A valinch is the copper tube you push into a cask to draw a sample. Two Italians named their company after that very tool, and after the mallet that knocks the bung loose. It says rather precisely what they do.

The Expert's Description

Ardmore 12 Years Old Valinch & Mallet 2009/2021 is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a Sherry Hogshead and bottled at 52.2%. Cask 706023 was distilled in 2009 and bottled in 2021, giving 338 bottles.

Ardmore makes peated whisky as its core style, which is unusual for a Highland distillery. The smoke sits at around 12 to 14 ppm, moderate compared with Islay but clear enough to give the whisky a dry earthy floor. Combined with a sherry cask it produces a profile where dark fruit and smoke pull in opposite directions.

A hogshead holds around 250 litres, so between a bourbon barrel and a sherry butt. It gives more wood contact per litre than a butt, which is why twelve years in a hogshead can travel further than twelve years in a larger cask. Valinch & Mallet was founded in 2015 by two Italian friends.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Raisins and dark orange first, with peat smoke as a dry undercarriage. Behind them come toasted malt, walnut and a hint of leather. The smoke is not maritime, it reads more like smouldering wood than sea air.

Palate

Full and in two halves. The sherry’s dried fruit and chocolate open, then the smoke enters from the side along with black pepper and a dry oak tannin. At 52.2% the concentration is good, and the two elements keep each other in check the whole way.

Finish

Long. Smoke, dark fruit and spiced oak leave together, with a dry ash note right at the end.

Specifications

Name: Ardmore 12 Years Old Valinch & Mallet 2009/2021 Single Highland Malt Whisky 52.2%
Distillery: Ardmore
Bottler: Valinch & Mallet
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 52.2%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Sherry Hogshead, cask no. 706023
Distilled: 2009
Bottled: 2021
Number of bottles: 338

Flavour Profile

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

Did You Know?

The word valinch describes the copper tube a warehouse manager pushes down through the bung hole to draw a sample, and a mallet is the wooden hammer that knocks the bung loose again. Valinch & Mallet have therefore named themselves after the two tools an independent bottler uses most, the ones in your hands when you decide whether a cask is good enough.

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Thirty-two bottles, thirty-two chess pieces. Two kings, two queens, four bishops, four knights, four rooks and sixteen pawns, each one a whisky from a different distillery. This one stands on g7, and behind the piece sits a seventeen year old Ardmore at full cask strength.

The Expert's Description

Ardmore 17 Years Old The Chess Malt Collection G7 is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured entirely in bourbon wood and bottled at 59.7% cask strength. It was distilled in February 2002 and bottled in June 2019, and the cask gave 239 bottles.

The Chess Malt Collection is a series of 32 bottlings from different distilleries across Scotland, where each bottle corresponds to a piece on the chessboard, split evenly between black and white. The series gathers distilleries you rarely see side by side, tied together by a concept rather than by a region or a cask type.

Ardmore is one of the few Highland distilleries with peat smoke as a core style, and after seventeen years in bourbon wood the smoke has grown softer and better integrated. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Tropical fruit first, mango, pineapple and a little melon, which is typical of long maturation in bourbon casks. Beneath sit toasted nuts, vanilla and a light dry smoke closer to cold ash than a fire.

Palate

Full and oily. Tropical fruit and honey open, then nuts, vanilla and a dry smoky edge. The 59.7% is pronounced, but after seventeen years there is roundness enough to carry it. Water draws the fruit further forward.

Finish

Long and dry. Smoke, toasted nuts and oak, with a final sweetness of tropical fruit that lingers.

Specifications

Name: Ardmore 17 Years Old The Chess Malt Collection G7 Single Highland Malt Whisky 59.7%
Distillery: Ardmore
Bottler: The Chess Malt Collection
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 17 years
ABV: 59.7%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon cask
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: February 2002
Bottled: June 2019
Number of bottles: 239
Edition: The Chess Malt Collection G7

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Tropical Fruit · Nutty · Vanilla · Cask Strength · Oaky

Investment Potential

Medium. The series is built to be collected, and a concept of 32 pieces creates demand for the individual bottles long after release. With only 239 bottles from this cask, an age of seventeen years and full cask strength, there are several reasons this one will be hard to find again.

Did You Know?

