Highland Park 18 Years Old Dram Mor Single Malt Scotch Whisky 57,1%

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.

See our full range of Highland Park

Listen to our podcast:

Frequently asked questions about Highland Park 18 Year Old Dràm Mòr Single Malt Scotch Whisky 57.1%

Who are Dràm Mòr?

An independent Scottish bottling house in Dumbarton, run by Kenny and Viktorija Macdonald since 2019. The couple buy single casks from distilleries across Scotland, taste their way to the ones that are ready, and bottle them at full strength under their own label rather than blending them away.

Is it worth investing in?

Yes, the foundations are there. There are 292 bottles from this cask and not one more, the whisky has 18 years behind it, and it is filled at full strength with natural colour. Independent single casks of Highland Park are never repeated, and demand for the distillery's malt has held steady for years.

What does it mean that the whisky comes from a single cask?

It means the flavour has not been adjusted towards a house standard. A regular bottling is married from many casks so every bottle tastes the same year after year. Here one cask was left to decide on its own, and the strength, the colour and the aromas are whatever this particular wood and spirit ended up with.

How does it differ from the distillery's own 18 year old?

It is far rawer in character. The distillery's own 18 year old is married from many casks and reduced to a fixed strength, while this is one cask at 57.1% with no filtration. The peat, the citrus and the oily weight stand out more sharply because nothing has been smoothed over along the way.

Should you add water?

Try it neat first. At 57.1% it shows its full texture, and a few drops of water afterwards open the citrus and pear notes without pulling the smoke apart. Serve it at room temperature in a tulip-shaped whisky glass and give it five minutes before the first sip.

What is a hogshead?

A cask of roughly 250 litres, built from the staves of American bourbon barrels. The cooper takes the barrels apart, adds an extra stave and fits new ends, so the finished cask is bigger than the original. The bigger the cask, the less wood each litre of whisky meets, and the slower the maturation runs.

What marks out Highland Park's malt from Orkney?

Salt, heather and a restrained peat smoke. The distillery stands at Kirkwall in the middle of the North Atlantic, where sea air works its way into the warehouses, and only part of the malt is dried over peat. That maritime edge and gentle smoke show up no matter who bottles the whisky.