Highland Park sits above Kirkwall on the island of Orkney, the northernmost Scotch distillery on the Scottish mainland archipelago. Founded in 1798, it is one of the few distilleries still malting a portion of its own barley on traditional floors, peating it with aromatic Hobbister Moor heather peat.
The 21 Year Old has worn several guises since its introduction. The older release reviewed here was bottled at 47.5% ABV and drew predominantly from first-fill sherry-seasoned European oak casks, which gives it a richness and structure quite distinct from the lighter 18 Year Old.
The nose opens on heather honey and beeswax, with that signature Highland Park drift of soft, aromatic peat smoke sitting behind dried orange peel and a touch of dark chocolate. There is no rush to it; the cask influence is patient and integrated.
On the palate it is full-bodied and waxy, the sherry contribution showing as dark marmalade, toasted almonds, fig and clove, with a gentle saline edge that reminds you of the latitude. The smoke is incidental rather than dominant, woven through the fruit rather than laid on top.
The finish is long and unhurried, leaving honeyed oak, pipe tobacco and a final breath of heather smoke. This older 21 Year Old expression earned considerable critical praise on release and remains, for those who can find it, one of the more compelling Highland Park bottlings of its era.
