Ardnamurchan Miniature Giftbox Single Malt Whisky 4x5 cl 46.8-50%

Four bottles, four cask stories, the same spirit. It is the easiest way to understand what a cask actually does to whisky, because everything else is held constant and only the wood changes.

The Expert's Description

Ardnamurchan AD Miniature 2024 is a gift set of four Highland Single Malt Scotch Whiskies in 5 cl format, bottled between 46.8% and 50%. The set gathers the distillery’s core expression and three cask variants, and all four are neither chill filtered nor coloured.

The first bottle is AD/, the house standard with 65% bourbon casks and 35% sherry casks. The second is the sherry cask expression, the third the rum cask, and the fourth a single cask Sauternes. Between them they cover the whole span from dry bourbon wood to sweet wine cask.

Ardnamurchan sits at Glenbeg on the westernmost mainland peninsula in Scotland and has been distilling since July 2014. The distillery makes both peated and unpeated malt, and both styles go into the releases.

Tasting Notes

Nose

AD/ opens with orchard fruit, beach pebbles and eucalyptus. The sherry cask gives Murray mint and smoked bacon. The rum cask brings salted cashews and vanilla extract, and the Sauternes offers nectarines and sweet pastry.

Palate

A common thread runs across all four: tobacco leaves, salt water and a touch of marzipan from the spirit itself. On top sit the contributions of the wood, sticky spare ribs from the sherry, coastal breeze from the rum and rich wax from the Sauternes cask.

Finish

Different from bottle to bottle, but over the same saline maritime floor. That shared denominator is exactly what the set makes it possible to hear.

Specifications

Name: Ardnamurchan AD Miniature 2024 Gift Set Single Malt Whisky 4x5 cl
Distillery: Ardnamurchan
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46.8-50%
Size: 4x5 CL
Cask type: Bourbon, sherry, rum and Sauternes
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Edition: Miniature Set 2024

Flavour Profile

Fruity · Maritime · Smoky · Sweet · Spiced · Waxy

Did You Know?

Ardnamurchan sits so far west that the distillery is closer to Northern Ireland than to Edinburgh as the crow flies. The peninsula is the westernmost part of the Scottish mainland, and the warehouses stand a few hundred metres from the water in Glenmore Bay, looking out towards the island of Mull.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Ardnamurchan AD Miniature 2024 Gift Set Single Malt Whisky 4x5 cl

What does the set contain?

Four 5 cl bottles: the distillery’s standard AD/ expression, a sherry cask expression, a rum cask expression and a single cask Sauternes. The strength varies between 46.8% and 50% depending on the bottle.

Why is a tasting set a good idea?

Because everything except the cask is the same. Same distillery, same malt, same water, only the wood changes. That makes it far easier to hear what a cask actually contributes than comparing four different distilleries.

How much is 5 cl?

Roughly two small drams or one generous one. Enough to assess nose, palate and finish properly, and enough to compare all four side by side in the same sitting.

Is it a good set to give as a gift?

Yes, particularly for someone curious who does not want to commit to a full bottle. The set also works as a home tasting for two people with a little in each glass.

In what order should they be tasted?

Start with AD/, which is the most restrained, then move to the rum cask, the sherry cask and finally the Sauternes. That way the sweetness builds without a heavy cask ruining the next glass.

What characterises Ardnamurchan as a distillery?

The seaside setting on a very remote peninsula, and the decision to make both peated and unpeated malt and bring them together. See our full range of Highland Whisky.