The UAE enjoys a Highland fling

The basic process at Highland Park is similar to that at other distilleries but it is the differences rather than the similarities which contribute most to this classic single malt Scotch whisky.

The abiding care and attention, the hallmark of Highland Park production, manifests itself in the distinctive aromatic, full-bodied floral sweetness of the whisky.

The tension between peated and unpeated malt and between European and American oak during maturation results in a flawless balance of sweetness and smokiness.

The quality of Highland Park is built on five fundamental keystones:

Hand-turned malt

Highland Park is one of only a handful of distilleries where the expensive and physically exhausting custom of turning malt by hand still takes place.

This process is very expensive and labour intensive – which is why most distillers have long since abandoned the practice.

Highland Park malt costs two and a half times as much as industrially processed malt. Some 20% of the malt used to make Highland Park comes from Orkney.

The remainder is either malted at one of its sister distilleries, Tamdhu (to Highland Park specifications), or comes from Simpsons, a high quality commercial malt producer located in the Scottish Borders.

The Orcadian malt is 40 phenol parts per million whereas that from Tamdhu and Simpsons is only 1-2ppm.

Together they create the balance for which Highland Park is renowned.

Aromatic peat

In simple terms, peat is an organic compound formed under waterlogged conditions. That description does not explain the fascination peat holds for whisky enthusiasts, nor its powerfully emotive nature.

Its general composition is 90% water, 10% dry material (of which typically 92% is organic). It is no exaggeration to say that peat is the terroir of (island) whiskies.

The smokey notes of Highland Park come from this degenerating plant material that is prevalent on the islands of Scotland.

The peats of Orkney are up to 9,000 years old and the deepest bogs are up to four metres deep. Highland Park takes its peat from selected banks on Hobbister Moor, combining cuttings taken from three distinct levels to create the required character.

The top layer is called ‘fogg’; approximately 1,800 years old, it is rich in heather and rootlets and is taken from just below the surface. The darker, more compacted second layer is ‘yarphie’; it generates less smoke and more heat.

The deepest and, therefore, oldest layer (known as ‘moss’) is lumpen and almost coal-like. Highland Park’s peat is so crucial that it comes as no surprise the company owns Hobbister Moor; peat is cut in April and is left to dry on the moor over the summer months prior to storage.

The distillery works closely with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to renew and maintain a thriving bird sanctuary on the moor; often seen on the moor are hen harriers, grouse, pheasants, hawks, red-throated divers and curlews.

Orkney peat has a subtle and additive impact on the final flavour profile of Highland Park. For Distillery Manager, Russell Anderson, the peat is the key to understanding and appreciating Highland Park; he describes its role as being “absolutely fundamental".

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Location is another critical factor in maximising distillery character in whisky. As with many other aspects of Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky, it is matured on site because it always has been.

Highland Park enjoys a specific climate which promotes gentle maturation because it is decidedly temperate. The lack of extremes (of hot or cold) results in even maturation.

Sherry oak casks

The majority of the Scotch whisky industry uses ex-bourbon barrels for maturation.

At Highland Park bourbon barrels are not filled. Traditional oak casks are used; butts, puncheons or hogsheads — no barrels — all seasoned with dry Oloroso sherry. The oak source (American or Spanish) is of greater importance than the wine type used for seasoning. Spanish oak sherry casks give colour and dried fruit character whereas American oak sherry casks give vanilla and butterscotch flavours.

Sherry oak casks are far more expensive but the view at Highland Park is that they are worth it for the rich character and natural colour they provide to the maturing spirit. Typically, a sherry oak cask will cost ten times as much as a bourbon barrel.

The Edrington Group, proprietor of Highland Park, is the leading proponent of wood management within the Scotch whisky industry. It is estimated that between 60% and 80% of the final flavours in bottled whisky can come from the wood.

Cask harmonization

To ensure every bottle of Highland Park reaches you in perfect condition, the whisky is harmonised in casks prior to bottling. Butts, puncheons and hogsheads from American and Spanish oak are all used at Highland Park.

The impact the different types of cask and wood make on the whisky is nothing short of stunning so, to ensure consistency, the whiskies are brought together to enable the intricate nuances to interweave thus adding complexity.

For each batch of Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky, a combination of cask types is selected and vatted together.

The whisky is filled back into casks for a period of up to six months prior to bottling. Older expressions of Highland Park enjoy even longer periods of cask harmonisation.

As well as marrying together all the flavours, this process ensures a perfect synthesis of flavour, colour and an overall sense of balance.

For many distillers, this stage is not seen as being strictly necessary and incurs additional costs but, once again, it’s the way things are done at Highland Park.

For more information on Highland Park, click here.