About Highland Park Distillery
Highland Park is an island distillery on the southern edge of Kirkwall in Orkney. It is generally dated to 1798, although the identity of its founder and the earliest form of the operation are less certain than later brand stories sometimes imply. The distillery's defining production feature is local heather-rich peat from Hobbister Moor, used alongside unpeated malt to create aromatic rather than heavily medicinal smoke.
Orkney's treeless, wind-exposed environment and the distillery's emphasis on sherry-seasoned oak shape a style combining fragrant smoke, honey, fruit and spice. It is an Orcadian island malt even though the legacy directory groups it within the wider Highlands.
History
A popular local tradition links the 1798 beginnings with Magnus Eunson, a church beadle and illicit distiller said to have hidden whisky from excise officers. Specialist historical research also identifies farmer David Robertson in the foundation record, and the precise early name of the site is debated. The safest account treats Eunson as an important Orkney tradition, keeps 1798 as the conventional date, and distinguishes it from the clearly documented licence obtained in 1826 under Robert Borwick.
The Borwick family remained involved through much of the nineteenth century. William Stuart took control in the 1870s, working with James Grant, formerly manager at The Glenlivet. Grant acquired full ownership in 1895 and expanded the operation from two to four stills in 1898, giving Highland Park the production arrangement it broadly retains.
Highland Distillers acquired the distillery in 1937. The company later became part of Edrington, and Highland Park developed from a valued blending malt into an internationally distributed single malt, particularly after wider bottling in the late 1970s and the introduction of familiar age-stated releases. Modern presentation has often drawn on Orkney's Norse history, but the production story is more specific than that branding theme.
What makes it distinctive
Highland Park retains floor maltings for a portion of its barley. Local peat is cut from Hobbister Moor, where heather and moss dominate because Orkney has few trees. Burning it in the kiln gives the malt floral, heathery smoke. That intensely peated floor-malted component is combined with unpeated mainland malt, so the finished new make is much less phenolic than the local malt alone.
Four copper pot stills and wooden washbacks support production, while varying fermentation lengths help build fruit and complexity. Maturation relies heavily on sherry-seasoned European and American oak, with refill casks also important. The wood contributes dried and fresh fruit, vanilla, spice and structure around the aromatic peat; neither peat nor sherry should be treated as a flavouring added after distillation.
Whisky character and significance
The mature house style is often described through heather smoke, honey, orange, dried fruit, baking spice and a gentle maritime edge. European oak can add tannin and darker dried fruit, while American oak tends towards vanilla and brighter sweetness. Smoke is persistent but normally integrated rather than overwhelming.
Visiting Highland Park Distillery
The Kirkwall distillery offers bookable tours and tastings that can include the floor maltings when operating conditions permit. Current access, experience formats and production visibility should be confirmed directly. Island weather and transport can affect any Orkney itinerary, so the appointment should be planned with more margin than a mainland urban visit.
Location and surrounding area
Kirkwall provides a base for exploring Orkney's exceptional archaeological landscape, including Neolithic sites as well as later Norse and Scottish history. Hobbister Moor gives direct production context, while coastal light and rapidly changing weather explain why seasonal variation is part of the visitor experience without changing the whisky's legal region.
- Whisky region
- Highlands
- Location
- Holm Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1SU
- Visitor information
- Check the official website for current tours, tastings, access and booking arrangements.
Further information
Visit the official Highland Park Distillery website
Highland Park: official craft and peat information