Viking soul, Orkney smoke, sherry-cask depth. Shop Highland Park online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA — single malts from one of Scotland's northernmost distilleries, from the everyday 12 Year to the revered 18, available to order online.
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Distilling at the Top of Scotland
Highland Park has stood in Kirkwall, Orkney since 1798 — founded, legend holds, by Magnus Eunson, a church officer with a sideline in illicit distilling — closer to Norway than to London, in islands steeped in Norse heritage. Two things make the whisky unmistakable. First, the peat: cut from Hobbister Moor, it is dense with heather, so the smoke reads aromatic and honeyed rather than medicinal. Second, the wood: Highland Park invests heavily in sherry-seasoned European oak casks, giving the malt its dark, dried-fruit richness. The distillery still floor-malts a portion of its own barley. The 12 Year Viking Honour is the balanced flagship; the 18 Year Viking Pride is a perennial "best whisky" list fixture — cherries, dark chocolate, espresso, and that heather smoke curling through it all. Cask Strength releases show the same spirit with the gloves off.
It occupies the sweet spot between the peat islands and the sherry mainland — which is why it converts drinkers from both camps.
Order Highland Park online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA — a taste of Orkney, no ferry required.
Highland Park FAQs
Why do Highland Park bottles have Viking names?
Orkney was ruled by Norse earls for centuries, and many islanders trace Scandinavian ancestry. The Viking branding honors that heritage — and founder Magnus Eunson was himself of Norse descent.
Is Highland Park a peaty whisky?
Gently. Its heather-rich Orkney peat gives an aromatic, floral smoke that supports rather than dominates the sherry fruit — far milder than Islay malts like Ardbeg or Laphroaig.
Highland Park 12 or 18 — is the upgrade worth it?
The 12 is an excellent all-rounder. The 18 is a genuine step into luxury: deeper sherry character, darker fruit, and a longer finish. It is frequently named among the best-value 18-year-old Scotches available.