Secret whiskies from the Orkney Islands that might be Highland Park, but we’re not entirely sure


December 3, 2024

Secret whiskies from the Orkney Islands that might be Highland Park, but we’re not entirely sure

I’ve said it all in the headline, haven’t I? Once again, we’re taking a leap of faith…

(Gerd Muller 'Der Bomber', 1945-2021)

An Orkney Distillery 15 yo 2008/2024 (54%, Royal Mile Whiskies, hogshead, cask #35, 345 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: if this isn’t Highland Park, and a truly outstanding one at that, I’ll eat my old Royal Mile Whiskies T-shirt from the 2000s. Please call the Anti-Maltoporn Brigade. Rapeseed oil, beeswax, fresh bread, apples and lemons, damp chalk, and some old fireplace ashes. With water: the sourdough notes come alive. Mouth (neat): sublime. It takes me back to the lovely little 10-year-old official bottling I used to adore, now sadly discontinued (cue Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings). Pure waxes, clays, lemons, and seaweed… But by Vishnu, this is absolutely marvellous! With water: wonderfully pure Highland Park, with exquisite bitter herbs lingering in the background. Finish: rather long, oily, zesty with lemon, saline, and just a whisper of fermentary edge. Comments: what a remarkable distillate. At this stage, the only other option is to leave it alone and let it age further—any alien interference would only detract from its brilliance. My take.
SGP:562 - 91 points.

Secret Orkney Distillery 16 yo 2006/2023 (53.2%, Acla Selection, Classic Series, hogshead, cask #54)

Colour: white wine. Nose: we could set a record for the quickest tasting note ever—damp chalk, roasted barley, beach sand, old apples, and a wee candle. With water: freshly baked bread and morning brioche. Mouth (neat): again, what a distillate of absolute brilliance. With water: cider, seawater, lemon juice, and beeswax. Finish: much the same—apple juice, earth, and ashes. Comments: in truth a simple, humble, no-frills Highland Park, but what a distillate! You could drink just this forever and live perfectly happy (though maybe not forever).
SGP:552 - 88 points.

Whitlaw 8 yo ‘The High Priest Batch 2’ (52.6%, Brave New Spirits, Whisky of Voodoo, Wine Casks and Burgundy Barriques, 2023)

Voodoo? Shouldn’t that be rum? That said, barriques ought to be Bordeaux, while Burgundy uses pièces (says the resident hair-splitter). In any case, this all sounds like great fun… Colour: gold with a mirabelle hue. Nose: Burgundy on full display—hare’s belly, damp mop, blackcurrant, black cherry, rabbit terrine, and brown tobacco. It’s wild; I find more ‘Burgundy’ in this Highland Park than in some grand Burgundy wines. Just so you know, I did study in Burgundy, for what it’s worth. With water: a touch of pastry and yeast emerges. Mouth (neat): it’s completely over the top—too peppery, too much on stalks, tomato leaf, zest, buds, and a hint of mustiness… And yet, I really like it. Must be my Burgundian side coming through. With water: blackberry and cherry come roaring to the forefront. Finish: medium length, with cherry, buds, and green pepper. Comments: I think this is a playful little dram to be taken with a hefty dose of humour—or perhaps a Burgundy education. I like it, seriously.
SGP:661 - 84 points.

Secret Orkney 17 yo 2006/2023 (52.4%, DramCatcher, cask #65)

Colour: white wine. Nose: this is rather gentle and quieter, opening on sunflower and rapeseed oils, then those familiar old apples we keep referencing. Whiffs of peppermint, fresh bread, and even ink, with a curious impression of some newspaper of the day, be it straight from your mailbox or the dog’s slobber. With water: chalk and fresh sourdough bread. Mouth (neat): simply excellent—very natural Highland Park once again. What a distillate! (I feel I should insist). With water: what more to add? Lemon, apple, a touch of seawater, and some rustic farmhouse cider. Finish: fairly long, with a very, very faint cardboardy note that perhaps ties back to that “daily” impression. Lemon takes over beautifully in the aftertaste. Comments: rather simple but truly delightful.
SGP:551 - 86 points.

Distilled on Orkney 17 yo 2006/2023 (52.7%, Maltbarn, Seventies, bourbon cask, 347 bottles)

What a lovely label—it looks like a 1972 Mannschaft T-shirt, Gerd Müller and all that. Colour: pale gold. Nose: let’s keep this quick—it’s a crystalline Highland Park with chalk, damp earth, oyster shells, old apples, and paraffin… Nothing out of place here, it seems. With water: roots, a bit of Orkney mud, virgin wool, and grist. Mouth (neat): lively and almost sparkling, evoking a sensation akin to Schweppes. Ginger, cinchona, and dry cider… What kind of sorcery is this? With water: the water tones it down, bringing fresh and preserved fruits, wax, and a drop of seawater back to the fore. Finish: medium in length, slightly fermentary, with hints of uncooked lemon cake. Comments: it feels like the barley is leading the dance here. I really like this. And let’s remember Gerd Müller, der Bomber (RIP)…
SGP:551 - 86 points.

