Ardnamurchan 2018 AD/Heritage Barley Release

 

 

 

59,2°

Distillery : Ardnamurchan - Highlands

Ex-American Oak Bourbon Barrels 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

The small distillery in Ardnamurchan is constantly experimenting. This time, it’s a limited edition of 10,290 bottles, crafted from unpeated Golden Promise barley. This type of barley piques the interest of any self-respecting whisky enthusiast, as it was the barley used to make whisky right up until the 1990s. It was subsequently phased out as it was not profitable enough. Reviving this barley is a commendable initiative, and I simply had to give it a try. The whisky was matured for at least six years in perfectly traditional ex-American oak bourbon casks. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

An abundance of dried cereals, barley, maize, wheat and millet, enveloped in a veil of vanilla and honey. Mineral and briny notes to give a touch of depth. Orchard fruits, apples and pears, freshly tedded hay, limestone, ointment. Lovely oak. After a while, a fine balance emerges. Peanut butter. On the palate, it is oily, honeyed, lemony, hazelnut milk, very ripe yellow plums, royal jelly, spices that gradually become very powerful. A long finish, not too violent, crisp biscuits, milky vanilla. Shortcrust pastry, waffles drizzled with maple syrup, cinnamon and cloves, nutmeg. Walnut shells. Coconut pearls.

 

In Short, 

It’s very interesting, you can really tell that the Golden Promise barley brings a cereal-like intensity that you don’t usually find in whisky. What’s more, it pairs beautifully with the honey and citrus notes of the Bourbon, resulting in this well-crafted whisky. The only flaw – but it’s a significant one – is that it’s still too young to be truly good, you can sense a certain roughness, a lack of subtlety, which is a bit of a shame. With a few more years’ ageing, it would be much better. But as the price is quite low, it’s worth buying a bottle all the same, if only to satisfy your curiosity. I think it’s best to add a few drops of water to it. 

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

                                           Slomosa - Dune

Ardnamurchan 7 yo Living Souls

 

 

 

50°

Distillery : Ardnamurchan - Highlands

1st Fill Bourbon Barrels 

Independent Bottling 

By Living Souls 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2026

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated from 15 to 18 ppm

 

 

 

As I’d really enjoyed this Bowmore launched by Living Souls, I decided to explore this distillery a little further, especially as they have bottlings that interest me. Like this one, from the young Ardnamurchan, aged just 12 years. Made from 50 per cent peated barley and 50 per cent unpeated barley, it has a light peat profile, is matured in first-fill bourbon casks, and has a respectable age. I would have liked to know how many bottles were produced, but this has not been disclosed.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It :  

It’s lemony and mineral, with rich honey and a slight astringency. But it’s also briny and floral, which lends it lovely depth, and a sumptuous fruitiness, mirabelle plums, not-quite-ripe bananas, icing sugar, Haribo sweets, and sweet butter. A few cereals in the background, all of this combines to create a superb balance. On the palate, lychees, vanilla, a couple of drops of honey, a pinch of salt, barely detectable peat, light spices. A fairly long, syrupy finish, citrusy, liquorice, wheat germ, rice pudding, corn cakes, young and untreated wood. Cauliflower.

 

In Short, 

Once again, this is a real success, the nose is excellent and the finish is very long, there’s a lovely fruitiness that blends beautifully with the distillery’s character. It’s both very approachable and full of personality, though of course it’s still a little young. The price is a bit on the high side, but fans of the distillery might want to give it a go.

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                               To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                              @ - Autosmile

Ardnamurchan 2018 AD/08:18 Cask 1060 Exclusively Bottled For The Good Spirits Co. 5 yo

 

 

 

58,9°

Distillery : Ardnamurchan - Highlands

1st Fill Spanish Oak Oloroso Sherry Butt 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Almost Unpeated

 

 

 

In 2024, the distillery released a series of four single cask bottlings, all aged in first-fill Oloroso sherry butts and all made from Golden Promise barley, a specific variety widely used in the 1960s and 1970s but now abandoned because it is considered unprofitable. This is therefore something of a minor revolution. For many, Ardnamurchan embodies modern whisky, but this modernism often consists of returning to the past to rediscover the quality and craftsmanship that prevailed there. This whisky is precisely five years old and has been bottled especially for a Glasgow retailer called The Good Spirits Co. 674 bottles were filled.  

