Highland Park is a leading name in Scotch whisky circles, although it remains an enigmatic brand for some. Despite being one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries, dating back to 1798, its location on the Orkney Isles puts it north of some people’s radar. The brand has also leant heavily into Orkney’s viking heritage in recent years, and has themed its livery accordingly. While its entry-level expressions sit comfortably amongst their peers, the aspect of Highland Park that teases so many whisky enthusiasts is that its high-end and special releases can often be up there with the very best that single malt has to offer.
Of course, if you’ve been in the game for a while, none of this is a surprise. Indeed, it was over 30 years ago that the great whisky writer, Michael Jackson, declared Highland Park to be the “greatest all-rounder”. And he was right – a good Highland Park will display a little bit of everything: Malt, heather-honey sweetness, citrus, spice, floral notes, and a wisp of smoke.
The distillery is also renowned for its dedication to maturing its spirit in ex-sherry casks. Both American oak and European oak sherry-seasoned casks are utilised, with each expression in the portfolio featuring different proportions of the two oak-types, cross-pollinated with each expression utilising different proportions of 1st fill and 2nd fill casks. Such a maturation regimen shouldn’t be too surprising, given Highland Park’s parent company is Edrington, and its stablemate is The Macallan! Given the majority of expressions in the core-range are vattings of different combinations of cask types, it’s thus always a delight and privilege to try a Highland Park single cask. Enter Barrel & Batch.
Barrel & Batch started life as an independent bottler and co-op of sorts that delivered on some incredible single cask whiskies. The company merged with Hairydog in late 2023 and is thus now part of a much wider online premium drinks supplier and retailer. Headed up by the affable Ray Daniel (founder of Barrel & Batch in its original incarnation), B&B can pick a winning cask, and their latest release – a 10 year old Highland Park – is no exception. Highland Park Cask #3439 is from a refill sherry puncheon and yielded 652 bottles at an almost-unbelievable 65.3% ABV. Being a refill cask, the sherry influence is more restrained in this instance, allowing more of Highland Park’s signature and DNA to sit forward in the flavour profile.
The whisky was launched at an incredible culinary experience at Sydney’s Firedoor restaurant. Following a refreshing cocktail on arrival that was made using Highland Park 12yo, the menu was paired to a line-up of Highland Park drams that featured the 15yo, the 18yo, and the Cask Strength Release #3, before culminating in the Barrel & Batch Cask #3439. Firedoor is renowned for its kitchen being fuelled entirely by wood – there’s no gas or electric burners, and it’s thus no surprise that the dishes had a fragrant smokiness which paired superbly with Highland Park’s gentle Orkney peat.
With Barrel & Batch’s Highland Park Cask #3439 being the star of the show, we took our time with this dram and jotted down the following notes: The nose is instantly evocative of the Orkneys: A touch of maritime breeze, a subtle incense smokiness, and open, grassy fields. On the palate, there’s the textbook Highland Park sweetness; some gentle spices and dried fruits from the sherry cask; and then hints of vanilla pods and saddle leather. It’s rich and complex, as you’d expect, but the surprise is how gentle it is on the palate for a spirit that’s north of 60% ABV. The mouthfeel is pleasantly soft and well-behaved, tricking you into thinking it’s been bottled at a lower strength.
Fans of good whisky should rush to Barrel & Batch’s website to grab themselves a bottle. At just $199 for a cask-strength, single cask bottling from an ex-sherry cask…fans of Highland Park should rush even faster!
Cheers,
AD