The series consists of 32 different whiskies, one for each piece on a chessboard: two kings, two queens, four bishops, four knights, four rooks and sixteen pawns, split evenly between black and white. The designation G7 refers to the square on the board, and on a chessboard a pawn stands on g7 at the start of the game.

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Norway buys its spirits through a state monopoly, and when Vinmonopolet picks a single cask it does so after a blind tasting with no regard for name or label. This cask made it through. It is number 21 in the series.

The Expert's Description

Ardmore 2008/2015 Signatory Vintage 7 Years Old is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a Bourbon Barrel and bottled at 40%. Cask 800083 was distilled in 2008 and bottled in 2015 as a single cask for Vinmonopolet, giving 357 bottles.

The combination is unusual: a single cask at 40%. Most single cask releases go into the bottle at cask strength, but here the whisky has been reduced to standard strength. In return it is neither chill filtered nor coloured, which at 40% requires a cask with real body behind it.

Ardmore makes peated whisky as its core style at around 12 to 14 ppm. After seven years in a bourbon barrel the smoke is still fresh and direct, with the cask’s vanilla and cereal standing clearly alongside.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Vanilla and pale malt first, with peat smoke as a dry line underneath. There is honey and green apple in it, plus a light soot or ash note that tells you peat is in play.

Palate

Soft and straightforward. Malt, vanilla and baked apple open, then the smoke arrives as a dry earthy floor along with a light peppery spice. At 40% it drinks easily, and the smoke never dominates.

Finish

Medium length. Malt, honey and a dry smoky note that lets go calmly without bitterness.

Specifications

Name: Ardmore 2008/2015 Signatory Vintage 7 Years Old Vinmonopolet Single Highland Malt Whisky 40%
Distillery: Ardmore
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 7 years
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon Barrel, cask no. 800083
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2008
Bottled: 2015
Number of bottles: 357
Edition: Single Cask for Vinmonopolet No. 21

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Malty · Vanilla · Fruity · Soft · Dry

Investment Potential

Medium. Single casks for Vinmonopolet are not reissued, and they exist only in the outturn the cask gave, here 357 bottles. Because they are distributed through one channel in one country, they rarely surface on the wider market afterwards.

Did You Know?

Vinmonopolet was established in 1922 and has since been Norway’s only legal channel for the sale of spirits. That is precisely what makes their single cask selections interesting: there are no competing chains to accommodate, and the choice is made by a buying team rather than by a brand.

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The casks had held Islay whisky before Ardmore moved in. It sounds like a footnote, but it changes everything: here Highland peat meets the remains of coastal peat in the wood itself.

Please note: This bottle has wear and rust on the cap.

The Expert's Description

Ardmore 2009/2020 Signatory Vintage 11 Years Old is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in bourbon casks that previously held Islay whisky and bottled at 46%. It was distilled in 2009 and bottled in 2020 in Signatory’s Un-Chillfiltered Collection.

A cask does not forget. If it has held heavily peated Islay whisky, phenols remain in the staves and leach into the next filling. When the contents are already peated Highland malt from Ardmore, you end up with two different kinds of smoke layered on each other: the dry earthy one from Aberdeenshire and a hint of the maritime one from the west coast.

The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured. Bottling at 46% was chosen to preserve body and mouthfeel without going all the way to cask strength.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dry smoke first, with a suggestion of seaweed and iodine behind it that has no business being in a Highland. Vanilla, malt and green apple from the bourbon wood sit underneath.

Palate

Malty and soft to begin, then the smoke arrives in two layers: first the dry earthy one, then a saltier, more medicinal note from the cask’s past life. At 46% there is good body, and the two kinds of smoke stand clearly beside each other.

Finish

Medium to long. Ash, salt and malt, with a dry close where the Islay inheritance lingers longest.

Specifications

Name: Ardmore 2009/2020 Signatory Vintage 11 Years Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 46%
Distillery: Ardmore
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 11 years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon casks that previously held Islay whisky
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2009
Bottled: 2020
Edition: The Un-Chillfiltered Collection

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Maritime · Malty · Vanilla · Dry · Spiced

Did You Know?

Ardmore was built in 1898 by Adam Teacher to secure malt for the family blend, Teacher's Highland Cream. For decades the distillery was almost invisible to consumers, because virtually all of its output went straight into blends. That is why most Ardmore bottles on the market still come from independent bottlers.

