Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink
  3. News

Highland Park is releasing a new cask strength single malt whisky in early 2026

Highland Park has something special coming in the new year

Highland Park
Highland Park

Highland Park Distillery in Kirkwall, Scotland, crafts some of the world’s most celebrated single malt Scotch whiskies. If you haven’t experienced their award-winning flagship or limited releases, now’s the time. The iconic brand is set to launch an epic new whisky in the new year.

Perfect for the post-Holiday winter lull, Highland Park is releasing a single malt whisky made with 100% Orkney peat-smoked barley. This new expression is bottled at a potent, warming cask strength, so it’s sure to warm you from the inside out during the frigid winter months.

Highland Park Cask Strength: Heather

It’s called Highland Park Cask Strength: Heather, and its name is a reference to the northern Scottish island’s aromatic heathered peat. Matured in first-fill European and American sherry-seasoned casks as well as select refill casks, it’s bottled at 63.6% ABV.

Recommended Videos

According to Highland Park, the timeless expression begins with a nose of toasted vanilla beans, brown butter, and campfire smoke. The palate is a mix of toasted marshmallows, candied nuts, cracked black pepper, and robust peat smoke. The finish is long, lingering, warm, and ends with vanilla beans and peaty smoke.

Where can I buy it?

The global launch for Highland Park: Heather is January 2026. It will be available at Highland Park’s retail and online channels, as well as influential premium off-trade accounts and select whisky retailers, and premium on-trade venues. The suggested retail price for a 700ml of this soon-to-be highly sought-after expression is only $80.

Christopher Osburn is a food and drinks writer located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. He’s been writing professional Read Full Bio
I declare this the summer of rum: Drinking rum the right way with an expert
Alcohol, Beverage, Liquor

Look, I am a movie buff. Everything I ever learned about life I learned from or sparked an interest in a movie. So, when it comes to rum, my first impression of the drink came from watching Jack Sparrow drink it on a beach. Now, as I travel all over the Carribean, I have discovered that there is, in fact, an entire culture surrounding the consumption of this versatile liquor. Of course, I don’t just take movies at their word, and I dive deep into a subject to find out more about it once my interest is piqued. When it came to rum, I reached out to my friends over at Blue Chair Bay Rum and asked why I am seeing rum everywhere in the summer of 2026. So, why is rum the liquor of the summer?

Rum has an authentic connection to summer because it reflects the easygoing spirit of warm weather entertaining. Inspired by the relaxed spirit of the Caribbean, Blue Chair Bay Rum was co-founded by award-winning singer-songwriter Kenny Chesney, whose deep connection to the islands comes from years spent traveling, performing, and unwinding along their shores. He wanted to capture that feeling with a premium rum that is approachable and full of flavor while embodying effortless joy amongst friends. – Anthony Moniello, Chief Executive Officer of Next Century Spirits

Read more
Stranahan’s is set to release its first ever nationally available bottled-in-bond whiskey
Stranahan's

American single malt whiskey has only recently become an officially recognized category, but Stranahan’s has been crafting it for two decades. Now, the iconic, award-winning brand has announced the oldest Colorado bottled-in-bond whiskey ever made. And yes, it’s single malt whiskey.

Stranahan’s American Single Malt Whiskey: Bottled-in-Bond

Read more
Dining With the Ghosts of The Church of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Food, Food Presentation, Meal

If I could travel back in time to see any concert, I would probably catch a show at the Fillmore East. An intimate venue with superb sound, the Church of Rock ’n’ Roll saw legendary performances from a pantheon of rock gods. Hendrix, Janis, Lennon, the Doors—the roster reads like a Who’s Who of classic rock. The Allman Brothers recorded their finest live album, At Fillmore East, at the East Village venue.

Alas, I am not Doc Brown from Back to the Future. I was born a generation too late for the golden age of rock, and the Fillmore East closed its doors in 1971. My rock ’n’ roll heroes may have shed their mortal coils, but I can toast their ghosts at Cathédrale, a restaurant just a few blocks from where the hallowed stage once stood.

Read more