Between You and I: Highland Park unveil limited-edition creative collaboration with artist Laila Gohar
By Tessa Crowley | 28 October 2026 | Food & Drink
Highland Park’s latest collaboration, with artist Laila Gohar, transforms a 17-year-old single malt into a musing on memory and the imagination
Orkney distillery Highland Park is known for its lightly smoky, heather-honey whiskies, shaped by its location in Scotland’s northernmost isles. Last autumn, the brand unveiled the first in a new annual series, “Between You and I”, a creative collaboration with acclaimed 3-Michelin-starred chef, Björn Frantzén. For this year’s edition, the second in the series, the brand has turned instead to art, enlisting the eccentric imagination of New York-based Egyptian creative Laila Gohar.
Eschewing industry conventions, here the experience is resolutely the point. Presented in a box accompanied by evocative vignettes and anecdotes conceived and co-created by Laila Gohar, the release is designed to capture the gaze and spark curiosity. Peppered with citrus motifs, from lemons to orange blossom, alongside references to her Egyptian heritage, the colourful packaging features hand-drawn illustrations by Silja Goetz. The result is an unorthodox and imaginative introduction to the whisky within.
Inside the box, this offbeat approach continues. Rather than relying on conventional tasting notes, Between You and I invites something more personal, a rumination on imagination and association. Laila offers glimpses into the sensory memories evoked for her, but invites drinkers to bring their own memories to the evening. There is no wrong answer. This is a release crafted around curiosity and connection.
Of the collaboration, Laila commented: “The whisky Marc created for me immediately sparked my imagination. I was taken to my early days in Egypt, to the slopes of a volcano, and to a courtyard in Andalucia, and those are the worlds we’ve been able to share across the packaging. This is something that feels very personal to me.”
At an assuredly accessible price point for a 17-year-old single malt, the combination of new American oak and sherry offers an interesting twist on Highland Park’s familiar profile. The partnership with Laila provides a tacit insight into the liquid itself, with Highland Park Master Whisky Maker Marc Watson sampling more than 80 casks to shape the resulting dram. He noted: “Working on Between You and I was an opportunity to step into Laila’s universe and create something deeply personal for her. We drew from exceptional Highland Park casks to create a flavour that would feel like home for Laila, reminiscent of Egypt, underpinned by the subtle aromatic peat smoke and sweetness that define our whiskies.”
With Laila’s references encompassing ancient artifacts in a Cairo museum, a sun-drenched Andalusian courtyard, and a tropical volcano beneath the night sky, it is perhaps unsurprising that notes of vanilla, leather, soft smoke and citrus unfurl.
For devotees of American oak maturation, Between You and I will be a triumph. Even for those inclined towards Highland Park’s typical style, it’s a joyful dram — classic Highland Park up front, giving way to brighter citrus elements and a softly bitter finish, imparted no doubt by those highly active American oak barrels.
The release will undoubtedly resonate with Highland Park fans, but with its lauded history and confident 2024 rebrand, its clear the brand’s ambitions extend beyond traditional whisky audiences. Between You and I feels poised to speak to a new generation of luxury consumers, as interested in creativity, design and culture, as traditional mores of craft and consumption.
Looking to the future, the series is a considered addition to Highland Park’s annual roster. Echoing through every element, the partnership weaves through the liquid itself to the packaging and accompanying storytelling, feeling genuine and connected. In an increasingly crowded world of luxury collaborations, Between You and I stands apart. A thoughtfully realised creative exchange, it turns a simple dram into a considered conversation.