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The cask came from Laphroaig on Islay. The whisky came from Ardmore in Aberdeenshire. Two peated houses from opposite ends of Scotland shared the same wood, and the result was 194 bottles, released for the Danish market alone.

The Expert's Description

Ardmore 2009/2022 Adelphi Selection 12 Years Old is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a used bourbon cask from Laphroaig and bottled at 58.6% cask strength. Cask 709300 was distilled on 16 December 2009 and bottled on 11 October 2022, giving 194 bottles for FC Whisky in Denmark.

An ex-Laphroaig cask is not neutral. Laphroaig is one of the most heavily peated whiskies in Scotland, and phenols from the previous filling remain in the staves. Put Ardmore’s own peated malt into that cask and you get two kinds of smoke that are not alike: Ardmore’s dry earthy Highland smoke and a saltier, more medicinal undercurrent from Islay.

Adelphi is known for a very strict selection, where only a small fraction of the casks the house tastes make it through. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Peat smoke and salt first, with tar and a suggestion of iodine behind, the Laphroaig inheritance is obvious. Vanilla, honey and toasted malt from the bourbon wood sit underneath.

Palate

Powerful and oily. Smoke and salt open, then honey, vanilla and a dry peppery spice. The 58.6% pushes hard, but there is body enough to carry it. A few drops of water draw out the sweetness and calm the salt.

Finish

Long and dry. Ash, salt and spiced oak, with a final malt sweetness lingering beneath the smoke.

Specifications

Name: Ardmore 2009/2022 Adelphi Selection 12 Years Old FC Whisky Single Malt Scotch Whisky 58.6%
Distillery: Ardmore
Bottler: Adelphi
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 58.6%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Used bourbon cask from Laphroaig, cask no. 709300
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 16 December 2009
Bottled: 11 October 2022
Number of bottles: 194
Edition: Adelphi Selection for FC Whisky

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Maritime · Spiced · Honeyed · Cask Strength · Dry

Investment Potential

Medium. 194 bottles, an ex-Laphroaig cask, cask strength and a release made for one market only. Danish exclusives rarely resurface once they have been drunk, precisely because they were never in wider distribution.

Did You Know?

The cask has travelled an unusual route. It was first filled with bourbon in the United States, then shipped to Islay and filled with Laphroaig, and finally taken to Aberdeenshire to hold Ardmore. Three countries, three contents, and all three can be tasted in the finished whisky if you go looking for them.

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Second fill after Islay. Two words that say a great deal: the cask has held bourbon, then a heavily peated Islay, and now Ardmore for thirteen years. There is not much force left in the wood, and that is exactly the point.

The Expert's Description

Ardmore 2009/2023 Signatory Vintage 13 Years Old is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in second fill bourbon casks after Islay whisky and bottled at 46%. It was distilled in 2009 and bottled in 2023 in Signatory’s Un-Chillfiltered Collection.

The difference from a first fill is marked. A second fill cask gives up less vanilla, less colour and less tannin, so Ardmore’s own peated character gets far more room. What Islay phenols remain in the staves are correspondingly muted, sitting as a suggestion rather than a layer.

Thirteen years is a long time for a cask that gives little. The result is a whisky where the spirit stands at the front and the wood keeps to the background. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dry smoke and toasted malt first, with honey and a light citrus peel behind. The vanilla is subdued, and a clean cereal note runs through it all. This is the spirit talking, not the cask.

Palate

Malty and dry. The smoke arrives early and stays, with honey and baked apple underneath. There is a light saline undercurrent from the cask’s Islay past and a dry, peppery turn mid-palate. At 46% the body is good without being heavy.

Finish

Medium and dry. Ash, malt and a lightly bitter oak note that lets go cleanly.

Specifications

Name: Ardmore 2009/2023 Signatory Vintage 13 Years Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 46%
Distillery: Ardmore
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 13 years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Second fill bourbon casks after Islay whisky
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2009
Bottled: 2023
Edition: The Un-Chillfiltered Collection
EAN no.: 5021944121717

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Malty · Dry · Honeyed · Spiced · Clean

Did You Know?

