Dining

New Cask Strength Highland Park whisky puts Orkney heather front and centre

Highland Park Heather bottle

Just in time for Burns Night, Orkney-based Highland Park has announced a limited-edition cask strength single malt whisky.

The new release, Cask Strength: Heather, is made using 100 per cent Orkney peat-smoked barley, with peat sourced responsibly from Hobbister Moor, just a few miles from the distillery.

Given Orkney’s northern latitude, trees struggle to grow, leaving heather as the dominant plant life. Over thousands of years, that heather has infused the peat with a floral, perfumed quality, lending Highland Park its characteristic fragrant smoke.

Bottled at 63.6% ABV, the release is the first in Highland Park’s refreshed Cask Strength series, conceived to explore bolder expressions of Orkney provenance.

Cask Strength: Heather is matured in a combination of first-fill European and American sherry-seasoned oak casks, alongside select refill casks.

The whisky is non-chill filtered, retaining its natural deep amber colour from the cask, and contains no added colouring.

Cask Strength: Heather is matured in a combination of first-fill European and American sherry-seasoned oak casks…

Highland Park Cask Strength: heather tasting notes

According to official tasting notes, the whisky opens with fragrant bonfire smoke on the nose, along with vanilla pods and rich brandy butter. Expect sweetness, tempered by subtle warmth.

The palate is said to be rich and oily, delivering creamy marshmallow and nutty macadamia notes. Peppery spice cuts through this sweetness, while a smooth, floral smokiness provides balance and lift.

The finish is reportedly long and composed, lingering with vanilla and perfumed smoke.

Highland Park Cask Strength: Heather is available exclusively through The Whisky Exchange, priced at £60.  Follow The Luxe Review on Google News.

First pour: Heaven Hill Old Fitzgerald 7 Year Old wheated bourbon is a real sweet charmer

Heaven Hill, one of America’s most historically important distilleries, has launched Old Fitzgerald 7 Year Old Bottled-in-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey in the UK, through an exclusive partnership with Majestic. The release marks the UK debut of the signature expression. Heaven Hill traces its roots back to the late 1800s and became widely known during the…

The Luxe Review podcast: A week of wine and whisky crossovers

Welcome to The Luxe Review podcast — where the whisky is limited, the Chardonnay has opinions about geography, and the listening bar is apparently a lifestyle now. Anne: The team has been covering a lot of ground this week — cask innovation, distilling heritage, a global wine competition, and a collaboration that pairs high-fidelity audio…

Unknown's avatar

About Steve May

Creator of Home Cinema Choice magazine, and Editor of The Luxe Review, Steve muses and reviews for Trusted Reviews, T3, Home Cinema Choice, Games Radar, Good Housekeeping, Louder Sounds, StereoNet and Boat International. He’s also the editor of professional home cinema website Inside CI. He's on Twitter/X, Tiktok and Instagram as @SteveMay_UK