Highland Park
Pair Highland Park with a round
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Our sister site TripSCOT covers the visit side — opening hours, getting there, family-friendly notes. We cover the whisky.
Orkney’s northernmost Scotch distillery uses heather-infused peat and slow maturation in a famously cold island climate. Balanced, honeyed, lightly smoky.
Highland Park makes Orkney's whisky — and Orkney's whisky is like nothing else in Scotland. The heathery peat, the maritime setting, the sherry influence: the 12 Year Old is a perfectly balanced introduction to the Viking-themed range. Older expressions (18, 25, 30) are among the most complex whiskies produced anywhere. The distillery in Kirkwall does its own floor malting and its own peat cutting.
Visiting Highland Park
Allow 90 min–2 hours including the heritage exhibit and shop.
Kirkwall, Orkney
KW15 1SU
Open Mon–Sat 10:00am–5:00pm. Sun closed in winter, open in peak season.
Reduced hours Nov–Mar. Closed 25–26 Dec, 1–2 Jan. Orkney ferry timetables may affect day-trip planning.
- Shop
- Café/Restaurant
- Parking
- Dog-friendly
- Wheelchair access
- Booking lead time
- Book at least a week ahead in summer; longer if your trip depends on a specific tour level.
- Photography
- Photos welcome in the visitor centre, exhibit and shop. Production-floor restrictions apply.
- Age restriction
- Under-18s welcome but cannot taste.
- Dogs
- Dogs not permitted inside the production buildings or visitor centre.
- Accessibility
- Visitor centre, exhibit and shop are accessible. The floor maltings tour has step access.
- Parking
- Free, modest car park; the distillery is also a 15-minute walk from Kirkwall town centre.
- Café
- No on-site café. Walking distance to several Kirkwall options including The Reel and Helgi's.
Tour options
60 min
Tour + 3-dram tasting
120 min
Warehouse + cask sampling + premium drams
180 min
In-depth experience + rare-bottling tasting
Core range
12 Year Old Viking Honour
40% ABV · American + European sherry casks; faint heather peat
The standard recommendation for someone who likes peat but not Islay-level intensity. Heather smoke is softer and earthier than coastal Islay smoke.
- Nose:
- Honey, heather, faint smoke, dried fruit.
- Palate:
- Balanced sweet-and-smoke — honey, heather, gentle peat, oak.
- Finish:
- Medium, gently smoky, sweet edge.
18 Year Old Viking Pride
43% ABV · Predominantly sherry-seasoned oak; light peat
Consistently named one of the world's best premium whiskies. The sherry-smoke-honey balance is unique to Highland Park at this age.
- Nose:
- Honey, oak, dried fruit, soft smoke.
- Palate:
- Rich — sherry-led but balanced, honey, faint smoke, oak spice.
- Finish:
- Long, mellow, gentle smoke fading to dryness.
Flavour & house character
Honey, heather smoke, sherry richness, slow Orcadian maturation. The heather-peat character gives a sweeter, more floral smoke than Islay; the sherry-cask focus gives weight; Orkney's cool climate gives slow maturation. Hard to confuse with anything else.
- smoky2/5
- fruity3/5
- floral2/5
- sherried4/5
- spicy3/5
- maritime3/5
How it’s made
- Stills
- 4 (2 wash + 2 spirit stills) · Medium-sized stills with classic onion shape — produces a balanced spirit, not too heavy or light
- Malting
- Around 20% on-site floor malted with heather peat (5–10 ppm). Remainder externally sourced.
- Water source
- The Cattie Maggie spring
- Annual capacity
- 2.5 million litres of pure alcohol
- Warehouse
- Traditional dunnage warehouses on-site, low-level — Orkney's constant wind keeps maturation cool and slow
- Casks
- Ex-sherry oloroso (the signature), Ex-sherry Pedro Ximénez, Ex-bourbon American oak, Refill ex-sherry
Highland Park is the only distillery in Scotland still using its own heather-cut peat for malting (about 20% of malt is on-site floor-malted with this peat). The peat is sweeter and more floral than Islay woody peat — that's why the smoke at Highland Park tastes like nothing else.
Deep dive review
The 12 is one of the most complete sub-£60 single malts on the market. Sweet, nutty, gently smoky.
Food pairings
Highland Park's honey-and-heather profile suits Orcadian seafood, smoked fish, hard cheeses, and slow-cooked lamb.
| Whisky | Food | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Year Old | Smoked Orkney scallops | Heather smoke meets briny shellfish — the canonical Orkney pairing |
| 18 Year Old | Aged hard cheese (mature cheddar, aged Gouda) | Sherry character matches aged cheese; honey ties them together |
- Highland Park is the only Scotch distillery still using its own heather peat AND floor maltings — the tour shows you both
- Combine with the Italian Chapel and Skara Brae for a perfect Orkney day
- The 18 Viking Pride is a different league from the 12 — splash out if you can
- Orkney accommodation is tight in summer — book Kirkwall well ahead
- Walk to the distillery from Kirkwall — 15 minutes uphill, no need to drive
Getting there
- Drive from edinburgh
- 8+ hours including ferry270 miles + ferryA9 north to Scrabster, NorthLink ferry to Stromness, A965 to Kirkwall
- Drive from inverness
- 5+ hours including ferry110 miles + ferryA9 north to Scrabster, NorthLink ferry, A965 to Kirkwall
- Drive from aberdeen
- 7+ hours including ferry180 miles + ferryNorthLink ferry from Aberdeen direct to Kirkwall (overnight)
- Public transport
- Highland Park is a 15-minute walk from Kirkwall town centre. Bus 6 from Stromness ferry to Kirkwall connects with all NorthLink ferries.
