HIGHLAND PARK ANNOUNCES UK BRAND AMBASSADOR, MICHAEL MCLELLAN

London: Edrington UK announces the appointment of the latest UK national brand ambassador for Highland Park, Michael McLellan.

Mike started his career in Edinburgh, working in some of the most celebrated cocktail bars in the city, such as The Bon Vivant and Lucky Liquor Co., before moving to Newcastle and eventually down to London, where he took on the role of Head Bartender at acclaimed cocktail and steak restaurant Hawksmoor Spitalfields before moving to the famous East London speakeasy Happiness Forgets to hone his skills behind the bar.

The appointment is exciting for Highland Park as it embarks on a transformation journey, refreshing its take on authenticity and meaning and renewing its brand values and aspirations.

Mike will be responsible for advocating for Highland Park’s products and increasing brand awareness in the UK, helping to educate consumers and bar staff about the magic of Highland Park’s whiskies, leading whisky tastings, and attending trade shows, seminars, and workshops. As the face of the Highland Park brand in the UK, he is also responsible for consumer engagement programs, bringing the brand to life in the minds of consumers.

Andrea Montague, Head of Advocacy, Edrington UK, explains: “I am delighted to welcome Mike into our growing advocacy team. He arrives at a pivotal time for Highland Park, where increased focus and support are needed. A dedicated Brand Ambassador in Mike will help us demonstrate our commitment to Highland Park in the UK market as we go into next year”. 

Mike comments on his new role: “I am hugely proud to be the ambassador for such a distinguished and historic brand. I have been utterly fascinated with whisky since I first stepped behind a bar. From the way it connects us to our traditions and history to the immense value it holds in shared rituals of kinship, bringing people together both at times of celebration and commiseration. 

“I look forward to working with the Highland Park team to create an inspiring advocacy platform which will champion Highland Park’s Orkney home whilst highlighting the creativity, bravery, and progressive nature of the Island’s community. We have lots planned for 2024, and it will be an exciting year”.

For further information, visit www.edrington.co.uk

About Edrington UK:

Edrington UK is the UK’s number one whisky supplier, part of the global Edrington family and responsible for the UK sales, marketing, and distribution of a portfolio of ultra-premium brands including The Macallan, Highland Park, The Glenrothes, The Famous Grouse, Naked Malt and Brugal.

As a valued distribution partner of Beam Suntory, Edrington UK also represents many of its brands in the UK marketplace, such as Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Bowmore, Laphroaig, Courvoisier and The House of Suntory range of Japanese craft spirits. 

About Highland Park:

We’ve been crafting our award-winning whisky at the Highland Park Distillery in Kirkwall, Orkney since 1798. Now, 225 years later, we are one of the ten oldest working distilleries in Scotland. Age, experience, and respect for tradition may define our whisky but it’s Orkney that differentiates us.

It’s not just the influence of the finest sherry seasoned oak casks on our whisky as it matures, it’s the salty sea winds that batter Orkney’s rugged coastlines, the intensely floral character of our treeless but heather-rich peat, and the fiercely independent Viking spirit that drives us. These are the elements that go, untamed, into our whisky-making to create a wild harmony of sweet-smoky flavours that is, uniquely, Highland Park.

www.highlandparkwhisky.com