New for October 2024, Highland Park has broken out of the traditional look of the past and into modernity with the minimalist bottle design. Gone are the swirling Viking patterns that once adorned the exterior; now the light can shine on the liquid within, giving it the lionshare of the spotlight. Further honouring its Orcadian provenance, a “Product of Orkney” icon has been clearly etched into the bottle.
The new packaging pays tribute to the refreshing climate and light of the distillery's home turf in Orkney, with small heather motifs flecked along box hinting at the flavours hidden within, and a chic wood-grain patterning inspired by the brand's masterful use of premium oak casks in their whisky making. Proving this step into a new era is about more than just looks, Highland Park has made a commitment to sustainability 100% recyclable cardboard cartons, made from FSC-certified forests.
“Our 12- , 15- and 18-year-old whiskies sit as the heart and soul of Highland Park. It’s Orkney’s heathered peat that gives us our subtly smoky flavour and it’s as unique as the place it’s made. We know that’s what our community really love about Highland Park. With the packaging update, we have a great opportunity to celebrate a new look, whilst continuing to share the distinctive, consistent whisky we’re famed for. It’s a flavour that just can’t be replicated anywhere else in the world.”
Gordon Motion, Highland Park’s Master Whisky Maker
To cement their new image to whisky lovers old and new, Highland Park also plans to launch this new branding across their global travel retail exclusive range of 14-, 16- and 18-year-old whiskies, with packaging inspired by the stories of Orkney's natural landscape, featuring bands of colour mimicking each strata of land, sky and sea.
The Inspiration
Founded 226 years ago on the breathtaking shores of the Orkney archipelago in the Northeast of Scotland, Highland Park has always taken inspiration, character, and heart from its surroundings. The salt spray of its beaches, the heather of its hills, the peat of its bog-lands; all have lent a little something to the liquids from this distillery. Even the warm currents of Orkney's Gulf Stream have worked in harmony to create an ideally temperate envirnoment for the long aging of these hearty Scotch drams.
The area's sublime natural landscape has also inspired many of the previous bottlings from these distillers, whether in design or name, with a wealth of archeological sites and discoveries featuring neolithic art and pre-hisotric remains.
“For Highland Park, everything comes back to Orkney, from how we craft our whisky, to how it gets its distinctive taste, to the incredible community of people, who do things their own way. We’ve been here for more than 200 years, and the beauty and creativity of our island home continues to inspire us, as well as the unique flavour of the local heathered peat, which, with the new packaging design, is now celebrated, front and centre. We’re excited to share this new design direction for Highland Park, which truly reflects the freshness and modernity of our Orkney home.”
Paul Condron, Highland Park’s Global Brand Director
