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Highland Park releases oldest expression to date
Orkney distillery Highland Park has released its oldest and rarest single malt to date, a whisky from an “exceptional” and never-before-tasted 1968 cask.
The Highland Park 56, which is available in a limited 170-bottle releases, comes from a never-before-tasted cask from a line of ten casks from 19689. These were identified by master whisky maker Gordon Motion in 2008, as having the potential to make some very special releases, and given a second maturation in first-fill sherry-seasoned casks to give greater depth of flavour. The casks have gone on to produce some of the oldest and rarest whiskies from the distillery, including the new 56, he said.
“Every now and then I find something interesting that just stops me in my tracks and that’s exactly what I experienced with these ten,” Motion explained. “The second maturation has allowed me to push them even further and I know we’ve created something special.”
Motion added that the complexity and vibrancy of the 56 was what excited him most as there wasn’t the “intense woodiness” that would typically be expected in a whisky of this age.
“Even after all these years, the distinctive character of Highland Park’s Orkney heathered-peat stands out,” he said. “The 56 has all the complexity and depth you’d expect of an aged whisky, but you can absolutely taste the distinctive, subtle smoke of our Orkney heathered peat which really makes this whisky remarkable.”
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The unique natural environment of Orkney, Highland Park distinctive flavour, the company said. Trees struggle to grow in the wind-swept island, resulting in heather moorlands that give a “distinctive yet subtle hint of aromatic smoke”.
The design of the 56 decanter and presentation case is inspired by the Standing Stones of Stenness – a significant World Heritage site on Orkney, and represents an abstract version of two of the standing stones, according to the decanter crafter, John Galvin.
Glass designer Michael Rudak added that the design focussed on how people began to touch and shape the land as well as the texture and history of the stones. “The form is purposely designed to look strong and proud, but it has been softened and dimpled to represent warmth and elegance. The organic irregular textures evoke the powerful water that’s helped shape Orkney’s natural landscape and resources, whilst becoming an abstract representation of humanity’s’ fingerprint,” he said.
Limited bottles of Highland Park 56 Year Old are available through a select number of whisky specialists and retailers, including The Whisky Shop, Berry Brothers & Rudd and Harrods.