Ardmore was the last Scottish malt distillery to use coal-fired stills. Only in 2001 did it switch to steam heating. Direct fire gives a slightly more scorched, meaty spirit, so whisky distilled at Ardmore before the turn of the millennium has a different character from what is made today.

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Italians have had a fondness for Scotch whisky for decades that the Scots themselves have struggled to explain. Wilson & Morgan have been bottling since 1992, and here they have taken a peated Highland and given it a spell in an Islay cask. This is not restraint.

The Expert's Description

Ardmore 2010/2021 Islay Cask Finish Wilson & Morgan 10 Years Old is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in American oak and finished in an Islay cask, bottled at 48%. Cask 803511 was distilled on 30 June 2010 and bottled on 16 June 2021 in the Barrel Selection Private Cask range.

An Islay finish on a whisky that is already peated is a double dose. Ardmore’s own smoke is dry and earthy from inland peat in Aberdeenshire, while the Islay cask lays salt, seaweed and a medicinal edge over the top. The two kinds of smoke come from different landscapes and behave differently in the glass.

Wilson & Morgan was founded in 1992 and is run by the Venetian Rossi family. Italy has an unusually long tradition of independent whisky bottling, and several of the most respected houses in the trade are Italian.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Smoke in two layers: first the dry ashy one from Ardmore, then a saltier and more medicinal note from the Islay cask. Vanilla, honey and a light toasted malt sit underneath.

Palate

Dry and smoky from the first sip. Ash and salt open, then malt sweetness and a touch of citrus that keeps the whisky from becoming one-note. At 48% the body is good, and the smoke holds all the way without turning sharp.

Finish

Long and dry. Ash, salt and peppery oak, with a light sweetness sitting beneath the smoke at the close.

Specifications

Name: Ardmore 2010/2021 Islay Cask Finish Wilson & Morgan 10 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 48%
Distillery: Ardmore
Bottler: Wilson & Morgan
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 10 years
ABV: 48%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: American oak, finished in an Islay cask, cask no. 803511
Distilled: 30 June 2010
Bottled: 16 June 2021
Edition: Barrel Selection Private Cask

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Maritime · Dry · Malty · Spiced · Vanilla

Did You Know?

Wilson & Morgan has Italian roots, and that is no accident. When Scottish distilleries sold casks off inexpensively in the post-war decades, Italian importers were among the most persistent buyers. That is why many of the most legendary old bottlings carry Italian labels, and why Italian houses still hold a strong position in the trade.

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Two casks with consecutive numbers, 800999 and 801000, were filled on the same day and emptied on the same day eleven years later. Neighbours the whole way through. They were vatted together into 480 bottles, and it is still single malt.

Please note: This bottle has wear and rust on the cap.

The Expert's Description

Ardmore 2010/2021 Signatory Vintage 11 Years Old is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in bourbon casks 800999 and 801000 and bottled at 46%. It was distilled on 6 May 2010 and bottled on 6 August 2021 in Signatory’s Un-Chillfiltered Collection, giving 480 bottles.

Vatting two casks rather than bottling them separately is a deliberate choice. You lose the individuality of a single cask but gain a larger, better balanced release where one cask’s quirks get evened out. As long as all the whisky comes from one distillery, the term Single Malt Whisky still applies.

Here there is no Islay past in the wood and no sherry, only plain bourbon casks. That gives Ardmore’s own peated character and malt sweetness a clear run, and the result is the most straightforward of Signatory’s Ardmore releases in this range.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Vanilla and pale malt first, with dry smoke as a firm undercarriage. There is honey, green apple and a light coconut note from the bourbon wood. Clean and precise with nothing heavy about it.

Palate

Malty and soft. Vanilla and baked apple open, then the smoke arrives as a dry earthy note alongside white pepper. At 46% the body is good, and the balance between sweetness and smoke stays even the whole way.

Finish

Medium length. Malt, vanilla and a dry ash note that lets go cleanly without bitterness.

Specifications

Name: Ardmore 2010/2021 Signatory Vintage 11 Years Old Single Highland Malt Whisky 46%
Distillery: Ardmore
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 11 years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon casks no. 800999 and 801000
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 6 May 2010
Bottled: 6 August 2021
Number of bottles: 480
Edition: The Un-Chillfiltered Collection

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Malty · Vanilla · Fruity · Dry · Spiced

Did You Know?

