The Highland Park distillery has released a 56-year-old whisky that has become its oldest bottle yet. The spirit comes from one of the never-before-tasted casks laid down from the distillery’s inception.
In February 2023, the distillery released a 54-year-old spirit, which was Highland Park’s oldest expression at the time.
Sometimes, it takes a new face to change the wheels of time. Gordon Motion became the whisky maker in 2008 and started to make renovations.
His first touch was with a batch of casks laid down in 1968. Motion selected 10 casks and relaid them for maturation in first-fill, Sherry-seasoned casks.
Highland Park Distillery Releases Oldest Whisky
Motion explained: “As casks are natural products, and each of them unique, I broadly know what I’ll get from each, but every now and then I find something interesting that just stops me in my tracks and that’s exactly what I experienced with these 10.
“The second maturation has allowed me to push them even further, and I know we’ve created something special.”
Although peat was not used in whisky aging until a few years ago, Motion used it in 2008.
Motion added: “What excites me most about the 56 whisky is that it has both complexity and vibrancy. Even after all these years, the distinctive character of Highland Park’s Orkney heathered peat stands out.
“There isn’t the intense woodiness that I’d typically expect to taste in a whisky of this age.”
Aroma and Design the 56-Year-Old Whisky
The new whisky has stolen the flavors of its birth city. The spirit releases jasmine, lilac, sweet raisins, and cloudy honey, as well as the flavors of Seville orange peel, coriander seeds, and lapsang souchong tea.
The bottle also reflects a picture design of Orkney. It showcases the Standing Stones of Stenness found on the island. Only 170 bottles will be released, with an ABV of 47%.
