Review by: Maltenberg

This starts off a cluster of Ardnamurchan reviews as well as a writeup about visiting the distillery. So lets start at the beginning with the first 2 batches of the core release that made it to the US.

Ardnamurchan AD/03:21 02

This is a batch of the regular release of Ardnamurchan.  It’s not the inaugural release, but it is for the US.  Now we see the intended product of this distillery. 50% peated, 50% unpeated, 35% sherry casks (by vol), 65% ex-bourbon.  Mostly Spanish oak sherry casks, but a couple American oak sherry butts.  They use blockchain technology to link the materials to the bottle. 

Evidently I have bottle 55/5004 in this batch and my bottle was filled by Lewis Hamilton.  We know that Concerto Barley from Brucefield at Broomhall Fam was used.  The heart cut was taken from 75% to 68.5% by Gordon MacKenzie.  The casks are broken down in detail but as things go with digital they changed the links since I first visited and they’re broken now. This batch was distilled in 2014 and 2015. One piece missing that is annoying me is the peat ppm on the peated casks.  It is approximately 30ppm, but I had to go to some podcasts with Alex Bruce to find that spec.  Will it behave like a 15ppm whisky like Highland Park as the unpeated and peated are blended?

It’s an insane level of geekery and yet… It doesn’t get in the way.  You can read this at your leisure, it’s not crowding the bottle or requiring extra packaging and you don’t have to read it at all.

These new distilleries are open to an entirely different level of transparency. 

Country/Region: Scotland/Highland

Color: 0.6 old gold (NCA)

ABV:  46% (NCF)

Nose:  Creamed cereals, those same apple and pear blossoms, roasted hazelnut, floral, drifting in light driftwood smoke, heavy cream, banana, dried fig, apple, pear, sultanas

Palate:  There isn’t much peat in the nose, but its almost the first thing you’ll notice on the palate.  The second thing is the weight of the whisky.  Classic highland peat.  Cereal, dried fig, driftwood smoke, black tea, black pepper, vanilla cream, toasted banana chips, burnt sugar (the bit on top of a crème brûlée), hazelnut, peach stone and pear, a bit of mineral clay and grapefruit zest and a bit of loam

Finish: Earthy hints of peat smoke, ginger, burnt sugar, dried fig, dates, cinnamon, vanilla, hazelnut

Rating: 86

Summary:  As this bottle was open it didn’t change much in terms of the notes, but I was enjoying it more.  I’ve put it one point behind Talisker 10, which I do find to have a bit more depth and a character I enjoy more.  But Talisker is my favorite distillery and if it isn’t your favorite you might like this better.  They have a fair amount in common between them though the Ardnamurchan has a very noticeable edge on texture being more oily in the modern day. I like the nose and palate of the Talisker 10 a bit better with more brine and seashell notes. 

Ardnamurchan AD/07.21:04

Another batch of the core release prior to the switch to it just becoming AD/.  As they’ve done from the beginning, they’ve published the specs for this cask here.  https://ardnamurchan-distillery.co.uk/newBottles-detail/11150

All of the casks that made up this batch were distilled in 2014-2016 putting everything between 4 and 7 years of age.  About 33% of the volume came from sherry casks.  Both American oak and Spanish oak sherry casks were used, but more Spanish oak than American oak this time.  By volume this batch was approximately 45% peated. 

Country/Region: Scotland/Highlands  

Color: 0.7 amber (NCA) 

ABV: 46.8% (NCF) 

Nose: Vanilla, creamed cereal, roasted tree nuts, apple orchard flowers, driftwood smoke, cooked apple, smoke, potting soil, lemon zest, dried fig, sultana, pear.  

Palate: Earthy highland peat smoke, cereal, dried fig, vanilla creme, hazelnut, scorched caramel, black pepper, peach, pear, limestone and a bit of clay, loam grapefruit zest.  

Finish:  Burnt sugar, dates, vanilla, hazelnut, milk chocolate, ginger, loam, light smoke  

Rating: 86  

Summary: I’ve had some of the core AD/ but haven’t bought a bottle.  I will when this one runs out though.  Having this alongside my original bottle of AD/ 03:21 02 I didn’t notice much difference between them and I’d say that holds true with the standard release.  This new batch is ever so slightly sharper and a little less sweet, but you really have to look for this difference.  This review from Malt Review showed consistency from the core batches available in the UK/EU and I think its true here with the US batches also.  https://malt-review.com/2021/11/16/seven-bottles-of-ardnamurchan/. This year Ardnamurchan will have achieved it’s 10th year of distilling, but I think it could be a while before they try to have a regular age stated release.  When your NAS release is this unique and made with such high quality content, it’s pretty easy to say keep doing what you’re doing.  And whether they decide to put out an 8, a 10 or a 12 or keep doing the NAS release, we’re going to be treated to some great whisky.