An Orkney 11 yo 2012/2023 (48%, The Single Malts of Scotland, Reserve Cask, oloroso sherry butt, Parcel No.11)

From three casks. Colour: vermilion copper – something like that. Nose: deeply earthy, with damp soil, undergrowth, chestnuts, mushrooms, and pine needles, followed by varnish, walnut stain, pipe tobacco, and hoisin sauce… I absolutely love all of this. Mouth: brilliant—slightly thick and perhaps a bit heady, but it truly packs a punch, as they say in rock and roll. Rum-laced crème brûlée, dark nougat, freshly cracked pepper, and tobacco… A drop of water reveals a floral side, reminiscent of violets. Finish: long, leaning towards cherry liqueur and pepper, with a touch of juniper in the aftertaste. Comments: it feels as though cherry quietly shaped this Highland Park from start to finish, without us realising it. I rather adore these playful hide-and-seek notes.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

Stones of Stenness 9 yo 2014/2024 (58.8%, Single Cask Nation, 1st fill bourbon barrel, cask #173828, 275 bottles)

It actually spent its last 75 months in 1st fill bourbon, which certainly qualifies as ‘maturation,’ doesn’t it? By the way, Stenness is a stunning alignment of standing stones, located far west of Kirkwall. Colour: gold. Nose: gentler, more composed, and more urbane than many others, yet the barley DNA is unmistakable. Fresh brioche, bread, beer, perhaps a few lentils, and touches of mashed potatoes (50% potatoes, 50% butter, 20% olive oil, naturally). With water: smoke comes to the fore, alongside slag and ashes. Mouth (neat): absolutely beautiful—assertive, lemony, and peppery, with a powerful punch that borders on violent due to all the pepper, but citrus fruits step in masterfully to restore balance. With water: ash and lemon take charge, resolving everything. Finish: long, with even more smoky, salty lemon. Comments: there’s a faint Islay-like character in this Highland Park, but that’s not unheard of. Truly excellent.
SGP:562 - 87 points.

Isle of Orkney 16 yo 2007/2023 (60.8%, The Spirits Hunter, for HNWS Taiwan, hogshead, cask #31, 272 bottles)

Colour: pale gold. Nose: truly, this feels like an Islay-style Highland Park, with prominent smoke, a clear maritime character, oysters, and seaweed. Had you told me this was Caol Ila, I wouldn’t have called for an ambulance right away. But beware of the high ABV, which can easily deceive the senses. With water: dirty sourdough, rowdy yeasts, and old hipster beer (aren’t all hipsters old now?). Mouth (neat): absolutely perfect—this is Caol Ila. Seriously. With water: no, it’s not Caol Ila, but there are definite similarities, with an unexpected sweet note adding, say intrigue. Finish: long, with almonds and lemon stepping in to restore balance. Comments: the challenge with such high strength is that it can throw you off course. And anyway, we don’t have six hours per whisky to let them get quieter, do we?
SGP:553 - 85 points.

Secret Orkney 15 yo 2007/2022 ‘Sunset Boulevard’ (65.8%, Malt Grain & Cane, oloroso quarter cask, cask #208, 151 bottles)

Well, almost 66%, this feels like a pure assassination attempt from our friends in Singapore—I fear we can’t let this slide. Colour: full gold. Nose: at nearly 66% ABV, do we even want to know? Maybe some vanilla cream? With water: not quite sure. Dry biscuits, like those in ubiquitous tins you find in airport shops the world over? Mouth (neat): it’s like drinking straight from a car’s petrol tank. Let’s move on. With water: we often forget that reducing such a beast takes time, and that molecules aren’t always quick to align. Frankly, this one doesn’t quite come together within minutes, maybe hours. Finish: long but a bit indistinct. Salt, lemon, apples, perhaps? Comments: feels a bit like bumping into Mike Tyson in a dark alley—You won’t remember much… Personally, I’d have bottled this at 57%/100 proof; there, I said it. Hugs, peace, and total love to Singapore.
SGP:551 - 82 points.

Well, this isn't likely to be much better, to be honest...

An Orkney Distillery 17 yo 2006/2023 ‘Epitome’ (62.2%, Whiskynaut & Alula, hogshead, cask #3572, 290 bottles)

Still in Asia, among delightful folk who, it seems, are not quite ready to consider slightly lowering the ABV of their whiskies. Colour: light gold. Nose: quite lovely but undeniably powerful, with a boozy edge that feels a touch like a visit to the pharmacy. A few orchard apples do manage to bob up, though. With water: oh, much better indeed! Chalky notes emerge, along with more defined apples, island soils, rainwater, and a touch of lanolin. Mouth (neat): ah indeed, now we’re talking. The sheer quality of the distillate swiftly takes control, and the ethanol quietly retreats into the background. Orchard apples, tiny red berries, hints of shellfish and crustaceans, lemons, and citron zest—everything’s just dandy, as they say. With water: impeccable. Apples again, lemons, grist, sourdough, seaweed, and the rest—simply marvellous. Finish: fairly long, with a sense of adventure that lingers beautifully (what?) Comments: what a dram, and what a duel between the malt and the drinker! I won’t say who emerged victorious, ha-ha.
SGP:561 - 87 points.

