The Highland Park 15 Years Old is part of the core single malt range from the distillery on Scotland’s Orkney islands. This range saw a major naming, bottle and packaging design rebrand in mid-2024, however the whiskies themselves have largely remained the same. The 15 Years Old sits alongside the popular 12 Years Old release and further age statements at 18-, 21-, 25-, 30- and 40 years of age. There is also an annual Cask Strength bottling.
Highland Park is located on the Orkney Islands, close to the capital of Kirkwall. The distillery is one of the oldest producing whisky in Scotland and was established in 1798 by David Robertson. The ‘whisky priest’ Magnus Eunson had previously operated an illegal distillery on the site. He was an interesting character who was a priest by day and an illicit distiller by night.
Highland Park is currently owned by the Edrington Group and has an annual production capacity of 2.5 million litres. It is one of the few distilleries in Scotland to malt some of their barley on-site. The volume equates to around 25% of the malt needed for production. They dry this malt using Orkney peat. Then this is mixed with an unpeated malt from a commercial maltster, Simpson’s.
Highland Park 15 Years Old is matured in first-fill American oak ex-bourbon barrels and re-fill European oak ex-sherry casks. It is bottled at 44% ABV and widely available worldwide. A bottle should cost around £100.
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is straw gold and the nose is an elegant mix of sweet and savoury. Aromas of candied boiled sweets and fresh fruit lead the way – think especially of green apple and grape. Then comes sweet vanilla ice cream, powdered cinnamon and fresh cookie dough. A gentle earthy peat smoke wisps around everything.
On the palate this whisky is sweet, savoury and luscious. There is an initial burst of sweetness and smoke in equal measures. Notes of golden syrup, heather honey and good vanilla ice cream combine with fairground toffee apple and delicate warming baking spices.
Then come further notes of freshly baked oatmeal cookies (or is it flapjack?) combine with delicious gentle sweet earthy peat smoke. This has hints of damp fern and moss. An elegant citrus blossom notes and hint of candied bitter orange evolve late on, as does a pleasant hint of white pepper.
The finish is of decent length with the gentle smoke lingering longest. This wisps and winds around everything and bind all the notes together like a glue. The sweet and fruity characteristics slowly fade. This brings out the malty biscuit-like quality from earlier and gives a hint of dryness on the tastebuds.
What’s The Verdict?
The Highland Park 15 Years Old is a very harmonious whisky. It is easy to see why it is considered such a classic and it is very well balanced and well made. It is a great example of a great whisky from the Scottish islands and uses peat like a seasoning rather the main feature. The whisky feels timeless and has been consistently good for years. Long may that continue.
