Highland Park

Magnus Eunson and a Thousand Years of Norse Heritage

The Orkney Islands are a singular place. Geographically they are closer to Norway than to London, and Norwegian roots are felt in everything: in the names of villages, in local traditions, in the architecture. This is precisely why Highland Park made Viking heritage the centrepiece of its brand identity — it is not a marketing invention but a historical fact.

The founding of the distillery is attributed to Magnus Eunson — a colourful figure who simultaneously served as a church officer and ran an illicit still. He allegedly hid barrels beneath the pulpit of the church itself. A licence was granted around 1798. In 1826 production passed to the Robertson family, who progressively modernised the distillery. Highland Park eventually became part of the Edrington Group in 1999.

Critics have always valued Highland Park. In the 1970s the celebrated expert and writer Michael Jackson (the whisky authority, not the musician) called Highland Park 18 "the greatest all-round whisky in the world." That quote entered legend and still adorns the brand's marketing materials today.

In 2009–2012 Highland Park launched its celebrated Valhalla Collection: Dragon Legend, Valkyrie, Valknut and Mjölnör — cask-strength releases with Norse names that became collectors' items. The brand continues to balance Scottish whisky heritage with Scandinavian mythology, and does so compellingly.

Heather Peat — the Great Secret of Orkney

The central thing that makes Highland Park unique is Orkney peat. Unlike Islay peat, which forms predominantly from seaweed and decomposed marine organisms (hence the iodine-medicinal profile of Ardbeg and Laphroaig), Orkney peat is rich in heather. Heather peat burns differently: it produces an aromatic, floral-honeyed smoke that is light and fragrant.

The distillery retains its own floor maltings, in which around 20% of the barley used is malted. The remainder is purchased from professional maltings, but with a mandatory condition: the peating must be carried out with Orkney heather peat sourced from the local bogs.

The stills are fitted with traditional worm tub condensers, as at Talisker and Springbank. Long fermentation (48–72 hours) creates fruity ester notes which, combined with the heathery smoke and sherry casks, produce the signature "honey-smoke" formula.

Maturation takes place using a combination of casks: Oloroso sherry in European (Spanish) oak and ex-bourbon in American white oak. The sherry casks contribute dried fruit, chocolate and spice; the bourbon casks add vanilla and coconut. The balance of these two types is the key to Highland Park's "all-round" character.

Flavour Profile: Highland Park 12

A few drops of water are recommended — they open up the floral notes. The ideal introductory peated whisky for those wary of Islay's medicinal character.

Core Range and the Valhalla Collection

• Highland Park 12 Viking Honour

  The flagship. The finest introductory peated whisky. A perfect balance of smoke, honey and dried fruit.
  40%
• Highland Park 18 Viking Pride

  Richer and more complex. The additional six years add depth, chocolate and leather. The very "greatest all-rounder" of Michael Jackson.
  43%
• Highland Park 25 Year Old

  Limited release. Exceptional complexity. Vanilla, tropical fruit, smoke dissolving into depth. For slow sipping.
  46%
• Highland Park Magnus

  The accessible no-age-statement expression. Named after founder Magnus Eunson. Soft, floral, approachable.
  40%
• Valknut (Valhalla Collection)

  One of four releases in the Viking series. Cask strength, non-chill filtered. Intense smoke and dried fruit.
  46.8%
• Mjölnör (Valhalla Collection)

  The final release of the Valhalla Collection. Maximally rich sherry profile. A collector's release.
  58.1%