Highland Park 16Y Whisky 70cl

Layered, smoky-sweet, and seriously satisfying, this 16-year-old single malt from Orkney (up in Scotland’s far north) is the kind of whisky you’ll keep revisiting because it keeps showing you something new.

• Nose: Heather honey, orange peel, dried flowers, and a soft curl of peat smoke.
• Taste: Malt sweetness up front, then dried fruit, toffee, and baking spices with a gentle, earthy smokiness.
• Finish: Long and warming, with lingering smoke, cocoa-like bitterness, and a peppery snap.

Here’s why the age matters: 16 years gives the flavours time to knit together, so you get real depth instead of one-note sweetness or blunt smoke. It’s the sweet spot between “easy drinking” and “I want something to think about.”

Highland Park’s signature is that Orkney character, heather-honey richness plus a restrained peat that feels more like a campfire in the distance than a smoke bomb. So you get complexity without needing a dictionary, just pour, sip, and watch it open up.

If you’re building your whisky shelf, this sits beautifully in the “all-rounder with personality” slot. It’s a single malt that can impress the curious beginner and still keep the seasoned Scotch fan busy, especially if you like balance and layered flavours.

You’ll notice how it moves across the palate, sweet to spice, fruit to smoke, then back again. That little back-and-forth is what makes it addictive, it doesn’t just hit once and disappear.

Fun Fact: Highland Park still uses traditional floor maltings for a portion of its barley, a rare hands-on step that helps keep its house style consistent year after year.