One cask. Not a selection, not a marriage of many, but a single hogshead filled in 2006 and emptied again eighteen years later. Kenny and Viktorija Macdonald bottled it exactly as it stood: no filtration, no colouring, no water. What is in the bottle is what was in the wood.
The expert's description
Highland Park 18 Year Old Dràm Mòr Single Malt Scotch Whisky 57.1% is a Single Malt Scotch Whisky drawn from one hogshead and bottled without chill filtration at cask strength of 57.1%.
Dràm Mòr is a small Scottish bottling house in Dumbarton, started in 2019 by husband and wife Kenny and Viktorija Macdonald. They began as an export agency for Scotch before buying casks of their own, and the company now ships its bottlings to 14 countries. Every cask is tasted and picked individually, and everything goes out at full strength with natural colour.
The spirit went into wood in 2006 and was bottled in 2024 after 18 years in hogshead no. 3535. A hogshead holds roughly 250 litres and is built from the staves of American bourbon barrels, rebuilt with an extra stave and fresh ends. It is larger than the barrel it came from, so the ratio of liquid to wood is lower. Maturation runs slower, and the distillery character stays in place instead of being overrun by oak. The cask gave 292 bottles.
Cask strength here means no water was added after maturation. The 57.1% carries the oils and heavy aroma compounds that dilution would otherwise push into the background, and without chill filtration the texture stays thick and faintly waxy. In return the whisky wants a few minutes in the glass before it opens up.
Tasting notes
Nose
Salt seaweed and dry straw meet honey and dried heather. Behind them sits a thin veil of smoke, closer to cool ash than open fire, and a twist of lemon peel.
Palate
Powerful and oily. Citrus and lemon sorbet cut through first, then roasted pears and a clear note of white pepper. The smoke settles lightly on top and keeps the sweetness in check.
Finish
Long and warm. The pepper hangs on, and at the end Highland Park's peat unfolds and rounds everything off with a dry, earthy tone.
Specifications
Name: Highland Park 18 Year Old Dram Mor Single Malt Scotch Whisky 57.1%
Distillery: Highland Park
Bottler: Dràm Mòr
Region/Country: Orkney, Scotland
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 18 years
ABV: 57.1%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Hogshead, cask no. 3535
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2006
Bottled: 2024
Number of bottles: 292
Flavour profile
Smoky · Maritime · Fruity · Spiced · Cask strength
Investment potential
High. The bottling comes from one cask with an outturn of 292 bottles, it carries 18 years of age and it is filled at full strength, and Highland Park is among the distilleries collectors keep an eye on. Once the cask is empty, this whisky is not made again.
Did you know?
The name Dràm Mòr is Gaelic and means something close to the big dram. The accents over the a and the o are part of the spelling and tell you how the name is pronounced in Scottish Gaelic.
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