Review #188 - Ardnamurchan AD/09:15 CK.578 Single Cask

One of the many single cask Ardnamurchan releases - these have been showing up across many markets, and here's one for the United States. It's a peated first fill ex-bourbon cask, and it's bottled at a cask strength of 58.1% ABV. It was bottled for ImpEx Beverages, the US importer that works with Ardnamurchan distillery.

There's no obvious age statement on the bottle, like most Ardnamurchan whiskies, but they do give us some other great information on the bottle, as well as through the QR code link. This was distilled in September of 2015, and then bottled in October of 2022, giving us a calculated age statement of 7 years; the cask yielded 251 bottles.

Since it's Ardnamurchan whisky, we don't have to worry about chill filtration or the addition of synthetic coloring.

Ardnamurchan AD/09:15 CK.578 Single Cask

Scotland/Highlands - Single Malt

Current Locally Available Price: USD 125 (2023)

Age Statement: 7 Years

Strength: 58.1% ABV

Cask Makeup: First fill ex-bourbon

Details: Distilled September 2015, bottled October 2022; not chill filtered, no color added; bottle 47 of 251

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 7 months; bottles at 30%, 80% (blind tasting), and 60% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: Strong salt and pepper - coastal salt or brine, peppercorns, and white pepper. There's a medium level of peat smoke, and some spirity notes lingering - sharp lemon, mezcal, almost a margarita. Baking notes of cardamom and caramel arrive, and there's soft orchard fruit as a top note.

Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick; very coastal and rugged, with lots of salt and white pepper, some minerality, and some mild to medium peat influence. It can be a little bit hot and spirity, but there's a great oily texture. Sweetness comes from lemon curd and vanilla, while more sharpness comes from black pepper.

Finish: Tart lemon candies, white pepper, and some wood tannins add a sharp character; vanilla and creme brulee flavors balance it out. There's a nice buttery texture lingering into the finish, and we get salty dry wood, like driftwood, in the aftertaste.

Final Note: For us, this is salt and pepper in a whisky. Very true to Ardnamurchan's west coast identity, and the mineral and oil notes add to that vibe. It can be a little raw and spirity, but there's nice flavor development in both the distillate and the ex-bourbon cask, which adds those vanilla and custard notes. There are definitely more reasonable prices on these single cask bottlings in other places, but in our area, the asking price is a bit steep.

Our Average Rating: 7.2 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 5.76