Description

Highland Park 25 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky – 2023 Release (700ml)

Volume: 700ml           ABV: 46%           Age: 25 Years Old          Country: Scotland

The Whisky

Experience the breathtaking majesty of Orkney with the Highland Park 25 Year Old (2023 Release). This 700ml expression represents the pinnacle of the distillery’s core range, standing as a testament to the “Viking Soul” and the transformative power of a quarter-century in wood. The 2023 bottling is a meticulous marriage of fewer than 20 casks, primarily consisting of first-fill European oak Sherry seasoned casks, alongside first-fill American oak Sherry casks and a small selection of refill casks.

Bottled at 46% ABV, this release is a masterclass in harmony. While younger Highland Park expressions lean into vibrant honey and heather, the 25 year old enters a realm of dark, brooding complexity. At this age, the Orcadian peat has softened into a gentle, aromatic mist, allowing the rich tannins and deep spice of the sherry wood to take centre stage. As with all prestige Highland Park releases, it is natural in colour and non-chill filtered.

Our Tasting Notes

Nose: Deep, rich, and wonderfully evocative. You are greeted by the scent of warm honey-glazed walnuts and dark chocolate, followed by a burst of dried apricots and blood orange. As it opens, the legendary Highland Park heather smoke appears—not as a fire, but as a delicate, fragrant wisp—intermingled with old library books and sweet beeswax.

Palate: The mouthfeel is extraordinarily silky and heavy. It opens with a decadent layer of sticky toffee and salted caramel, which quickly gives way to rich fruitcake and candied ginger. Mid-palate, the wood influence provides a sophisticated structure of roasted coffee beans and cedarwood, perfectly balanced by a persistent maritime saltiness and sweet, earthy peat.

Finish: Immense and slow-burning. The finish lingers with sweet oak spice and dried herbs, finally tapering off with a final, elegant flourish of bitter cocoa and a distant whisper of peat smoke.

The Distillery

Highland Park, located in Kirkwall, is the northernmost distillery in Scotland and has remained a guardian of traditional methods since 1798. A unique factual detail: The distillery utilizes Hobbister Moor peat, which is rich in heather and wood-free (unlike Islay peat which is high in sphagnum moss). This results in a smoke that is floral and honey-sweet rather than medicinal. After 25 years of maturation in the cool, temperate climate of the Orkney Islands—where the temperature varies very little between summer and winter—the spirit achieves a “steady-state” maturation that is arguably the most balanced in the whisky world.

Overall Review

The Highland Park 25 Year Old 2023 Release is globally reviewed as a “definitive masterpiece,” praised for its incredible poise and depth. Critics have lauded its “seamless integration of smoke, salt, and sherry,” marking it as a mandatory purchase for collectors and connoisseurs looking for the ultimate expression of the Orcadian landscape.