Ardnamurchan Sherry Cask 2023

As theorized in my review of Ardnamurchan AD 2018, it's possible that the "outsized premium" on each of Adelphi's bottlings from the past decade has gone towards subsidizing the construction and upkeep of this Western Highlands distillery. That's nobler and less exploitative than the general "let's wring every last dollar from every apparently-expendable member of our customer base" approach of many other independent and official bottlers. Did I just call Adelphi "noble"? I probably should have written this review while sober.

Anyhoo, here's something about Ardnamuchan's 2023 Sherry Cask release.

Distillery: Ardnamurchan
Owner: Adelphi

Region: Way Out West Highlands

Age: NAS

Maturation: Oloroso and PX sherry casks

Bottling Date: 2023

Outturn: 13,998 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
Chillfiltration? No
Colorant? No
(thank you to Doctors Springbank for the sample!)

NOTES

Something sulphuric and cheesy shows up in the nose for the first few moments. It fades away, revealing dried apricots, toasted almond, and toasted coconut. A little bit of moss and maple syrup join dried cherries and currant juice.

The palate is earthy, savory, sweet, grassy, and vegetal for the first 15 minutes. It gets sweeter as it picks up orange candy and dates.

The peat appears in the finish. There's smoked peanuts, earthy residue, and a hint of lapsang souchong, while minty candy and dates offer brightness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Though this whisky is supposed to be only 5-ish years old, it's the most complete Ardnamurchan single malt I've tried so far. Much that has to do with the casks, but this isn't a one-dimensional sherried blast. It has edges, curves, and straight lines. (I just wrote that.) Hell, it's an actual whisky at 5-ish years old. Not many distilleries offer that.

Availability - Europe
Pricing - $70-$110

Rating - 84