Highland Park 2008/2026 - 17 y.o. - Bourbon Barrel - Murray McDavid

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

Special Features:

Following distillation in 2008, this Highland Park matured for 17 years in American oak ex-bourbon casks 800439, 800440 and 181. Murray McDavid bottled it in spring 2026 at 54.1% for the Benchmark range; the limited release comprises 564 bottles. Each bottle contains 0.7 litres, and the whisky is non-chill-filtered and contains no colouring.

Sweet pear, stone fruit and vanilla lead to candied apple, cedarwood and light smoke. Gentle nutmeg, oily malt and floral peat follow in the finish.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose reveals sweet pear, stone fruit and vanilla.
• Palate: Candied apple and cedarwood combine with light smoke on the palate.
• Finish: The finish brings gentle nutmeg, oily malt and floral peat.

Distillery/Bottler:

Founded in 1798, Highland Park Distillery produces Orkney malt in Kirkwall. For this whisky, local barley was dried over heather-rich peat. The distillery’s defining features include hand-turned floor maltings, two traditional kilns, four copper stills and dunnage warehouses. The heather-rich peat from Hobbister Moor contributes to its finely aromatic smoke character. Murray McDavid selected three ex-bourbon casks for this bottling, in which the whisky developed for 17 years in the bottler’s Speyside warehouses. Murray McDavid was founded in 1994 by Mark Reynier, Simon Coughlin and Gordon Wright, established its reputation through maturation in a variety of cask types and now operates at Coleburn Distillery in Speyside.

Facts: