Highland Park 2005/2025 - 20 y.o. - Refill Hogshead #5039 - Thompson Bros. - Kirsch exclusive

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 54.1% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

After being distilled on 3 October 2005, this Highland Park matured for 20 years in refill hogshead 5039, selected for bottling by Thompson Bros. In 2025, Thompson Bros. bottled the whisky exclusively for Kirsch customers in Germany at a cask strength of 54.1%; this single-cask release comprises 264 bottles.

Melon, pear and apple peel combine with sage, green olive and light-fleshed stone fruit. White pepper, warming smoke, brine and peach follow, accompanied by a gentle peaty note.

The vintage-style label evokes the Thompson family's 25th anniversary at historic Dornoch Castle, where the brothers' whisky story began.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, heather honey and caramel combine with dried apple peel, orange zest and floral notes. Delicate peat smoke, heather, beeswax and subtle oak spice complete the aromatic profile.
• Palate: The whisky is oily and structured on the palate. Sweet malt, toffee and vanilla meet ripe pear and candied citrus fruit, while smouldering smoke, white pepper, nutmeg and a little clove provide spice.
• Finish: The long, balanced finish combines honeyed sweetness and dry oak with gentle peat smoke, herbal spice and a hint of dark chocolate.

Distillery/Bottler:

Founded in 1798, Highland Park Distillery is located in Kirkwall on the Orkney Islands. Its own peat and traditional floor maltings shape a distillery style that combines honeyed sweetness, heather, maritime spice and aromatic peat smoke.

Following a successful crowdfunding campaign, Phil and Simon Thompson founded Dornoch's first whisky distillery. While it was being built, they began independently bottling whisky and rum. These releases financed the operation while their own Dornoch casks matured.

Facts: