Whisky Focus - Highland Park 50 Year Old 2018 Batch

Some of you may recall that back in 2010 Highland Park released the oldest whisky to ever come from the Orkney distillery, a limited edition Highland Park 50 Year Old, a vatting of five refill oak casks distilled in 1960. Eight years on and the distillery has released the Highland Park 50 Year Old 2018 Batch, this time it is a limited release of 274 bottles.

The Highland Park 50 Year Old 2018 Batch is a vatting of just two Spanish oak, sherry seasoned, hogshead casks which were filled in 1964. The casks had lay undisturbed at the back of warehouse number 7 at the Highland Park distillery until 2008 when they were first sampled and considered to be of astonishing quality.

Being nervous of the whisky's rarity it was decided to transport the casks separately to Highland Parks warehouse in Glasgow where they were married. When they brought the two 1964 sherry seasoned, hogshead casks together a small amount of the original Highland Park 50 Year Old released in 2010 was added to the vatting, keeping a thread of continuity with the inaugural 50 Year Old, the whisky was married for a further eight years before being bottled near the end of 2018.

Non chill-filtered, naturally coloured and bottled at 42.5% ABV it is described as an intensely rich whisky with sweet notes of ripe black cherries and Muscovado sugar giving way to dried autumn fruits and warm toasted wood. It delivers the merest hint of cedar wood, wrapped in our signature light and peaty aromatic smoke.

As you would expect for such a rare whisky and from Highland Park who are known for their high quality uniquely crafted packaging, the Highland Park 50 Year Old 2018 Batch is presented in a highly embossed and decorative glass bottle which was designed by Scottish designer Andy Bowman. The bottle is housed in a stunning oak box designed and individually handcrafted and prepared by Scottish master craftsman and designer John Galvin. The box also holds a highly polished crystal decanter and brown leather bound book which depicts the development of the whisky.

The Highland Park 50 Year Old 2018 Batch should now be starting to appear on the shelves of whisky shops and as you would expect for such a whisky you will need deep pockets if you want to taste this one with a RRP of £13,500 you will find it available from specialist online whisky retailers such as The Whisky Exchange and Master of Malt and The Whisky Shop
 

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