Ardmore’s peat comes from the mainland in Aberdeenshire, not from Islay. Mainland peat is formed from heather, moss and wood rather than seaweed and salt water, so it gives a dry, earthy and almost sooty smoke without iodine or tar. It is the same difference you can taste between a Highland and an Islay without seeing the labels.

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Three casks from April 2010 sat for twelve years before somebody decided they belonged together. That is the kind of choice that never makes it onto the label, yet it decides what ends up in the glass.

Please note: This bottle has wear and rust on the cap.

The Expert's Description

Ardmore 2010/2022 Signatory Vintage 12 Years Old is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in bourbon casks 800518, 800527 and 800531 and bottled at 46%. It was distilled in April 2010 and bottled in November 2022 in Signatory’s Un-Chillfiltered Collection.

The Un-Chillfiltered Collection was created for those who want single malt in its most natural form: bottled without chill filtration and without added colour, so the whisky reaches the bottle as it came out of the cask, apart from an adjustment of strength to 46%.

Three bourbon casks give a broader starting point than one. Each cask has its own small quirk, and vatted together they even each other out. The result is an Ardmore where the peat smoke and the malt sweetness hold each other in balance rather than one cask’s character dominating.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Toasted malt and dry smoke first, with honey and baked apple behind. There is a light coconut and vanilla note from the bourbon wood and a fine, clean cereal floor running through it all.

Palate

Full and malty. Honey and vanilla open, then the smoke arrives as a dry earthy floor along with a touch of pepper and citrus peel. After twelve years the edges have been smoothed off, and balance is the real strength here.

Finish

Medium to long. Malt, honey and dry smoke, letting go slowly and cleanly.

Specifications

Name: Ardmore 2010/2022 Signatory Vintage 12 Years Old Single Highland Malt Whisky 46%
Distillery: Ardmore
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon casks no. 800518, 800527 and 800531
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: April 2010
Bottled: November 2022
Edition: The Un-Chillfiltered Collection

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Malty · Honeyed · Vanilla · Dry · Balanced

Did You Know?

Signatory Vintage was founded in 1988 by Andrew Symington and is today one of Scotland’s most prolific independent bottling houses. The company also owns the Edradour distillery in Perthshire, and Signatory’s warehousing and bottling facilities sit right beside it. The journey from cask to bottle is therefore a short one.

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100 proof is not a round number, it is a historical measure. In the British system it corresponds to 57.1% alcohol, and that is exactly where every single bottle in this series sits, whatever the distillery and whatever the age.

The Expert's Description

Ardmore 2010/2023 Signatory Vintage 13 Years Old 100 Proof Edition #4 is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in 1st fill Oloroso Sherry Butts and bottled at 57.1%. Cask 137 was distilled in 2010 and bottled on 5 December 2023.

The 100 Proof series gathers single malts from different Scottish distilleries, all bottled at precisely the same strength. That makes the series an unusually clean comparison: with the alcohol content identical, the differences between distillery and cask stand out without the strength clouding the picture.

Here Ardmore’s peated Highland spirit meets first fill Oloroso wood. It is a forceful combination, since fresh sherry casks give dark fruit, tannin and colour in quantity, and the smoke has to work to get through. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dark fruit first: raisins, prunes and preserved cherries. Beneath sit dry smoke and roasted nuts, along with a resinous sherry note that only first fill casks provide.

Palate

Full and dark. Raisins and bitter chocolate open, then the smoke arrives as a dry undercurrent alongside spiced oak and black pepper. At 57.1% the concentration is considerable, and sherry and smoke pull in opposite directions all the way.

Finish

Long and spiced. Dark fruit, ash and oak tannin, with a warmth that lingers well afterwards.

Specifications

Name: Ardmore 2010/2023 Signatory Vintage 13 Years Old 100 Proof Edition #4 Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 57.1%
Distillery: Ardmore
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 13 years
ABV: 57.1%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill Oloroso Sherry Butts, cask no. 137
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2010
Bottled: 5 December 2023
Edition: 100 Proof Edition #4
EAN no.: 5021944125081

Flavour Profile

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

Did You Know?

The proof system comes from an old British method of checking whether spirit had been watered down: you poured it over gunpowder and set it alight. If the powder burned, the spirit was strong enough and had passed the proof. One hundred degrees proof was later fixed at 57.1% alcohol, and that is exactly the strength this series is bottled at.