It's amusing to note that peat appears intermittently in all these HPs, and not necessarily based on vintages or time periods. Maybe that’s just the casks’ previous contents. Right then, let's carry on...

Highland Park 20 yo 2000/2021 (55.1%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, bourbon hogshead, #4.277, ‘A Punch And a Pout, Honey and Heft’, 304 bottles)

– Well, one hopes the person who came up with that name is doing all right, that it wasn’t Angus, and that everyone realises it’s all love and peace here. After all, whisky should be about peace and love, shouldn’t it. Colour: gold. Nose: quite a mix of varnish and old apples to start, and ten minutes in, not much evolution, really. With water: nothing much emerges, perhaps a hint of plaster, but that’s about it. Mouth (neat): slightly better than the nose, though still on the green and slightly aggressive side, with a grassy edge that doesn’t quite lift it. With water: honestly, it’s hard to say – it’s clearly a good malt whisky, but it doesn’t have much more going for it than, say, a Gallagher brothers’ reunion. Finish: medium in length with some pleasant Highland Park markers, though they don’t particularly stand out, and a touch of bitterness on the aftertaste. Comments: a rather tougher Highland Park than usual, one might say. Moderate interest here, shall we say – three years after release, bravo Whiskyfun.
SGP: 451 – 78 points.

Orkney Islands 20 yo 2003/2023 (54.7%, Spheric Spirits, refill hogshead, cask 12, 338 bottles)

Straight from Leipzig, the land of JS Bach, the father of all proper music (including Trane, Miles, Ellington, and, err, Mariah Carey – spot the odd one out). Colour: pale gold. Nose: a wonderfully gentle Highland Park, full of vanilla, cake batter, apricots, and mirabelles. Very serene, very zen. With water: turns into straight apple juice – charming and uncomplicated. Mouth (neat): excellent, this one, with a fruity and pastry-like profile that’s lightly dusted with spices, leaning towards pepper. With water: the classic HP character shines through, with pine resin, eucalyptus, wild blueberries (the kind that stain your tongue blue), and beeswax, all lifted by a coastal freshness. A small whelk lost in there too, perhaps. Finish: fairly long, maybe not utterly mind-blowing but clean, malty, and comfortably close to barley. Comments: nothing to add here, it’s actually simply very good.
SGP: 551 – 85 points.

Secret Orkney 19 yo 2005/2024 (54.3%, Signatory Vintage, 1st fill oloroso sherry butt, LMDW, cask #17/A63#64, 623 bottles)

One continues to suspect that whoever assigns these cask numbers at Signatory might be on something rather potent, or possibly Amarone, which amounts to the same thing. Colour: golden amber. Nose: praline and cherry clafoutis to start, followed by leather and herbal teas (a touch of thyme in particular). With water: the Orkney ‘terroir’ emerges here, along with soft honeys—gentler than your usual heather honey, to be sure. Mouth (neat): the oloroso does its job beautifully, bringing heaps of nuts, both fresh and aged, paired with orange marmalade and quince jelly—sheer delight. With water: orange cakes, brioche with candied fruits, and rustic country honeys take the stage. Finish: medium in length, with a delicate flourish of orange blossom. Comments: rather superb, though it may not totally measure up to the finest ex-bourbon or refill hogshead versions in my book (but those are rarer than one might wish). That said, not the case at all here, but heavy sherry casks like this can sometimes also be proper burdens.
SGP: 551 – 86 points.

Alright, one last try—let's head back towards Eastern Switzerland…

Secret Orkney Distillery 15 yo 2008/2023 (52.8%, Acla Selection, hogshead, cask #14, 120 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: oh, absolutely—apples, focaccia, bread dough, and sweet beer, something like a gentle IPA with soft yeasty undertones. Delightfully inviting thus far. With water: it tightens up a touch, shifting towards crêpe batter—how curious. Mouth (neat): wonderfully unique, a marriage of apples and beer with a lively vibrancy that feels much bolder than its rather polite 52.8%. With water: everything finds its balance again, calming into a serene harmony as the flavours align beautifully (hold your horse, S.). Finish: long, fresh, and precise, brimming with apples and lemons. Comments: simply splendid—now imagine saying that with the wonderful, lilting accent of eastern Switzerland.
SGP:551 - 87 points.

What we’ve learned today, it seems to me, is that the HP distillate remains highly sensitive to the amount of water you add, and that it’s better to add too little than too much (but that’s almost always the case, except when a spirit is so bad that it’s better to drown it.)

Check the index of all Highland Park we've tasted so far