Highland Park – 40 Year Old (75cl, 47.5%)

Highland Park 40 Year Old is a single malt Scotch whisky from Orkney, bottled at 47.5% in a 75cl bottle. It was named Best New Release of the Year at the 2009 World Whisky Awards. Highland Park stands in Kirkwall and is Scotland's northernmost single malt distillery. It floor-malts part of its barley on site and dries it over heathered peat from Hobbister Moor. Here, four decades in oak have let that gentle smoke settle in among dried fruit, spice and chocolate. The nose shows toffee, dark chocolate and candied citrus peel over soft peat smoke. Dried fruit, heather honey, nutmeg and orange peel lead the palate, and the finish is very long and warming, with bitter chocolate, baking spice and a last trace of peat smoke.