Highland Park 17 Years Old Between You and I by Laila Gohar: The Art Series' Second Edition

The Second Edition of the Between You and I Series

Highland Park has released the second edition of its Between You and I series, this time in collaboration with the Egyptian born, New York based culinary artist Laila Gohar. The series, which debuted in 2025 with three Michelin starred chef Björn Frantzén, pairs a whisky maker with an outside creative who responds to the whisky's flavours in their own medium.

The edition spans two 17 Years Old single malts, Highland Park 17 Years Old Between You And I by Laila Gohar is the core release, bottled at 47.5% ABV and priced at €144, while Between You & I: Journeys by Laila Gohar is exclusive to global travel retail and duty free outlets.

Matured in Refill Casks and New American Oak

Master Whisky Maker Marc Watson sampled more than 80 casks during development before settling on the final selection, which reflects Gohar's Egyptian heritage and her work. The whisky spent 11 years in refill casks and finished in highly active, unseasoned American oak, driving vibrant notes of fruit, spice and creamy vanilla that sit above Highland Park's characteristic sweetness and aromatic peat smoke.

Gohar was the first person to taste the finished whisky. Her responses took the form of imagined scenes, each anchored to a single note: leather recalled ancient artefacts in a Cairo museum, orange blossom evoked a sun drenched Andalusian courtyard, and vanilla brought up the slopes of a tropical volcano beneath a night sky.

A Travel Retail Exclusive Built on Spanish Oak

Between You & I: Journeys by Laila Gohar moves through the same conversation by a different route. It layers the vanilla character of ex bourbon casks over the chocolatey richness of sherry seasoned casks, with a core of new Spanish oak delivering cinnamon, tannins and spice.

Its tasting notes follow Gohar's memories of travel: smoke sets a scene in Tokyo's neon lit back alleys, warmth places the drinker on a frozen plateau beneath silver moonlight, and spices evoke the lantern lit night market of Marrakesh. The expression is available only through global travel retail and duty free outlets.

Illustrated Packaging in Place of Tasting Notes

The packaging, developed with Gohar, turns those scenes into hand drawn illustrations by Silja Goetz. Each pack contains a booklet in which conventional tasting notes are replaced by a series of vignettes written by Gohar, the result of a conversation in flavour between artist and whisky maker.

The second edition follows the series' 2025 debut with Björn Frantzén, which paired a 16 Years Old global release with a 17 Years Old Journeys version for duty free. For this second outing Highland Park again split the edition across a core release and a travel exclusive, keeping the two flavour profiles clearly distinct.

The Edition on Spiritory

The second edition joins the series' first release, Highland Park 16 Years Old Between You And I, which is already listed on Spiritory, alongside other distillery bottlings including Highland Park 15 Years Old 2003 Single Cask Series Nr.4460, Highland Park 11 Years Old Malts & Magic Whic Cask Nr.900012 and Highland Park 10 Years Old The Golden Cut Highland Park Cooper's Choice.

The Highland Park 17 Years Old Between You And I by Laila Gohar is available on Spiritory. The Between You & I: Journeys by Laila Gohar, released through global travel retail and duty free outlets, is available on Spiritory.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do the two whiskies in this edition differ?

The core release is led by new American oak for fruit, spice and creamy vanilla, while Journeys pairs ex bourbon and sherry seasoned casks with new Spanish oak for cinnamon, tannins and spice. Journeys is exclusive to global travel retail and duty free outlets.

How does the second edition compare with the series' 2025 debut?

The first edition, with chef Björn Frantzén, paired a 16 Years Old global release with a 17 Years Old Journeys duty free version. The second edition places a 17 Years Old expression in each role, keeping the same split between a core release and a travel exclusive.

Are these whiskies limited editions?

Highland Park describes both whiskies as limited editions, though it has not disclosed a bottle count. The final selections were drawn from more than 80 casks sampled during development.

Where can I buy the Between You and I by Laila Gohar release?

The Highland Park 17 Years Old Between You And I by Laila Gohar is available on Spiritory. The Journeys edition is released through global travel retail and duty free outlets and is also available on Spiritory.