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Càrn Mòr means the great cairn in Gaelic, and the Strictly Limited range is the house’s younger half: whisky that has not yet reached double figures but already has something to say. This one is nine years old and comes from a bourbon barrel.

The Expert's Description

Ardmore 2012/2022 Càrn Mòr 9 Years Old is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a Bourbon Barrel and bottled at 47.5%. It was distilled in 2012 and bottled in 2022 in the Strictly Limited range, giving 1,184 bottles.

Strictly Limited is Càrn Mòr’s range for younger releases, all bottled at 47.5% and typically composed from a small group of casks. Over the years the series has held whisky from Glen Ord, Bunnahabhain, Benrinnes, Ben Nevis, Pulteney, Caol Ila, BenRiach and Mortlach, and now Ardmore too.

Nine years in a bourbon barrel is enough for Ardmore’s peated character to settle without being rounded away. The smoke is still fresh, and the cask’s vanilla and cereal stand clearly beside it. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured. Càrn Mòr is part of Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Toasted malt and dry smoke first, with vanilla and pale honey behind. There is green apple and a light coconut note from the bourbon wood, and it all reads clean and young.

Palate

Fresh and malty. Vanilla and baked apple open, then the smoke arrives as a dry earthy line along with white pepper. At 47.5% the body is good, and the youthful freshness is part of the point rather than a shortcoming.

Finish

Medium length. Malt, dry smoke and a light oak dryness that lets go cleanly without bitterness.

Specifications

Name: Ardmore 2012/2022 Càrn Mòr 9 Years Old Single Highland Malt Whisky 47.5%
Distillery: Ardmore
Bottler: Càrn Mòr
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 9 years
ABV: 47.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon Barrel
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2012
Bottled: 2022
Number of bottles: 1,184
Edition: Strictly Limited
EAN no.: 5060109229295

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Malty · Vanilla · Fresh · Dry · Spiced

Did You Know?

Càrn Mòr is run by Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers, one of Scotland’s oldest whisky families. The same house is behind the Aberargie distillery and the Old Perth range. The family formally traded as Morrison & Mackay until October 2020, when the name was changed to the present one.

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Heavily Peated it says on the label, and that is worth reading twice. Ardmore normally sits moderate on the peat, but when the distillery turns it up and a single cask catches it, you get something quite different from the usual Highland smoke.

Please note: The label on this bottle is wrinkled.

The Expert's Description

Ardmore 2016 Heavily Peated Coopers Choice is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a used bourbon cask and bottled at 46%. Cask 8048 was distilled in 2016 and gave 270 bottles.

The Coopers Choice is the single cask range from The Vintage Malt Whisky Co., a house founded in 1992 by Brian Crook. He holds an honours degree in food science and had twenty years in the malt whisky trade behind him, latterly as export director for one of Scotland’s principal distillers, before setting out on his own.

A used bourbon cask gives less vanilla and less colour than a first fill, and that is precisely why the smoke can stand out so clearly here. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dry peat smoke first, more soot and embers than open fire. Behind it come vanilla, toasted malt and a light citrus peel. There is a clear earthy note that is Ardmore’s fingerprint.

Palate

The smoke fills the mouth immediately and stays. Beneath it sit malt sweetness, baked apple and a touch of honey, while a dry peppery note tightens things mid-palate. At 46% the body is good, and the cask’s restraint lets the smoke take the lead.

Finish

Long and dry. Ash, malt and a lightly bitter oak note that lets go slowly.

Specifications

Name: Ardmore 2016 Heavily Peated Coopers Choice Bourbon Cask Single Highland Malt Whisky 46%
Distillery: Ardmore
Bottler: The Coopers Choice
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Used bourbon cask, cask no. 8048
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2016
Number of bottles: 270
Edition: The Coopers Choice

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Dry · Malty · Vanilla · Spiced · Earthy

Did You Know?

The Vintage Malt Whisky Co. is behind more familiar names than The Coopers Choice. The house also owns the Islay brands Finlaggan and The Ileach, both bottled without a distillery name on the label. It is an old tradition in the trade: whisky from a distillery that may not be named, sent out under a brand of its own.