 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Varnished noble wood, red fruit jam, maple syrup, hints of wax, blood oranges, candied apricots, ethereal cereals, blueberry cake, Muscat grapes, light vinous notes, a zest of citrus, pine needles, cedar cones, Agen prunes. On the palate, it is remarkably oily, even viscous, candied cherry coulis, amarena, balsamic vinegar, damson tart, fir honey, a generous dose of cinnamon, dark chocolate, red pepper. The finish is long and almost explosive, fig paste, oak bark, fruit cake, thyme branches, espresso coffee, damp earth, rich flowers.

 

In Short, 

Golden Promise barley has a beautiful effect on the oily texture of the liquid, as well as on the very sweet cereal notes. The sherry cask is of high quality, perhaps a little overpowering but very intense. Overall, this is a bottling with rare qualities, but still a little too young, where the wood does not quite match the sherry, and where the balanced texture clashes with the power of the spices. It is of course very difficult to find, and you will probably have to go as far as Glasgow, but The Whisky Exchange sells a Sister Cask, produced under the same conditions. It is a curiosity worth discovering, although it is a little expensive.

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Tito & Tarantula - After Dark

Ardnamurchan 2019 AD/The Midgie 2025

 

 

 

48°

Distillery : Ardnamurchan - Highlands

50% Ex-Bourbon Barrels, 48% Port Barriques and 2% Sherry Casks

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 8 ppm

 

 

 

You need to have been to Scotland to know what midgies are, and just how much of a problem they can be. Launching a bottling in their name is risky, because it's not what people prefer in this country's culture. Be that as it may, this is the 2nd Batch in this new series, the previous having been reserved for the UK market, so I didn't get a chance to taste it. The maturation is complex, the age is between 5 and 8 years (distilled between 2017 and 2019), and the number of bottles available is 16500.  

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Sweet fruit, smoked ham, fig pulp, pink plums, redcurrant jelly. A touch of smoke, full of soot, some earthy notes, heather and smoked oak bark. Blood orange peel and brown tobacco. Milk chocolate. On the palate, it's very fruity, quite luscious, toffee apple, praline peanuts and a few red fruits. Burnt caramel and a drop of viandox. Enchanting spices, nutmeg, saffron, cinnamon. Quite a long, very peppery finish, with gingerbread and candied fruit. Caramelised charcoal, some herbal and vinous undertones.

 

In Short, 

The Port is intense but not overpowering, quite balanced and very interesting. The distillate does get a little lost in the process though. You have to like Port cask ageing, but even if you don't, it's worth trying a dram. If you make a little effort, you can find it at a reasonable price.

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Crimson Veins - Under the Veil

Ardnamurchan 2017 AD/Cask Strength Release 2025

 

 

 

57,7°

Distillery : Ardnamurchan - Highlands

90% Bourbon Barrels and 10% Sherry Casks 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 25 ppm

 

 

 

I had already tasted a previous Batch of the Cask Strength Release, the first, which dates back to 2023, bearing in mind that there had been previous Cask Strength bottlings in 2022 and 2023. I enjoyed it, but found that the palate was still a little light. This edition, the third, follows the same recipe as the previous ones, 90% Bourbon Barrels, 10% Sherry casks, 87% barley peated at 30 ppm, 13% unpeated barley. This time, however, the distillate is older: the two Sherry casks used were aged for 8 years, and the Bourbon casks were filled in 2016 and 2017. The whole product is therefore at least 7 years old. 12911 bottles were sold.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Fairly dry peat, warm bitumen and gravel, with a hint of chalk and iodine, creamy vanilla sprinkled with citrus fruit, lemon, pineapple, yellow plums and ripe mirabelles. Milk chocolate, filled with salted butter caramel, sultanas and braised nuts. On the palate, the peat is more discreet, the whole is creamy and pulpy, light touches of red fruit, woody cereals, exuberant spices, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper. The finish is long but not aggressive, dark chocolate and dried figs, cola, earthy roots, shortbread biscuits, lemon pie.

 

In Short, 

It's a great success, the balance is perfect between the predominant Bourbon, which enhances the more mature distillate, and the peat and Sherry, which add character, depth and fruit. On the palate, it's now very solid. However, I don't have the same sensation as with the 2023 edition, which I found full of character and boiling with power. Here, it's more measured, balanced and controlled. There's less costality too. So I don't know if I prefer it. In any case, a purchase seems like a very good idea, given that the price is more than correct.

