Highland Park is celebrating its 225th anniversary by releasing its oldest whisky yet, a 54 Year Old priced at a somewhat staggering £39,000 (about $47,000 USD). Only 225 bottles of the limited-edition Scotch will be made available.
Originally laid down in 1968, the Highland Park created its 54-Year-Old by combining four refill butts and six refill hogsheads in 2008, and then poured it into first-fill European Sherry butts, where the liquid matured for an additional 14 years.
“This exceptionally rare 54-year-old single malt Scotch whisky has been nurtured through careful maturation and harmonization,” said Gordon Motion, Highland Park master whisky maker. “Representing a quarter of Highland Park’s life, we felt it was a fitting way to mark our 225th anniversary; born and crafted in the heart of Orkney.”
On the nose, the whisky offers notes of lychee and camphor alongside oak and delicate peat. The palate delivers warm spices, crushed cumin, coriander seeds, rose and jasmine with a hint of kiwi fruit and pistachio. The finish finds sweet fenugreek and heathery peat smoke.
Stoelzle Flaconnage senior designer Michael Rudak created the bottle, which comes in a presentation box made from Scottish oak designed to look like cliffs of Yesnaby on Orkney. The bottles, meanwhile, feature a conical ‘push’ at the base in tribute to the mash tuns at the distillery. Additionally, the box contains an invite to attend a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experience at the distillery.
Bottled at 46.9% ABV, the whisky is currently available in the UK from Berry Bros & Rudd and The Whisky Shop. For more information, head over to the brand’s official website.