Highland Park Whisky Distillery

The Highland Park Distillery

A stay on the awe-inspiring islands of Orkney would not be complete without a visit to the northernmost Scotch Whisky distillery in the world: Highland Park.

A tour of this renowned distillery is a wonderful way in which to learn more about the history and traditions of these unique islands. In 2002, the Scottish Tourist Board awarded the distillery their Five Star Award in recognition of its excellent facilities and services. We are delighted to advise that we have retained our Five Star rating ever since.

November to March:
Gift Shop Mon-Fri 1-5pm. One tour only at 2pm.

April, September and October:
Gift Shop Mon-Fri 10am-5pm. Tours every half hour, last tour at 4.00pm.

May to August:
Open 7 days. Mon-Fri open as April, September and October. Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday 12-5pm. Tours every half hour, last tour at 4pm.

Group Bookings: By appointment.

Getting There
From the Stromness on the A964 turn right on the outskirts of Kirkwall at the Esso into Pickquoy Road, then at the T-junction, make a right and after a short distance join the A961 for South Ronaldsay. The distillery is on the left.

Parking / Reception
Parking is on the right opposite the distillery entrance. As you enter the courtyard, bear right up the stairs into the coffee shop, where you will be given one of the warmest of Orkney welcomes. There is a video loop to watch and beautifully painted sketches that illustrate the steps in the distilling process.

Contact the Highland Park Distillery
Holm Road, Kirkwall
Orkney, KW15 1SU Scotland
Telephone: +44(0) 1856 874619
Email: Higland Park Distillery

Additional Highland Park Distillery Information

Highland Park stopped distilling for the duration of the Second World War from 1939. Its war effort was confined to the mash tun being used as an enormous bath for some of the 60,000 troops stationed on Orkney. That was the year in which HMS Royal Oak was sunk by a German submarine in Scapa Flow and Sir Winston Churchill visited the distillery. When offered a cup of tea upon his arrival, he is recalled as stating his preference for a glass of Highland Park in a typically direct manner. The distillery returned to production in 1945.

New warehouses were built at Highland Park to cope with increasing demand in 1954. In 1970 Highland Distillers bought Matthew Gloag & Sons, blenders of The Famous Grouse. Distillery Manager Pat Scott wrote in 1976; “The distillery does not bottle its product, but several of its customers make a specialty of it as a single whisky. The major proportion is, however, used for blending purposes.”

Highland Park was available as an independently bottled 8 year old at the time. It was felt, however, that the time was right for a proprietary bottling; Highland Park 12 year old single malt was launched in 1979. In its first year, fewer than 100 cases were sold. In the 1990s the profile of Highland Park rose sharply. The Highland Park 1967 was released in 1991 and the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kenneth Clarke, toasted the health of the Scotch whisky industry on Budget day with a dram of Highland Park 12 year old in 1993.

Then in 1997 and 1998 came a succession of eagerly-awaited new releases; Highland Park 18 year old and Highland Park 25 year old made an immediate impression on whisky writers and enthusiasts the world over. At the same time Highland Park 35 year old, Goodwin’s Reserve, was released as an eponymous limited edition for the then retiring Chairman of Highland Distillers. The following year was the Highland Park Bicentenary; celebrations were held at the distillery and a highly-regarded commemorative Bicentenary Edition bottling (21 year old, distilled in 1977) was released.

Also in 1998, Highland Park underlined its commitment to embracing new technology when relevant by holding an on-line single cask tasting. A panel of journalists sampled a number of different casks and agreed on their favourite, a 1974 vintage, which was subsequently bottled.

More new releases were to follow; Highland Park 1958 released (as a 40 year old) in 1999, a limited edition of 2,000 bottles of Highland Park 2000 were released to mark the millennium. Next came a limited edition of 5,400 bottles called Capella, a whisky commemorating the 60th anniversary of Orkney’s world famous Italian Chapel. Built by prisoners of war using mainly scrap materials, the Chapel is an abiding memorial to their time spent on the island and a manifestation of the strength of the human spirit. It is as dramatically ornate on the inside as it is austere on the outside. The bottle features an illustration of the Chapel painted by the man responsible for its creation, Domenico Chiochetti.

Since then, there have been a further three expressions launched; Highland Park 15 year old was introduced in the UK in 2003, Highland Park 30 year old was introduced in April 2005 and picked up the award for Best Imported Whisky in Malt Advocate magazine later that same year. In September of 2005, Highland Park 16 year old was launched as an exclusive for global travel retail and duty free markets.

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