Highland Park 18 has been on the list for a while. Not the aspirational list — the actual purchase list. The one I look at when the bottle I just finished doesn't immediately have an obvious successor.
Found one at a decent price and finally pulled the trigger.
The Details
- Distillery: Highland Park, Kirkwall, Orkney
- Age: 18 years
- ABV: 43%
- Casks: European oak sherry seasoned casks and American oak casks
- Colour: Deep amber — genuine, not from colouring
Nose
Rich and complex from the first moment. Dried fruits up front — sultanas, dark cherry — backed by that signature Highland Park heather smoke. It's not a peaty whisky in the Islay sense; the smoke is quieter, more integrated.
Give it a few minutes and Christmas cake starts to emerge. Orange zest, warming spice, a hint of beeswax that I always associate with well-aged sherried whiskies.
Palate
Silky. That's the word. The 43% ABV is right for this — high enough to carry the weight of the flavours, restrained enough that the spirit doesn't get in the way of them.
Dried fruit again, now joined by dark chocolate and a woody, slightly tannic structure from the oak. The peat smoke arrives in the second wave, properly integrated. A touch of vanilla from the American oak influence.
Finish
Long. Warming. The smoke lingers, the chocolate fades, and something floral — heather, fittingly — stays around after everything else has gone.
Verdict
This is a whisky that justifies the premium. Not because it's expensive and therefore must be good, but because everything about it feels considered. The balance between the sherry influence and the smoke is genuinely impressive — neither dominates, both are present throughout.
I've had 18-year expressions from bigger names that were less interesting than this. Orkney does something right.
Score: 92/100
Tried this one neat, then with a few drops of water. The water opens up the fruit and softens the oak. Worth trying both ways.