Highland Park, the centuries-old Scotch whisky distillery, creates a magical spirit from Scottish heather and Orkney peat.
In the 1954 film Brigadoon, Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse dance on the highlands of Scotland to the musical score of Frederick Loewe. Behind them stretch rows upon rows of heather, the purple flower (shot in glorious CinemaScope, no less) that has come to define the country in so many ways. And though, as an audience, we know the scene was filmed on the studio backlot of MGM, the image lingers. Heather, which has long defined the Scottish landscape, culture, and even folklore, feels almost magical—not just because Brigadoon tells the story of an enchanted town, but because the flower itself carries a mythology of its own.
It’s this same heather, growing wild across the Scottish hills, that lends its distinct character to Highland Park, a Scotch whisky shaped as much by the land as by the craft behind it.
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The Highland Park Storybook
We find our setting in Orkney, an archipelago off the northeastern coast of Scotland, which Hans Eckstein, Brand Advocate for Edrington Brands Philippines, compares to Batanes in relation to Manila. It’s a small, quaint place with only a couple thousand inhabitants, and it was much the same when Highland Park was founded in 1798 by a butcher, church officer, and notorious local smuggler named Magnus Eunson.
Eunson was illegally distilling whisky in an area called High Park (where the brand takes its name), which he chose for its distance from town, allowing him to keep his operation secret. His reputation for producing high-quality whisky soon spread across the land, and he was eventually caught and imprisoned for six months. After his release, Eunson continued crafting his prized concoction until his death in 1827.
But what makes Highland Park whisky truly special? Beyond the technical mastery of the craft, much of it comes from Orkney’s unique environment. The island’s windy climate makes trees scarce, leaving peat—the dense soil formed from ancient mosses and vegetation in wetlands—as the primary fuel for drying barley. This peat, however, is unlike any other: infused with the delicate Scottish heather carpeting Orkney’s landscape, it gives the whisky its signature character. When burned, it imparts a soft, smoky, and floral flavor that sets Highland Park apart from every other Scotch in the world.
It’s an extraordinary marriage of land and craft, the kind of alchemy that feels as though it leapt straight from a storybook. And perhaps that’s why, when you take a sip, you can almost picture Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse dancing across those rolling heather-covered hills in the fictional Brigadoon; in its own way, Highland Park captures a little bit of that same Scottish magic in a glass.
A Product Of Orkney
The storybook tale of Highland Park continues well into the 2020s, though its book cover has received a fresh facelift. The brand recently launched a redesign of its packaging, and the result feels modern, paying tribute to Orkney’s ethereal light. Its assortment of bright boxes are washed in hues of barley gold, heather purple, and ocean blue, capturing the shifting colors of the island landscape.
The logo has also been updated, and the brand’s dedication to craft is subtly celebrated through a wood-grain pattern inspired by the sherry-seasoned oak casks in which the whisky is aged. Then there’s the distinctive glass bottle, which allows the beautiful color of the spirit to shine through. The brand delivers its final signature with a flourish, the phrase “A Product of Orkney” cut directly into the glass: a confident reminder that Highland Park is a whisky that cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world.
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Wagyu, Prawns, And Whisky Please
Highland Park hosted a special dinner at Liyab to reintroduce the brand and its new design to members of the press, whisky connoisseurs, and industry partners. The experience was held at the newly opened Liyab in BGC, an intimate fine-dining restaurant by culinary mind Chef Charles Montañez, which focuses on open-fire cooking techniques such as grilling, smoking, roasting, and stewing. These bold, elemental flavors paired beautifully with Highland Park’s 12-, 15-, and 18-year-old whiskies, which guests—including Lifestyle Asia—had the privilege of tasting.
In attendance was Hans Eckstein, a self-proclaimed whisky fan who began as an enthusiast before eventually building a career in spirits. Today, he serves as Brand Advocate for Edrington Brands Philippines. Between the beautiful courses of food created by Montañez, Eckstein guided guests through the storybook history of Highland Park, bringing the distillery’s heritage to life.
Among the evening’s standout dishes on the tasting menu was a 60-day-aged wood-fired local Wagyu steak (who knew we had Wagyu in the Philippines?), presented in all its juicy, rare glory, and flambéed tableside with a bone marrow butter infused with Highland Park 18. Naturally, it was served with a glass of the 18-year-old itself: rich, honeyed, and gently spiced, with hints of smoke and dried fruit. Another personal favorite was the Hokkaido Botan Ebi, unexpectedly set atop Blackbird Farm Goat’s Blue Cheese Ice Cream, and hot prawn tea. It was an adventurous combination that worked surprisingly well, especially when paired with the clean, lightly floral Highland Park 12 Year Old.
The dinner was a fun, immersive way to reintroduce Manila to what Highland Park is all about. It may be an under-the-radar Scotch compared to some of the market’s more mainstream names, but its unique ingredients, remarkable provenance, and distinctive flavor make it more than worthy of attention. After all, when a whisky carries the spirit of Orkney’s windswept hills, every sip feels like a small journey north toward that magical heather Gene Kelly was singing about.
Featured images courtesy of Highland Park’s official website
