The long-awaited and incredibly in-demand first release single malt whisky from the Ardnamurchan distillery on Scotland’s west coast.
The distillery, founded by Alex Bruce and the team behind independent bottlers Adelphi, produce both peated and unpeated spirit. The single malt is 50/50 peated and unpeated with a 65% ex-bourbon, 35% ex-sherry cask maturation structure.Â
Also available: Ardnamurchan Tasting Pack: Featuring the inagural release and single cask samples
Speaking with The Oak Barrel as part of Sydney Whisky Forum 2020, Bruce described the whisky as being of its environment.
“We chose Arndamurchan, this remote, rugged, highland, west coastal peninsula, we chose it to build a distillery, not because it would be impossible to get to and all that sort of stuff, but most importantly we chose it because of the climate and what it is and what it can do to whisky.
“We’ve built a distillery, we’re trying to make the best possible spirit that we can but everything else we’re handing over to the environment. If I was to copy and paste Ardnamurchan somewhere else in Scotland or somewhere else in the world, you would get a very different whisky. The profile that we are naturally getting out there is a very maritime, very coastal profile.”
This inaugural release, or which there are extremely limited quantities, showcases soft and sweet honeycomb and fruits with embers and brine amongst an oily, coating texture.
Here’s what Serge Valentin at WhiskyFun had to say:
“So their inaugural genuine malt whisky, always a moving moment. It seems that this is a five years old, so not just a three-years-old-and-one-day boosted in STR or PX (or Laphroaig), and that it’s a blend of the distillery’s peated and un-peated makes, matured in 2/3 ex-bourbon and 1/3 ex-sherry wood. Now that we know everything, let’s proceed…
Colour: light gold.
Nose: I rather like this feeling of ‘single-blended malt’, with its freshness, the wee farmy side from the peat, the notes of stewed rhubarb with a little juniper, these touches of aquavit and then these maritime aromas, as well as this rather unexpected oriental side, between incense and orange blossom water. Almost forgot to mention mirabelle eau-de-vie (but we still make the best in Alsace, haha…)
Mouth: clearly ‘a peater’, as as always, the peaty party is having the upper hand. There are hints of strawberry yoghurt, not unseen in fresh peaters, a combination of aromatic herbs (thyme, tarragon) and some kind of spicy mead perhaps. Touches of caraway and sweeter wholegrain bread, gingerbread, speculoos… All that with a solid, rather creamy texture.
Finish: pretty long, rather on a spicy/honeyed smokiness. Did anybody ever try to smoke gingerbread? The aftertaste is more on a classic citron/brine/smoke combo.
Comments: this impressive young baby improves a lot with oxygen. Let them breathe! Can’t wait to try these when them too are eleven.