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Searows - Dearly Missed

Ardnamurchan 2018 AD/Madeira Cask Release 6 yo

 

 

 

52°

Distillery : Ardnamurchan - Highlands

Bourbon Barrels and Madeira Finish

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 16 ppm

 

 

 

The latest Ardnamurchan release to cause a stir is this one. A double maturation that began in Bourbon Barrels and ended in Madeira Casks, 6 years old. It's been on sale for just over two months now, and as I really liked the 10 year old that came out a little while ago, I wanted to try this one. This is a limited edition of 19598 bottles. It is the second one form this distillery to be finished in Madeira Casks, the previous one was launched in 2022. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Dried wheat, light breeze, some ripe fruits, pears, lychees. Hairspray, fresh tobacco leaves, a touch of peat, heather honey, mellow vanilla, a zest of lemon. Peach pits, young wood, cooked apples, greengage jam. On the palate, it's quite thick, honeyed, apple pie, cake pastry, well-inspired spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, paprika. Quite a long finish, melted caramel, tobacco crumbs, hints of malt, royal jelly. Warm honey, treacle, smoke tea. A sugar cube dipped in wine sauce.   

 

In Short, 

I have to say I'm a little disappointed. It's a good quality, but given the price and the growing reputation of the distillery, I expected better. The Madeira flavour is quite discreet, and yet it's enough to take us away from the distillery's profile. On the whole, it's still too young, it should have waited a little longer. I'm not sure I'd recommend buying it. 

Score : 86

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Blauka - Wolta

Ardnamurchan 2016 AD/02:16 CK.65 7 yo

 

 

 

57,9°

Distillery : Ardnamurchan - Highlands

1st Fill Spanish Oak Oloroso Sherry Hogshead

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2023

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 18 ppm

 

 

 

Behind this rather uninviting code are the bottle references. 02:16 means that the juice was distilled in February 2016, and CK.65 is the cask number. What's more interesting is the nature of the cask, as the whisky spent its entire ageing period in an Oloroso Sherry cask. As always, the barley used is split in two, 50% unpeated malted barley and 50% peated malted barley. The cask was selected by Dugas Club Expert, a highly reputed French sales site, and is therefore reserved for the French market. I would have liked to know how many bottles were produced. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The nose is pure Sherry Bomb, with intense and full-bodied aromas of red fruit, seasoned leather, cured meat and exotic wood. But also a good pinch of salt and seaweed, beeswax, cereals. Heavy toffee, treacle, dark chocolate, amid redcurrants and blueberries. On the palate, raspberries and blackcurrants, dried figs coated in a beautiful, bewitching smoke. Measured spices, nutmeg, cloves. Chocolate fondant. Long, powerful finish carrying smoke and peat, roots, damp earth, warm bark, chocolate cookies, pecans, roasted hazelnuts, cinnamon. Chestnuts and forest undergrowth. 

In Short, 

A very fine bottling, it doesn't need much more to reach excellence. Perhaps a few years. The Sherry is intense, but does not mask the distillery's character, which is costal, maritime and slightly foresty. The peat is light, not at all overpowering. Unfortunately, the price is a bit high, otherwise I'd recommend it without reservation. You'll have to wait for a promotion. 

Score : 89  

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                            Kat Von D - Fear You

Ardnamurchan AD/Cask Strength Release 2023

 

 

 

58,1°

Distillery : Ardnamurchan - Highlands 

Ex-Bourbon Barrels and Sherry Casks

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2023

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 25 ppm

 

 

 

This is apparently the first batch of Ardnamurchan's Cask Strength Release. This is not their first Cask Strength bottling, however, as there have been several others. Maturation took place at 90% in Bourbon Barrels, and at 10% in Sherry Casks. 87% of the malt used is peated, and 13% is unpeated. 13683 bottles were put on sale.

Let's Taste It : 

Very ethereal and airy nose, with iodine and marine notes, delicate and mineral peat, limestone, quartz, some white fruit and honey, green apple, lychee. A zest of citrus and fresh vanilla flavours. It is very smooth on the palate, with the influence of Bourbon asserting itself, honey, vanilla and cereals. Tangerine, blood orange and not-so-violent spices, red pepper and cloves. The finish is very powerful and quite long, warm liquorice, seaweed, pistachio, cola, a generous pinch of sea salt and some silt.

In Short, 

Really interesting. I really liked the nose and the finish, but on the palate, it's not quite there yet. Perhaps it's still too young. Honestly, given the reasonable price, a purchase would be a good idea. I'd have to taste it again before deciding.

