An Orkney-based distillery has revealed its "oldest and rarest whisky to date".
Highland Park, which is the second northernmost whisky distillery in Scotland, unveiled its 54 Year Old single malt Scotch Whisky earlier this week. Only 225 bottles of the whisky have been created, in honour of the distillery’s 225th anniversary.
The especially rare release is available from Berry Bros. & Rudd and The Whisky Shop, with a price tag of £39,000. It was created by Highland Park Master Whisky Maker Gordon Motion.
Originally laid down in 1968, four refill butts and six refill hogsheads were combined in February 2008 and refilled into first fill European sherry butts, where the whisky continued to mature. The final 14 years of maturation in ex-sherry casks imparted an "additional deep, rich, natural colour and wonderful intensity to the whisky", which was bottled at 54 years of age.
Mr Motion stated: “This exceptionally rare 54 Year Old single malt Scotch Whisky has been nurtured through careful maturation and harmonisation. 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.”
The Highland Park 54 Year Old consists of a bespoke embossed bottle containing the 54 Year Old whisky, a "beautiful presentation box crafted from the finest Scottish oak wood", and an invitation for the buyer to attend a "once-in-a-lifetime experience" in Orkney.
Designed by award-winning craftsperson and designer John Galvin, the box is sculpted to represent the cliffs of Yesnaby in Orkney. Each piece of wood was hand-blasted, and every box is unique with variations in colour.
Revealing the glass inside, Michael Rudak, Senior Designer, Stoelzle Flaconnage, created the "stunning" bottle housing the rare, limited edition 54 Year Old liquid.
Every detail of the bottle has been considered, for example, the conical ‘push’ at the base is a nod to the mash tuns at the distillery. The textural design was inspired by the old red sandstone at the Yesnaby Cliffs and by the idea of that surge of molten lava erupting from the seabed, slowing down as it formed Orkney’s islands.
More information can be found on the Highland Park website.
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