Bottle Name: Ardnamurchan AD 092001 Inaugural Release

ABV: 46.8%
Distillery: Ardnamurchan
Region: Highlands Age: 5

The inaugural release of this West Highlands single malt was far from a limited affair – 15,978 bottles. Indeed, that’s about as large an opening gambit as one tends to get when it comes to new distilleries. However, despite the generous number of casks utilised to create this expression – it quickly transpired that 15K of bottles was apparently nowhere near enough to sate demand. That is not to say that there’s a magnitude of well over 15,000 clamouring Ardnamurchan whisky drinkers (as yet) – but rather, that just the one bottle was likely not enough for many – despite retail limits. Indeed, you don’t have to look all that far to see evidence of people with caseloads of this stuff. Whatever floats your boat guys.

The release itself is a large vatting of ex-bourbon casks (65%), Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks (35% between the two styles) bottled at 5 years of age. Of course, you’re into the secondary market (or friendly bottle shares) should you wish to try this now – though with an RRP of less than £50, I strongly doubt that the nightmarish 600% markups witnessed when this bottle was first released will be sustained over the long term.

Nose: Out of the bottle - fireplace ashes and coal dust – but these quickly give way to a gentler more layered earthy peat. Acacia honey, dusty lemon bonbons and strawberry milkshake powder sits with a chalky minerality that along brings with it some salinity. Sack cloth, and vegetalness from new potatoes again reinforce the earthy character, whilst added some broader interest. Reduction, reveals youthful undertones – as it so often does – yeasty doughs, raw barley and a pang of something metallic.

Taste: Markedly oily and with palpable weight. The smoke influence both leads and follows – paraffin wax, axle grease, brined peppers and brass polish – offset by freshly picked Granny Smith apples, a generous spoon of honey, a squeeze of lemon juice and a tingle of pepper. The back-palate is more ex-bourbon cask driven with both vanilla and soft toffee coming to the fore – again with an edge of minerality/salinity. The addition of water offers a creaminess alongside an earthier peat – smouldering leaf mulch, burnt mosses and ferns. However, the composition loses brightness and coherence quickly – the bottling strength is where this is at.

Finish: Medium in length with BBQ briquettes, limestone and residual orchard fruit sweetness.

Ardnamurchan’s maiden release is a story of three parts – firstly of balance – it already is, despite its young age. Secondly of interest – there’s more here than just fruits and peat smoke – just the right amount of left-field earthy/farmy motes provides a level of charm, character and intricacy that merits exploration. Finally – there’s the price and allocation – both were admirably framed to allow as many enthusiasts as possible the opportunity to try this whisky. And yet, it seems that some quarters of the customer base were simply not prepared to let large bottle numbers and a low retail price thwart their determination that inaugural releases should be viewed as more than they actually are. Enthusiasts love to blame producers, but in this instance the blame lies entirely at our own feet <sigh>. Well-made, well-balanced, good drinking whisky – and it scores as such.

Bottle Name: Ardnamurchan AD 012101 Release 2

ABV: 46.8%
Distillery: Ardnamurchan
Region: Highlands Age: 5

Release 2 from Ardnamurchan came earlier in 2021 whilst everyone was still locked up inside their houses. And whilst it was not quite the bunfight of the inaugural release from 2020, it still sold out rapidly – all 14,676 bottles of it.

Following the same format at its predecessor, this is composed of ex-bourbon casks (65%), Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks (35% between the two styles) and is bottled at 5 years of age. Whether the casks are just a wee bit older this time around, or the configuration of the sherry casks has been altered, who can say – but for all intents and purposes, on paper this looks to be ‘more of the same’. However, vattings of multiple cask types rarely work that way unless at truly vast scales (where one might simply assess the first and last casks and accept that everything produced in between is likely of a similar quality).

Released for sub £50 and now available at an auction house near you. Or, just wait….I’m sure Release 3 won’t be all that far away...and indeed we're only just at the start of Ardnamurchan's journey - they'll be plenty more to experience in time. 

Nose: Wax beans, lamp oil and hessian cloth are joined by earthy, undergrowth-led peat smoke – sappy and resinous. Fruits follow – lemon peels, apple slices and pear juice with a delicate floral trail following. Vanilla crème brulee and salted caramel follow together with barnyard notes of hay, grasses and flax. Dilution presents a more cereal character with Alpen, bloomer loaf and a scattering of cloves.

Taste: Clean and chiselled with a grippy weight. Honey and wax both provide a textural element whilst freshly halved apples and lemon gel sit alongside orange barley water. Salinity and minerality combine in a wafting, but clear smoke that has plenty of seaweed and coastal breeze along for the ride. In the background, ginger and pepper provide a peppy kick. The addition of water presents more herbaceous motifs with reeds and ferns together with liquorice and cloves.

Finish: Medium – sweet with apple, earthy with briny smoke and sharp with wire wool.

Ardnamurchan’s second release treads a very similar path to its predecessor – all of the fruity, peaty, mineral and herbaceous notes and flavours are present and correct. However, their configuration here feels a little constricted. In one sense, that makes for a tighter, more on the rails, experience, but on the other, it was the side-steps and divergences of AD 092001 that marked it out as being a little difference – and to my palate provided it with welcome additional appeal. Nevertheless, following the same format means you’re never going to land too far away from the target – and once again this is well-crafted, characterful, easy drinking single malt with its own distinctive character.