Highland Park

The northernmost mainland distillery in Scotland -- located on the Orkney Islands, 16 kilometres north of Scotland's mainland -- Highland Park has been producing whisky since Magnus Eunson, a church officer and illicit distiller, built the first operation in 1798. Its whiskies balance heather-honey sweetness against a gentle peat smoke derived from Orkney heather peat, a combination so distinctive it has earned Highland Park 12-year-old the designation of Best Spirit in the World by Whisky Advocate, a recognition given to only one distillery per year, and it is 30% cheaper than the average single malt in its category.