Review by: dustbunna
Ardnamurchan started distilling in 2013 and began releasing whisky in 2020. They produce both peated and unpeated spirit, age both types in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, and vat all of that together to make AD/, their main core product. It falls squarely into the ‘bit-o’-everything’ category as a result. In keeping with their approach to transparency, the naming regimen is the bottling month.day:batch number that year (this appears to have confused some consumers at first, and more recent batches are just called AD/ with the bottling date and batch number relegated to the back label.) These two bottlings were both US releases from 2021, the first from March and the second from July. I bought the first in summer of 2022, the second that following autumn. Both carry the exact same specs, so I’ll just list them once here.
Distillery: Ardnamurchan.
Bottler: Distillery bottling.
Region: Highlands.
ABV: 46.8%.
Age: NAS but youngest component 5 years. Bottled in 2021.
Cask type: Vatting of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.
Price: $60 USD.
Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
AD/03.21:02 ~ Bottle open across approx. 3 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.
Nose: sweet smoke, grass, blood oranges, orange and lemon sherbet.
Palate: medium body ~ fruits and smoke follow through, minerals, cut stems, sweetens a bit over time.
Finish: medium length ~ smoke, minerals, green melon, pepper.
Conclusion: Impressive for its age, simple but extremely quaffable. The sherbet, smoke, minerals and grass meld together for something very tasty that keeps me coming back for another sip.
Final Score: 85.
AD/07.21:04 ~ Bottle open across approx. 4 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.
Nose: orange and lemon sherbet, minerals in the background, grass, chocolate Necco wafers.
Palate: malt, more orange sherbet, a hint of background smoke.
Finish: medium length ~ orange candy, cane sugar, more chocolate Necco wafers, a bit of wood spice.
Conclusion: Really a subtle variation on the first bottle, maybe a touch sweeter with the light chocolatey notes as it goes on (though that might easily be the additional month it was resting in the bottle.) Easily as drinkable, with the same quadrifecta of sherbet, smoke, minerals and grass.
Final Score: 85.
Final Thoughts: Pretty consistent across the two bottles, the first one perhaps a tick more balanced overall but not a significant enough difference to affect scoring. I love what this distillery is doing, and I am going to keep buying this release. I got through these two bottles fairly quickly because I found myself pouring them far more often than I expected, sharing them widely with friends who are into whisky as well as those who just enjoy casual sipping. If I were to consider any whisky in my cabinet worthy of being called a ‘daily driver’, this would be the one.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 