Score : 88

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Charlotte Wessels - Afkicken

Ardnamurchan 2017 AD/Paul Launois 4th Release

 

 

 

57,3°

Distillery : Ardnamurchan - Highlands

Ex-Bourbon Barrels, Champagne Barriques Finish

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Almost Unpeated

 

 

 

Every year since 2021, the distillery has presented this bottling, with a highly original finish, in Champagne barriques during one year. But not just any Champagne, the Paul Launois brand has its reputation, or so it seems. This year, the result comes in 3198 bottles, with a Cask Strength juice - well worth a try.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Very soft nose of citrus fruit and honey, tangerine, grapefruit, very delicate mineral notes, lovely balance. Discreet white fruit and herbal hints, walnuts and squares of bark. Light cereals, oats and wheat. Whiffs of iodine. On the palate, fruit dominates, with green Granny Smith apples, a dash of honey and lemon, crushed hazelnuts. Juicy pears. It's a bit sour. Spices and a drizzle of smoky peat. Long finish, but not explosive, charcoal, sprinkled with lemon, tall herbs, forest undergrowth.

 

In Short, 

Everyone spoke very highly of this one, but personally I didn't love it. Maybe because I don't really like champagne. And without bubbles, it's just not the same. It's still well done, with character, interesting. It's a victim of its own success and sold out everywhere, but perhaps fans will be able to satisfy their curiosity with the 5th Release.

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Marysia Osu - Memento Mori

Ardnamurchan AD/

 

 

 

46,8°

Distillery : Ardnamurchan - Highlands 

Ex-Bourbon Barrels and Sherry Casks

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2022

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 18 ppm

 

 

 

This edition launched in 2022 is the closest thing to Core Range at Ardnamurchan, a distillery opened in 2014 by independent bottler Adelphi. A total of 25,200 bottles have been released for sale. Consisting of 50% peated malted barley at 35 ppm, and 50% unpeated malted barley, the total makes just 18 ppm. It was aged 65% in Bourbon Barrels and 35% in Sherry Casks. The demonstrator whispered in my ear that the juice is 7 years old, which is credible. But she also told me that it was aged only in Bourbon Barrels, so I don't know.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The influence of Bourbon is clear on the nose, vanilla cream and lemon pulp, ripe white fruit, a hint of salt, slightly pastry-like, and on the back, mineral. Ethereal smoke. Liquid honey, a pinch of cinnamon, almond paste. On the palate, more fruit, Granny Smith apples, pears and peaches, amber, royal jelly, very discreet spices. Very good finish, cola, light tobacco, thick leather, dried figs and bananas, woody and fairly long. Roasted hazelnuts.

In Short, 

Probably influenced by the demonstrator, I couldn't find any Sherry notes, but there must be some. Anyway, it's clearly dominated by Bourbon, with a little saline and mineral touch that's very well brought out. The casks are of good quality and the age is acceptable. This is a good bottling at a fair price. Ideal for discovering this new distillery, undoubtedly one of the most promising on the market.

Score : 86

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Cornelia Murr - Meantime

SMWS 2016 149.3 A Walk in the Woods The New Wave 6 yo

 

 

 

60,6°

Distillery : Ardnamurchan - Highlands 

1st Fill American Oak Pedro Ximénez Butt

Independent Bottling 

By Scotch Malt Whisky Society 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2023

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, a trading company and connoisseurs' club founded in 1983 by Pip Hills, has decided to take an interest in promising young distilleries, and has even launched a small series for the occasion, The New Wave, which brings together 6 bottlings so far. And among them this one, from Ardnamurchan, a young distillery founded in 2014 and owned by Adelphi, another highly reputable trading company. The maturation is original, as it is a Pedro Ximénez Sherry cask, but of American oak, whereas Sherry casks are generally built with European oak. 650 bottles were supplied, and sold primarily in the USA.

Let's Taste It : 

On the nose, it is costal and at the same time pastry-like. I recognise the impetuous ardour of youth, with iodine, kelp, the power of the swell, but also Granny Smith apples, cream, mille-feuilles, icing sugar. Sabayon, pastry cream on the palate, slightly syrupy and leafy, autumn leaves, acorns and bark. Expressive spices, cloves, cumin. The finish is long and explosive, with some maritime fragrances, a trail of salt, but also humus, vegetal moss, damp black earth.

In Short, 

While there are indeed forestry elements in this bottle, it also has maritime notes and some lovely pastry flavours. You can smell the youth, but it's powerful and full-bodied, which can also be an advantage. All in all, not bad at all! A bit more than remarkable, it's really good. On the other hand, the price is too high in my opinion, especially as you also have to pay a membership fee to be allowed to buy it. However, if you're interested, they still have 17.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           The Sonic Rootz - Wheels are Turning