Highland Park distillery may be the most famous whisky brand from the Orkney Islands, but it’s also one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. The Campbeltown-based facility has been producing award-winning single malt whisky for more than two centuries, and its rich history is just as exciting as its taste.
The Campbeltown-based distillery is one of the oldest on Islay.
Highland Park is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. It was founded in 1798 by two brothers, Simon and James Logan. The distillery is based on Islay, a Scottish island that’s known for its peaty whisky.
Highland Park Distillery is owned by Burn Stewart Distillers (BSD), who purchased it from Mackinlay’s in 1995 and continue to operate it today.
It’s most famous for producing single malt whisky.
Single malt whisky is made from a single batch of malted barley. This means that no other grains, such as corn or rye, are added to the mash during distillation. The malting process uses germinated grains to produce enzymes that convert starch into fermentable sugars. The malted barley is then mashed with hot water to extract these sugars and make a wort (a sweet fermented liquid).
The next step involves fermentation: yeast is added to convert the sugar into alcohol. Finally, distillation occurs when alcohol vapour passes over copper coils in an alembic still before being condensed back into liquid form and aged in oak casks for several years or decades–depending on your preference!
The distillery was founded in 1798 by two brothers, Simon and James Logan.
The distillery was founded in 1798 by two brothers, Simon and James Logan. The brothers were from Campbeltown and founded their distillery there with the help of John MacDonald (a local farmer). They were the first owners of Highland Park Whisky Distillery until 1819 when it was sold to another family member named James Keiller who then went on to pass down ownership through his sons until they sold it again in 1836.
Its first whisky was called Old Highland, aged in sherry casks.
The first whisky was called Old Highland, aged in sherry casks.
Old Highland was not only the first whisky to come out of Highland Park but also one of the first whiskies to be matured in sherry casks. This tradition has continued over the years and can still be seen today with some of their special releases like Dark Origins, which was aged in Oloroso Sherry Casks, or Valhalla Collection which uses both PX and Pedro Ximenez Sherry Casks as well as Bourbon Barrels.
Whisky from the current owners, Burn Stewart Distillers, has won awards at international competitions and festivals worldwide.
Highland Park has won a number of awards at international competitions and festivals.
The International Spirits Challenge (ISC), an independent judging body that evaluates whisky, brandy, rum, tequila and vodka. In 2018 it was awarded a gold medal for its 15-year expression. The same year it also won a silver medal for its 12-year expression in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SWSC).
In 2018 the SWSC awarded Highland Park’s 18-year old malt whisky with a double gold medal while its 25 Year Old received another double gold award as well as being named “World’s Best Single Malt Whisky.”
Highland Park is one of the richest histories among Scottish whisky distilleries
Highland Park Whisky is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland, with a rich history that dates back to 1798. Highland Park was started by two brothers named Simon and James Logan. They built their distillery on a site that had been used for whisky production since the 1700s (and possibly even earlier).
Conclusion
Highland Park is one of the richest histories among Scottish whisky distilleries. It’s most famous for producing single malt whisky and has won awards at international competitions and festivals worldwide.
