This 54 Year Old Scotch is the Oldest Independent Bottling of Highland Park To Date

A single cask of Highland Park 1970 54 year old heralds the arrival of The Accolade portfolio from independent bottler Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Ltd. This collection represents the pinnacle of Duncan Taylor’s Rarest Collection. This age-stated single malt was distilled on Orkney and matured in sherry cask No. 3254. Known for its exceptional inventory of rare casks, Duncan Taylor has owned this one since it was filled, and it has aged all these years in the company vaults at Huntly, the Highlands town where the company is located. The dagger-shaped decanter rests on a swirling copper plinth, a theme carried through to the sweeping copper wave on the front of the whisky’s cabinet, which contains a handling kit and certificate of authenticity.

Duncan Taylor is known for labels including Black Bull Whisky, The Octave, and Dimensions, among others. No independent bottler has ever released a Highland Park whisky this old, and it becomes the second Orkney whisky to carry this age statement. Highland Park Distillery released its own 54 year old scotch in 2023, which remains the oldest whisky release in its history. That one was distilled in 1968, and unlike The Accolade from Duncan Taylor, the Highland Park release was initially matured in 10 refill casks until it turned 40 years old, when it then underwent a secondary maturation of 14 years in first-fill European sherry butts. A bottle donated by the distillery was auctioned for charity by Bonhams, Hong Kong to mark its release, with a package that included a return trip from Hong Kong to Orkney. The bottle sold for a hammer price of $38,325, and was the 10th-highest hammer price of May 2023.

For collectors considering the pros and cons of these bottlings on a comparative basis, The Accolade is a single cask release rather than a vatting of 10 casks, rarer with only 158 bottles compared with 225 bottles, and is currently 44% less expensive than the distillery’s own release. Yet, the distillery bottling was produced earlier in 1968, carries a slightly higher ABV at 46.9%, and has an established track record at auction. If you still can’t decide between them, we can only suggest that you think about buying one of each.

Duncan Taylor The Accolade Highland Park 1970 54 year old

ABV: 42.9%
Price: £22,000 (U.S. collectors will pay the equivalent sum in U.S. dollars at the time of purchase, currently $28,767
Availability: 158 bottles, available to order online from The Spirits Embassy exclusively