Our 1968 vintage is the product of eight refill casks - seven hogsheads (250 litre) and one butt (500 litre) - which began their long maturation in our quiet Orkney warehouses at the same time as the student riots in Paris were sending ripples of unrest throughout Europe. Refill casks are particularly appropriate for whiskies being laid down for an extended maturation period as they allow the delicate fragrance of the original new make spirit to come through, without being dominated by the cask's woody notes. These casks were hand selected by Max McFarlane, our longest standing Whisky Maker, for their exceptional character and the result is a richly honeyed expression of Highland Park, revealing complex but perfectly harmonised layers of flavour. Each expression in the Orcadian Vintage Series is presented in an exquisite wooden box which features marquetry inspired by the intricate wood carvings at the Urnes Stave Church in Norway and the Highland Park amulet, hand-crafted in silver. Background: Delivering complex layers of sharp citrus, aromatic spice and sweet honey, our 1968 vintage was bottled in 2008, yielding 1,550 bottles of Highland Park, aged for 40 years. Color: Rich and golden, clear and bright. Flavor: Sweet heather honey, Lemongrass, Sandalwood, Ginger, Cloves, Dried orange peel, Toasted oak shavings, Crème caramel, Aromatic peat smoke.