Welcome back to WhiskyFun Legends, where this week we are traveling to Orkney and delving into the Highland Park 1955 30 Year Old For Intertrade.
Be sure to catch up on the previous installments of WhiskyFun Legends here.
The Highland Park 1955 30 Year Old For Intertrade
Highland Park is an Orkney institution. Its beginnings, however, are shrouded in mystery. Either the distillery was founded by famous smuggler, Magnus Eunson, or by a farmer named David Robertson in 1978.
The original name of the distillery is also obscured in history. It could have originally been named Rosebank (like the famed Lowland distillery) or Kirkwall (for the town in which it is located). Or, it could have been Highland Park all along.
Whichever of these stories is true, there is no doubt that the mysteries surrounding Highland Park’s origins have added to the air and intrigue of Norse folklore that is rooted in Orkney’s history. This history is something on which Highland Park has based a decent portion of its marketing over the years.
As well as clever marketing, Highland Park Distillery also has an impressive list of accolades under its belt for top-quality scotch whiskies: The Highland Park 18 Year Old was named ‘Best Spirit in the World’ by F. Paul Pacult in 2021. It was also awarded a Gold Medal in the 2021 International Spirits Challenge.
Owned by Edrington, the parent company of The Macallan, Highland Park has recently seen a shift towards premiumization. This is evident in the release of a 54 year old single malt marking the distillery’s 225th anniversary.
It is no wonder, then, that old and rare Highland Park bottlings such as this Highland Park 1955 30 Year Old For Intertrade are becoming increasingly rare and sought after at auction. The popularity of this bottle is bolstered by the standing of the Italian independent bottler, Intertrade.
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Intertrade was founded in 1980s Italy by Nadi Fiori, a friend of Silvano Samaroli and a fellow whisky connoisseur. The name Intertrade was fairly short-lived, disappearing from bottlings around 1989. However, Fiori’s expertise in selecting high-quality whiskies and designing striking packaging guaranteed him success in the growing cask-strength whisky market.
This Highland Park whisky was distilled in 1955 and bottled in 1985 at 53.2% ABV for Intertrade. Only 216 bottles were produced.
Serge Valentin’s Tasting Notes on the Highland Park 1955 30 Year Old For Intertrade
Serge Valentin of WhiskyFun samples the Highland Park 1955 30 Year Old For Intertrade in 2005. Here is what he had to say:
“Colour: straw.
Nose: wow, it’s superb at first nosing! Lots of nectar, bunches of flowers from the fields, acacia honey, pollen… and also lots of coastal notes (sea air, sea water, oysters). What a fantastic balance! So complex and compact at the same time. Whiffs of peat mixed with very ripe plums, coffee cream, cappuccino, crystallised apricots… Just superb! It then gets smokier and smokier. If the palate matches the nose, this one should be an stunner. Let’s see…
Mouth: yes, yes, yes! What a great attack! So clean, so pure, so ‘natural’! Creamy, spicy, smoky and perfectly fruity (there’s no point in listing all the fruits but I noticed longans), peppered apple pie, pear juice, high-end cider…
This old Highland Park has everything, going any further would be maltporn, I’m afraid. 96 points“ – Serge Valentin, WhiskyFun.com, October 2005
The Price of the Highland Park 1955 30 Year Old For Intertrade At Auction
As only 216 of these bottles were produced, it follows that they are extremely rare at auction. In fact, the bottle has only appeared at auction 16 times throughout the UK and the EU.
It last sold for £3,700 in March 2024, but has previously sold for as much as £8,600 in March 2022.
With the recent dips in auction prices across the board, it is a buyer’s market at the moment. As such, this is a fantastic opportunity to get your hands on an exceedingly rare bottle that just so happens to be the highest-scoring Highland Park on WhiskyFun.
Buy Highland Park Whisky
We have a wide range of Highland Park scotch whisky available to purchase on The Whiskey Wash Shop, including this Gordon & Macphail bottling, distilled in the same year as the Intertrade bottle.
Browse the full selection of Highland Park whiskies here.
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