A New “Old” Highland Park
By Darrin Fullerton
Highland Park announced the release of the rarest of their expressions…the Highland Park 56.
To understand the importance of this whisky, we have to go back to 1968 when a select few barrels were filled with new make spirit and left alone for 40 years. Then in 2008, Master Whisky Maker Gordon Motion decided it was time to share them with the world. He selected ten casks, blended them and re-barreled the whisky in first-fill sherry seasoned American Oak puncheon casks. Now in 2025, those casks are finally ready to be bottled and there will only be 170 of them available. That makes this single malt the oldest and rarest Highland Park Whisky.
“What excites me most about the 56 is that it has both complexity and vibrancy. It has all depth you’d expect of an aged whisky, but there isn’t the intense woodiness that you’d typically find alongside it” said Motion. “Instead, you can absolutely taste the distinctive, subtle smoke of our Orkney heathered peat which really makes this whisky remarkable.”
A new whisky such as this deserves a equally special case and decanter. Highland Park partnered with Master Craftsperson John Galvin for the case and Michael Rudak for the bottle. Both designs take inspiration from the 5,000 plus year-old Standing Stones of Stenness. Each case is unique and reflects 70 hours of work, with the textures hand-carved on individually selected pieces of Scottish Oak. Each bottle Rudak created combines an abstract representation of the Stones and weaves in textures that are reminiscent of the ocean that surrounds and shaped the Orkney Islands of today.
A new whisky such as this deserves a equally special case and decanter. Highland Park partnered with Master Craftsperson John Galvin for the case and Michael Rudak for the bottle. Both designs take inspiration from the 5,000 plus year-old Standing Stones of Stenness. Each case is unique and reflects 70 hours of work, with the textures hand-carved on individually selected pieces of Scottish Oak. Each bottle Rudak created combines an abstract representation of the Stones and weaves in textures that are reminiscent of the ocean that surrounds and shaped the Orkney Islands of today.
The 56 will be available in 2025, priced at a mere 40,000GBP plus VAT, duty and shipping.
Check out the very cool announcement film from Sebastian Jern here!
The tasting notes on this special expression from Highland Park are as follows: “On the nose, you’ll get aromas of jasmine, sweet raisins, cloudy honey and delicate peat smoke, while on the palate you’ll find notes of citrus and orange peel as well as spices and a hint of lapsang souchong tea. The finish is exceptionally subtle, mixing woody spice with honeyed oak and fragrant heathered peat smoke.”