Scotch Whisky Review #497: Ardnamurchan AD/The ArdnAmerica Tour Bottling

Image Credit: ImpEx Beverage’s official instagram.

Distillery: Ardnamurchan.

Region: Highland.

Age: NAS. Distilled in 2017 and 2018, then bottled April 12th 2023.

ABV: 57.8%.

Cask Type: PX and Oloroso sherry casks.

Mashbill: Peated and Unpeated Concerto barley from the Broomhall farm.

Price: Sample courtesy of /u/dustbunna.

Color: 1.1, Burnished.

Other Stats: Average hours of fermentation for the casks in this batch is 76 hours.

This whisky was reviewed blind courtesy of /u/dustbunna as part of a Twelve Fourteen Days of Christmas set. The note on this dram was “V (Five) Gold Rings”.

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Nose: This is definitely peated with a lot of sherry cask influence. It isn’t a super heavy, aggressive peat like a lot of the Islay distilleries might do, it is a softer medium-to-light peat.

Palate: Exactly the same as the nose, big sherry and big peat. The peat here is a little more industrial than it is on the palate, a little more dirty but still not overly aggressive. A little bit of water takes away some of the more edgier bits of the industrial peat but still leaves behind a dirty, peated sherry whisky.

Finish: Medium-to-short in length. Same as the rest though it leaves a bit of a sting in the back of the throat.

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Guess: I knew what I wanted to guess from the first sniff and I’m not changing it. BenRomach. 10-14 years of age. >50% ABV, probably even more than 55% ABV. Sherry casks. Specifically a BenRomach cask strength.

Reveal: Ardnamurchan AD/The ArdnAmerica Tour Bottling.

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Conclusion: Man I really thought I had this one nailed – big sherry and big peat screams BenRomach to me. I’ve really enjoyed Ardnamurchan I have had, as limited as that experience has been, and I’m not surprised of the quality of this dram. It is a bit of a “unga-bunga caveman” dram but it certainly scratches the itch of sherry and peat very well. Considering I’ve gone in on a cask of sherry cask Ardnamurchan, this excites me for what we’ll see out of that in ten years time.

Rating: 80.

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Scotch Whisky Review #497, Highland Review #103, Whisky Network Review #662

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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.