50 YEAR OLD 2021 RELEASE

Highland Park 50 Year Old 2021 Release single malt scotch whisky is only the fourth release of a whisky this age in our distillery’s 224-year history. Created from casks originally laid down in 1960, 1964 and 1968, its value cannot be defined by age alone but by the richness of character, complexity of flavour and intense balance that over fifty years of quiet maturation in our island warehouses brings and, of course, by the expertise of our Master Whisky Maker, Gordon Motion.

To create just 139 bottles of this rare and iconic whisky, Gordon selected nine casks originally laid down in 1968 and refilled them into four first-fill European oak butts in 2008, leaving them to mature for a further 12 years. In 2020, he selected just one butt and married a small quantity of the whisky it contained with some of our 2018 batch of 50 Year Old, retained specifically for this purpose. The 2018 batch was created from five first-fill sherry seasoned European oak casks, laid down in 1960, and married with two refill hogsheads, laid down in 1964, and also some of 2010 release of 50 Year Old. This ‘solera’ approach ensures that the DNA of our oldest Highland Park whisky runs seamlessly from batch to batch.

Our 2021 release is intensely rich, spicy and fragrant with delicate aromas of crushed cloves, muscovado sugar and sweet currants conveyed on a whisper of new leather and soft peat smoke. A complex and vibrant intensity of flavour follows, with a perfectly orchestrated medley of cinnamon and nutmeg aromatic spices, candied orange peel, and prunes soaked in alcohol delivering a deliciously rich yet fragrant spiciness. Hints of new leather again, and also toasted oak, linger in a finish that’s enrobed in aromatic peat smoke.

Each bottle has been personally signed by Gordon and although bottled exclusively for China, a very small number will be available to purchase through our online shop, via a ballot, for a limited period only.