Category - Liquor
Highland Park Debuts Oldest Scotch Whisky Yet
Highland Park is reaching a new milestone with its rare, extra-mature single malt Scotches. For 2025, the distillery is releasing its oldest malt to date: a 56-year-old, first laid down to age in 1968.
Highland Park 56 is the oldest single malt ever released by the Orkey-based Scottish distillery in its more than 200 year history. While it’s been in the works for more than five decades, the release began to take shape a little less than 20 years ago.
Master whisky maker Gordon Motion first took on the job in 2008, and one of his first projects in the role was making a plan for a group of ten exceptional casks first filled in 1968. He re-casked that whisky, deciding on first fill ex-sherry casks to add new and fresh depths of flavor to the whisky in its final years of maturing.
“As casks are natural products and each of them unique, I broadly know what I’ll get from each. But every now and then, I find something interesting that just stops me in my tracks—and that’s exactly what I experienced with these ten," Motion said in a press release. "The second maturation has allowed me to push them even further and I know we’ve created something special.”
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The last few years have seen several impressive releases from Highland Park, including a 50-year and, more recently, a 54-year single malt. Independent bottlers have also had their hand in bringing some incredible bottles to the market. Last year, Duncan Taylor brought out a single cask of Highland Park that had been in their possession for decades. It was also presented at age 54.
You may be asking what a 56-year-old whisky tastes like. That question is hard to answer in broad strokes, as every whisky is different. The longer they spend aging, the more different their evolution can be from any sort of gold standard.
Tasting notes provided by Highland Park suggest a fruity profile. Aromas of jasmine, lilac, raisins and a hint of peat smoke suggest a lot of range. On the palate, the flavors focus on orange peel, coriander, and tea notes. The finish is a balance of smoke, sweetness, and spice. Wood spices, honeyed oak and heathery peat smoke round out the experience. At 47.1 percent ABV, it has a pleasant amount of heat.
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Here’s the catch: while the global market will have access to Highland Park 56 immediately this month, U.S. imports are going to be a little slower. American retailers will start having supply available in the spring—a time that's vague but hopefully not too far off.
The other catch: it's being released in a 700 ml bottle. With only 170 bottles available for the world market, this becomes a particularly rare liquid to acquire—especially because it costs a dizzying $53,500.
Highland Park has not run out of casks from 1968 yet, though. So if you’ve not taken out the home equity line necessary to secure one of these 170 bottles, don’t worry—there’s always the next one.
My suspicion is that we’ll see a 60-year release before the decade is over, and potentially one or more additional releases in the meantime. Whether they’re able to coax one of these casks all the way to 65 years or even 70 will depend a little on science and a little on magic. Some of us will need to employ both to afford a bottle.
In the meantime, it’s hard to argue with the quality of the 18- and 25-year bottles that you can find without spending the mean U.S. household income.
Related: How to Drink Scotch Whisky: Experts Share Their Best Tips