- Ferry
- NorthLink Scrabster–Stromness (90 min) or Aberdeen–Kirkwall (overnight). Pentland Ferries from Gills Bay is the cheaper, shorter option.
- Nearest airport
- Kirkwall (Loganair flights from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness).
Where to eat nearby
- Helgi'sPub15 min walk (Kirkwall)
The default Kirkwall whisky pub. Solid food and a good Highland Park selection.
- The ReelCafé & music venue15 min walk (Kirkwall)
Excellent café by day, traditional music venue by night.
- The FoveranRestaurant10 min drive
Highly rated Orkney seafood and lamb restaurant. Book ahead.
Where to stay near Highland Park
Highland Park is in Kirkwall, Orkney's main town — a 5-minute drive from the town centre. Kirkwall has a full range of accommodation: the Kirkwall Hotel, St Ola Hotel, and numerous B&Bs around the harbour. The Ness of Brodgar and Ring of Brodgar Neolithic sites are 12 miles west. Getting to Orkney requires Northlink Ferry from Scrabster or Aberdeen, or Loganair from Edinburgh, Inverness, or Aberdeen.
Closest hotel to the distillery. Excellent restaurant and a serious whisky bar.
Restaurant with rooms in central Kirkwall.
Multiple options — book well ahead in summer.
Where to stay near Highland Park
Hotels, B&Bs, and self-catering within easy reach of Highland Park.
Booking links are affiliate links — we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
May–September for weather and ferry reliability. Orkney summer days are very long (sunset around 11pm in June). October has good weather and colour. Avoid winter unless you're committed — the ferry can be cancelled and Orkney is genuinely quiet.
Orkney is windy more than wet. Bring layers and a windproof. The constant breeze is the reason Highland Park warehouses age so slowly.
Location
Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1SU
View on map →Frequently asked questions
+How much is a Highland Park tour?
Viking Soul Tour from £25. Cask Tour £75. Magnus Eunson Tour £150 (the rare-bottling tasting).
+How do I get to Highland Park distillery?
Highland Park is in Kirkwall, Orkney. Reach Orkney via NorthLink ferry from Scrabster (Thurso) to Stromness, or fly to Kirkwall airport. The distillery is a 15-minute walk from Kirkwall town centre.
+Is Highland Park worth the trip to Orkney?
Yes — but plan a 2–3 day Orkney trip rather than a flying visit. Skara Brae, the Italian Chapel, and Stromness are all worth your time alongside the distillery.
+Why is Highland Park different from other Scotches?
It's the only working distillery using its own heather-cut peat (not woody peat like Islay), still doing floor maltings on site, and maturing in extreme northern conditions. The result is a smoke profile no mainland distillery can replicate.
+Is Highland Park wheelchair accessible?
Visitor centre, exhibit and shop are accessible. Floor maltings tour has step access — call ahead if needed.
+Can I fly to Orkney?
Yes — Loganair flights from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. Often quicker than the ferry but more expensive and weather-dependent.
Cocktails featuring Highland Park
Compare with similar distilleries
Scapa
Orkney's less famous distillery, sitting on the shore of Scapa Flow a few miles south of Highland Park. Produces unpeated, honeyed, coastal spirit — a stylistic counterpoint to its neighbour. Not currently open to the public.
Talisker
The only distillery on Skye for most of its history, sitting on the shore of Loch Harport in Carbost. Talisker 10 is one of the most instantly recognisable Scotch profiles — peppery, maritime, gently smoked — and the distillery is a near-compulsory stop for any Skye road trip.
Aberlour
A Speyside favourite for sherry-cask fans, best known internationally for the cask-strength A’bunadh series. Sweet, rich, and notably big-bodied for the region.
GlenDronach
A sherry-cask powerhouse, often spoken of alongside Macallan and Glenfarclas but at notably fairer prices. The 15 Revival in particular has a cult following.
Other distilleries owned by Edrington
Distilleries that share Highland Park's corporate parent — useful context if you're comparing house styles within an owner's stable.
The Macallan
The most valuable single malt brand in the world. Famous for sherry-cask maturation and, increasingly, for price inflation. The architecturally-stunning visitor centre is worth a visit on its own merits.
The Glenrothes
Long a backbone of the Cutty Sark and Famous Grouse blends, Glenrothes has steadily built a reputation as a serious sherry-cask single malt in its own right. Not currently open to visitors.
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