Highland Park Single Malt
Encyclopedia
Highland Park Single Malt is a Scotch whisky
distilled by Highland Park Distillery, Kirkwall
in Orkney, the most northerly whisky distillery in Scotland
, half a mile north of that at Scapa
. Blackwood
Distillery in Shetland presently produces only gin and vodka (2010).
Highland Park has performed well at international spirit ratings
competitions. Its 25 year single malt scotch, for example, received double gold medals at the 2007 and 2009 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
, from which Orkney is excluded, but rather to the fact that the distillery was founded on an area called 'High Park' distinguished from a lower area nearby.
Highland Park is one of the few distilleries to malt
its own barley
, using locally cut peat
from Hobbister Moor. The peat is then mixed with heather
before being used as fuel. The malt is peated to a level of 20 parts per million
phenol
and then mixed with unpeated malt produced on the Scottish mainland.
In 1984, Highland Park was the only whisky ever to have scored a rating of 100% by the regular tasting team of The Scotsman
, a national newspaper of Scotland. Whisky reviewer and expert Michael Jackson
has called it "The greatest all-rounder in the world of malt whisky."
Highland Park is available in various proprietary bottlings by year, as well as a special bottling known as Cappella, available only at the distillery. In addition, several independent bottlings of Highland Park are produced. Highland Park is also one of the ingredients of The Famous Grouse
blend.
Scotch whisky
Scotch whisky is whisky made in Scotland.Scotch whisky is divided into five distinct categories: Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Single Grain Scotch Whisky, Blended Malt Scotch Whisky , Blended Grain Scotch Whisky, and Blended Scotch Whisky.All Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three...
distilled by Highland Park Distillery, Kirkwall
Kirkwall
Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...
in Orkney, the most northerly whisky distillery in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, half a mile north of that at Scapa
Scapa
Scapa is a small settlement and a Scotch whisky distillery situated on The Mainland of Orkney, Scotland on the shore of Scapa Flow near the town of Kirkwall. Scapa is the second most northern whisky distillery in Scotland, being a half-mile farther south than Highland Park Distillery.The...
. Blackwood
Blackwood (whisky distillery)
Blackwood is a Scottish distiller founded in July 2002 with the aim of building Shetland's first Scotch whisky distillery. In May 2008, the company went into administration, but a new company, Catfirth Ltd, was established to continue the business....
Distillery in Shetland presently produces only gin and vodka (2010).
Highland Park has performed well at international spirit ratings
Spirit ratings
With a growing number of microdistilleries and an expanding number of offerings from large corporate entities, a number of institutions have arisen to provide professional evaluations of individual spirits...
competitions. Its 25 year single malt scotch, for example, received double gold medals at the 2007 and 2009 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Production and character
The distillery was founded in 1798, "presumably" by Magnus Eunson. The name of this whisky does not refer to the area of Scotland known as The HighlandsScottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
, from which Orkney is excluded, but rather to the fact that the distillery was founded on an area called 'High Park' distinguished from a lower area nearby.
Highland Park is one of the few distilleries to malt
Malt
Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as "malting". The grains are made to germinate by soaking in water, and are then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air...
its own barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
, using locally cut peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
from Hobbister Moor. The peat is then mixed with heather
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
before being used as fuel. The malt is peated to a level of 20 parts per million
Parts-per notation
In science and engineering, the parts-per notation is a set of pseudo units to describe small values of miscellaneous dimensionless quantities, e.g. mole fraction or mass fraction. Since these fractions are quantity-per-quantity measures, they are pure numbers with no associated units of measurement...
phenol
Phenol
Phenol, also known as carbolic acid, phenic acid, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5OH. It is a white crystalline solid. The molecule consists of a phenyl , bonded to a hydroxyl group. It is produced on a large scale as a precursor to many materials and useful compounds...
and then mixed with unpeated malt produced on the Scottish mainland.
In 1984, Highland Park was the only whisky ever to have scored a rating of 100% by the regular tasting team of The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
, a national newspaper of Scotland. Whisky reviewer and expert Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson (writer)
Michael Jackson was an English writer and journalist. He was the author of several influential books about beer and whisky.-Life:...
has called it "The greatest all-rounder in the world of malt whisky."
Highland Park is available in various proprietary bottlings by year, as well as a special bottling known as Cappella, available only at the distillery. In addition, several independent bottlings of Highland Park are produced. Highland Park is also one of the ingredients of The Famous Grouse
The Famous Grouse
The Famous Grouse is a brand of blended Scotch whisky, first produced by Matthew Gloag & Son Ltd. in 1897, and now produced by The Edrington Group. The malt whiskies used in The Famous Grouse blend include The Glenrothes, Highland Park Single Malt and Macallan Single Malt. Its emblem is the Red...
blend.
External links
- Official website
- Highland Park Distillery at Undiscovered Scotland
- Reviews at ForPeatSake, a whisky-rating website