Highland Park 17 years The Dark

About the Highland Park 17 years The Dark

Highland Park 17 years The Dark comes from Highland Park distillery on Orkney, an Island region of Scotland. This single malt whisky belongs to a two-part release, paired with a sister bottling called The Light. The Dark was matured exclusively in sherry-seasoned European oak casks, with no bourbon wood involved. Bottled at 52.9% ABV, it carries real depth without losing its balance. Only 28,000 bottles were released worldwide, making this an increasingly rare pour. Highland Park distillery has worked from Kirkwall, Orkney, since 1798, making it one of Scotland's most northerly whisky producers. Wind off the North Atlantic sweeps across the malting floor and warehouses year-round, shaping how the spirit matures. The distillery still floor-malts a portion of its own barley, a rare practice among Scotch producers today. Age and tradition define the house style, but the island's climate is what sets Highland Park apart. That maritime influence carries through everything the distillery bottles, The Dark included. Pour Highland Park 17 years The Dark and dried fruit arrives first, followed by orange peel and dark chocolate. Spice builds steadily underneath, warm and a little spicy rather than sharp. Sherry richness runs through the whole dram, layered with red berry and plum notes. A whisper of oak and wood smoke drifts in on the finish. Sweetness lingers after, calm rather than cloying, closing out a whisky built for reflection. Highland Park built its name on this kind of sherry-driven richness, and The Dark shows why. The black glass bottle carries a serpent dragon lifted from Norse sagas, a nod to Orkney's Viking history. Drink it neat, in a proper glass, and give it a few minutes to open. There is no need to rush a whisky this layered. For anyone who already loves sherried single malts, this is Highland Park at its most intense.