Ardnamurchan 9 Years Old Single Cask No. 325 Single Highland Malt Whisky 57,8%

Nine years is a long time for a distillery that only fired up the stills in 2014. This is among the oldest single casks the house has let out: peated spirit in a first fill PX cask, bottled for a Danish importer’s twenty-fifth anniversary.

The Expert's Description

Ardnamurchan 9 Years Old Single Cask No. 325 is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a peated 1st fill ex-PX Sherry Hogshead and bottled at 57.8% cask strength. The cask gave 330 bottles, filled to mark FC Whisky’s 25th anniversary.

A first fill PX cask is among the most active you can give a whisky. Pedro Ximénez is the sweetest sherry style, and in a hogshead of around 250 litres it works fast and directly. Meeting peated spirit, the result is a clear contrast rather than a blend: sweetness and smoke stand beside each other the whole way.

Ardnamurchan was built by Adelphi on the peninsula of the same name on Scotland’s west coast and has been producing since 2014. The distillery makes both peated and unpeated malt, and this comes from the peated side of the house.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Smoky notes of charred wood and a trace of ash leaves first, immediately balanced by sweeter aromas of dried fruit, dark chocolate and spiced sherry.

Palate

Full and complex: smoke, dried raisins, figs and a touch of caramelised sugar. The sherry maturation adds a subtle sweetness of spice and oak, while the light smoke gives the whisky its characteristic depth. At 57.8% it carries well.

Finish

Long, with warm notes of spice and a light dryness that underlines the complexity.

Specifications

Name: Ardnamurchan 9 Years Old Single Cask No. 325 Single Highland Malt Whisky 57.8%
Distillery: Ardnamurchan
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 9 years
ABV: 57.8%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Peated 1st fill ex-PX Sherry Hogshead, cask no. 325
Number of bottles: 330
Edition: Single Cask No. 325
EAN no.: 5060383654363

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Sherry Matured · Sweet · Spiced · Cask Strength · Dark Fruit

Investment Potential

Medium. Nine years is among the oldest Ardnamurchan has released as a single cask, and there are 330 bottles from a cask chosen for a particular occasion. Early vintages from the distillery are already hard to find.

Did You Know?

Ardnamurchan runs its peated and unpeated production in separate periods of the year, and the casks are marked accordingly. Cask 325 is marked peated, so it is possible to know in advance which side of the house a single cask release comes from, something very few distilleries state so plainly.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Ardnamurchan 9 Years Old Single Cask No. 325 Single Highland Malt Whisky 57.8%

What does peated first fill ex-PX mean?

Three things at once. The spirit is made from peated malt, the cask had not held whisky before, and it contained Pedro Ximénez sherry beforehand. The combination brings both strong smoke and strong sweetness.

Why is nine years notable for Ardnamurchan?

Because the distillery only began producing in 2014. Nine years is therefore close to the oldest the house can release, and very few casks exist from the earliest years.

What is the occasion behind the bottling?

The cask was selected and filled to mark the 25th anniversary of the Danish importer FC Whisky. Anniversary bottlings like this are made in one outturn and not repeated.

How do PX and smoke work together?

They pull in different directions. PX gives raisins, dates and syrupy sweetness, while the peat gives ash and dryness. Instead of merging they stand as two layers, and the whisky is livelier for the contrast.

Does it need water?

At 57.8% a few drops usually make sense. Water loosens the sweetness and rounds out the smoke. Add slowly so the balance between the two does not tip. See our full range of Highland Whisky.

How many bottles are there?

330 bottles from the one cask. That is all there is, and no more of this exact whisky will be made.