Scotch Whisky Review #364: Ardnamurchan AD / CK.187 05:15

Distillery: Ardnamurchan.

Region: Highland.

Age: NAS. Distilled in May of 2015 and bottled in 2021.

ABV: 59.4%.

Cask Type: American Oak.

Cost: Pour thanks to /u/L_Tyrion.

Color: 0.2, Pale Straw.

This particular review was done blind with the only hint being “Highland”.

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Nose: It’s a bit of a roulette here. You’ll get one of citrus, berries, chocolate, or acetone every time you go to take a whiff and it seems to be random which note you’ll get. Each of the notes come through separately, without any sign of them blending together as you go.

Palate: Oh man this is pretty darn hot at full strength. It’s a bunch of acetone and citrus based house cleaners. Thankfully, a splash of water does drop the temperature real fast and calms things down. There’s a lot of sweetness with a note that reminds me heavily of Stevia sweetner. There’s a bit of citrus again along with a fruit cocktail, the ones that you can buy prepackaged in a ton of syrup. Some potpourri notes comes through as well.

Finish: Medium in length. Some floral notes in the form of heather and potpourri make up most of the finish.

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Guess: The hint given was Highland. Its very hot to start, definitely north 55% ABV. Probably 58% or 59%. The citrus notes make me think of a Macallan a bit but the hint puts it out of contention. Maybe it is between 12 to 15 years of age. Guess will be an ex-bourbon Dalmore or Balblair.

Reveal: Ardnamurchan AD / CK.187 05:15.

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Conclusion: Ardnamurchan! Now that’s a mystery I would have never guessed ever! I’ve not had anything form one of Scotland’s newest distilleries and this seems to be a lovely introduction to them. The nose is a fun roulette of notes. The palate, once it calms down, has a nice combination of citrus, fruit and a bit of potpourri. Overall, quite nice and I’m very happy to have tried this!

Final Score: 80.

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Scotch Whisky Review #364, Highland Review #73, Whisky Network Review #516

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Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.