt known for its balance.

Highland Park is made on Orkney, off the very north of Scotland. It leans hard on a Viking-descendant identity in its marketing, but unlike the rugged impression of the name and label, the whisky itself is surprisingly well balanced.

The most common misconception sits right here: the assumption that "Orkney + peat = a heavy dram." In fact Highland Park's peat is gentle, with a heather-honey sweetness laid over it, so fragrance leads over smoke. That's why the old line about the critic Michael Jackson once calling it "the most balanced whisky" has followed it around for years.

The recommendation is the 12 (Viking Honour). It's a perfect first taste of subtle smoke — a bridge for someone who finds the big peat of Ardbeg or Laphroaig too much but is curious about a touch of smokiness.

Flavourofficial / critical

Heather honeyAromatic smokeDried fruitOrangeSherryMalt sweetness

Glossaryfor beginners

Single maltWhisky made at a single distillery from malted barley only.

Island whiskyWhisky from the Scottish islands other than Islay, prized for sea air and a saline edge.

PeatSmoky aroma absorbed when barley is dried over burning peat. Highland Park uses treeless, heather-rich Orkney peat, giving a floral, honeyed smoke rather than a medicinal one.

Floor maltingThe traditional method of germinating barley spread on a floor and turned by hand. Almost gone today, but Highland Park still does part of its own.

No colouringBottling at the colour drawn from the cask, with no caramel added.

Range & Collections

Viking Honour 12The flagship of heather honey and light smoke. A balanced entry single malt where sweetness, smoke, and sherry meet.

Viking Pride 18A higher expression with deeper sherry oak. Long discussed among the world's finest.

15 · 25 · 30 · 40Aged line. The further up, the deeper the sherry and oak — and the steeper the price.

Warriors seriesValkyrie, Valknut, Loki and others — no-age-statement limited releases themed on Norse mythology, for travel retail and collectors.

Cask strength · limitedHigh-strength and single-cask limited releases.

Value by AgeData-based2026.6 as of

12yoFlagship · entrymid £30s

18yoReputation · balance~£150

25 · 30yoAged · collector£600+

★ Highland Park 18Peak of balance · acclaim · Pacult acclaim, 2005~£150

Highland Park is owned by Edrington, the same house as The Macallan, and builds its identity on the remote island of Orkney and its Viking heritage. The flagship 12 is loved as a balanced entry single malt, and the 18 is long cited for critic F. Paul Pacult's calling it 'the best spirit in the world.' Aged expressions and the Warriors series climb in the collector market.

Acclaim — F. Paul Pacult / Spirit Journal · prices are rough duty-free / retail · not a personal tasting

How It’s Made

Highland Park is made on Orkney, in Kirkwall, far off mainland Scotland. Two things define it. One is treeless, heather-rich Orkney peat, which gives a floral, honeyed smoke instead of Islay's heavy medicinal note. The other is maturation centred on sherry-seasoned casks. Add to that a surviving slice of traditional floor malting and bottling with no caramel colour, and the result is a balanced whisky where light smoke and sherry sweetness hold each other in tension.

Orkney peatTreeless, heather-rich peat from Orkney's Hobbister Moor gives a floral, honeyed smoke, unlike the medicinal peat of Islay.

Floor maltingIt keeps part of the near-extinct tradition of floor malting, germinating some of its own barley turned by hand.

Sherry casks, no colouringTrue to Edrington, it centres on sherry-seasoned casks and bottles at the cask's own colour, with no caramel added.

BalanceSweetness, smoke, sherry and oak interlock so that none dominates — earning it a long reputation as the most balanced all-rounder single malt.

History

Founded in 1798 in Kirkwall, Orkney. A founding legend trails it: Magnus Eunson, a church officer and illicit distiller said to have hidden and made his whisky in secret. Orkney lay for centuries under Norse (Viking) rule, and Highland Park puts that Viking heritage front and centre. Today it stands, alongside The Macallan, as Edrington's flagship island single malt.

How It’s Drunk

In Korea, Highland Park is often recommended as an approachable 'balanced peat' introduction. Without Islay's overwhelming smoke, its heather honey, light smoke and sherry sweetness win broad acceptance. The Viking-themed design and limited editions also drive gift and collector demand. In the West, the 18 has long been loved as an all-rounder where nothing sticks out.

◆The Right GlassSignature

To bring out the heather honey and aromatic smoke, a tulip-shaped nosing glass — a Glencairn or copita — works well. At 40% (12) and 43% (18) it is fine neat, but a few drops of water loosen the honey and smoke. Pressing it cold under a large ice cube tends to shut down those delicate floral, honeyed notes, so sip it slowly near room temperature.

→ Copita vs Glencairn → Whisky glass etiquette