Review by: dustbunna

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Distillery: Ardnamurchan.

Bottler: Single Cask Nation.

Region: Highlands, Scotland.

ABV: 58.3%. Cask strength.

Age: 5 years. Distilled in 2018. Bottled in 2023.

Cask type: First-fill Oloroso hogshead.

Price: $110 for 750mL (on offer).

Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Bottle open across approx. 10 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.

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Nose: figs, cola, cherries, cinnamon, nutmeg, wet grass, orange candy.

Palate: full-bodied, thick ~ more figs and cola and nutmeg, broken twigs, forest decay, sticky toffee pudding.

Finish: long ~ on cherries, cinnamon, damp dead leaves, hint of black pepper, a wisp of pipe smoke (wait, isn’t this unpeated?)

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Thoughts: This is the first independent bottle of Ardnamurchan I’ve had, and SCN chose a doozy of an Oloroso cask for this to mature in. It definitely tastes older than five years of maturation, with all the hallmarks of a quality sherry bomb: red and purple fruits, baking spices, damp forest-y notes, the works. It’s dangerously drinkable at full power, too, something I find common with cask strength releases from this distillery. 

The only ding, for me, is that this whisky doesn’t taste particularly Ardnamurchan-esque, as the strong personality of the cask has swamped any presence of distillery character. That’s only a knock because I know from other whiskies of theirs I’ve tasted that Ardnamurchan’s fruity, mineralic spirit can play very nice with Oloroso if the wood is just a tad less aggressive. This one I’ve found extremely quaffable, and when I find myself in the occasional mood for super-strong sherry influence there doesn’t seem to be much that scratches that itch better.

Final Score: 86.

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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.