£49.95
ORKNEY DISTILLERY (HP) 2010
Founded in the late 1980s, Signatory Vintage was one of the most important of the new wave of Scottish independent whisky bottlers that revolutionised the whisky category in the 1990s and early 2000s.
In 2023, Signatory launched a new line of high strength single malt whiskies: The Signatory Vintage 100-Proof Editions. The concept behind the 100-Proof Editions was simple but brilliant - a range of vibrant young small batch single malts bottled without colouring or chill filtration at a high strength of 57.1% - equivalent to 100 UK Proof in the old Imperial system - and sold at great value prices.
The first Signatory 100-Proof Editions appeared at the tail end of 2023 and were immediately successful. The inaugural release included a 4-year-old Ben Nevis, a 13-year-old Ardmore and an outstanding dark chestnut-coloured Blair Athol 9-year-old that caused a sensation among whisky fans and became the must-have whisky over the Christmas season.
Signatory’s 100-Proof Editions have gone from strength to strength ever since. At the time of writing in 2024, the Signatory Vintage 100-Proof Editions are approaching their first anniversary after becoming one of the biggest success stories of the year.
There have already been over two dozen 100-Proof releases from Signatory, with the vast majority being bottled from first fill or refill sherry casks - another key factor in the range’s success.
Distilleries included in the Signatory Vintage 100-Proof Editions so far include top quality but underrated gems like Caol Ila, Linkwood, Glenrothes and Mannochmore, and other highlights include a superb bourbon-casked Glen Ord. Some of the biggest hype in the series however, has surrounded the ‘mystery’ single malts from Orkney and Speyside (M) - the 100-Proof editions from these two Edrington distilleries both proved so popular that repeat batches had to be bottled.
Signatory founder Andrew Symington was an early pioneer of the movement for natural colour and non-chillfiltration, a policy that has also served him well at Signatory’s distillery Edradour. Long known as an innovator and iconoclast in the whisky industry, the Signatory Vintage 100-Proof Editions prove Symington’s respect for the best traditions of single malt whisky, while the no-nonsense packaging, high strength and amazing value in the 100-Proof range demonstrate his instinct for giving the customers what they want.
ORKNEY DISTILLERY (HP) 2010
The origins of distilleries are often, as they should be, obscured by the clouds of half-truth and myth. Such is the case with Highland Park. Was it founded by famed priest turned smuggler Magnus Eunson, or by farmer David Robertson in 1798? The distillery’s ornate wrought ironwork gate certainly attests to the 1798 story.
Was it always called Highland Park or originally was it known as Rosebank, then Kirkwall and only becoming Highland Park later?
Whatever the slight mystery over its origins, it is accepted that it wasn’t until the late 19th century that Kirkwall’s then only distillery found its feet properly in the 1870s under the ownership of first William Stuart [who owned Miltonduff] and from 1885 with his business partner James Grant (previously the manager of The Glenlivet) who took full control in 1895. It was Grant who expanded the distillery twice and built up a strong relationship with Robertson & Baxter (R&B).
Highland Distillers (who had shares in R&B) took full control in 1937 and Highland Park is now part of the Edrington Group.
It first appeared as single malt in the late 1970s, as an eight-year-old, but the packaging was revamped in the 1980s (and repeatedly ever since) when the 12- and 18-year-old expressions were introduced. It soon built up a strong, even cult, following with the range expanding continually. As well as a core range with age statements, various series have been released themed around Orcadian history and Norse gods.
| Weight | 1.5 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 12 × 40 × 12 cm |