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Pineau des Charentes is neither wine nor cognac but something in between: grape must blended with young cognac and rested in cask. Putting peated Highland malt into a cask like that is an idea few would have had, and the name on the bottle says exactly what came out of it.

The Expert's Description

Ardmore Coopers Choice Peat & Fruit is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky finished in a Pineau des Charentes cask and bottled at 56.5% cask strength. Cask 9522 gave 340 bottles.

Pineau des Charentes is made in the cognac region by blending fresh grape must with young cognac, which stops the fermentation and keeps the sweetness. The cask therefore leaves both fruit sweetness and a light brandy character, a combination that meets Ardmore’s peat smoke in a very different way from sherry or bourbon.

The result is right there in the name: smoke and fruit side by side rather than one on top of the other. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured, and it is bottled at cask strength.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Peat smoke and sweet grape fruit at the same time. There is apricot, grape and a light honey note, and beneath it the dry earthy smoke Ardmore always carries. At 56.5% the alcohol is obvious, so let the glass sit a moment.

Palate

Sweet opening with grape fruit, apricot and caramel, then the smoke arrives from the side and tightens things along with a dry peppery note. The two elements work against each other in a way that keeps the mouth awake. The texture is full and lightly syrupy.

Finish

Long. Fruit sweetness and smoke let go at roughly the same time, with a dry oak note and a final trace of grape must.

Specifications

Name: Ardmore Coopers Choice Peat & Fruit Single Highland Malt Whisky 56.5%
Distillery: Ardmore
Bottler: The Coopers Choice
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 56.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Finished in a Pineau des Charentes cask, cask no. 9522
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Number of bottles: 340
Edition: Peat & Fruit

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Fruity · Sweet · Vinous · Cask Strength · Spiced

Did You Know?

Pineau des Charentes is said to have come about by accident in the sixteenth century, when a winemaker mistakenly poured grape must into a cask that still held cognac. Decades later he discovered the contents had turned into something else entirely, and far better than he had expected. It is not often a cask type has such a specific origin story.

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A quarter cask holds around 125 litres, a quarter of a sherry butt. A smaller cask means more wood contact per drop, and the whisky matures faster. In the nineteenth century it was the standard size, because casks had to be carried on horseback.

The Expert's Description

Ardmore Traditional Cask is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in traditional oak casks and finished in Quarter Casks, bottled at 46%. It is the distillery’s own release and one of the few official Ardmore bottles on the market.

Ardmore is one of the few Highland distilleries where peat smoke is the core style rather than a side project. The smoke comes from peat burned during the malting of the barley, and because the peat is from inland Aberdeenshire it reads dry and earthy rather than maritime.

The finish in small hand-made quarter casks adds depth and a softness that large casks cannot deliver in the same time. The whisky is bottled at 46% and without chill filtration, which preserves body and mouthfeel.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Soft and spiced. Peat smoke first, then vanilla and a light sweetness of seaweed and ripe fruit. There is a creamy thread through it all that is the distillery’s signature.

Palate

Creamy and full. Peat, vanilla and sweet fruit open, then a spiced warmth arrives from the quarter cask finish. At 46% the body is good, and the smoke sits as a warm floor rather than a point.

Finish

Medium length. Peat, malt and a lightly spiced oak note that lets go softly.

Specifications

Name: Ardmore Traditional Cask Single Highland Malt Whisky 46%
Distillery: Ardmore
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Traditional oak casks and finished in Quarter Casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Edition: Traditional Cask
EAN no.: 5010019636591

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Creamy · Vanilla · Fruity · Spiced · Soft

Did You Know?

Ardmore was founded in 1898 by Adam Teacher to secure malt for the family blend, Teacher's Highland Cream. For more than a century the distillery was largely invisible to consumers, because nearly all its output went straight into blends. Official bottlings under its own name are therefore a relatively recent thing.

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The Bholsa caves sit in the cliffs not far from the distillery. You can walk into them, and most people remember the trip. Ardnahoe named a whisky after them, and it is as dark and as insistent as the name suggests.

The Expert's Description

Ardnahoe Bholsa is an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured mainly in Oloroso sherry casks and bottled at 50%. It is neither chill filtered nor coloured, which preserves its natural depth.

Ardnahoe opened in October 2018 as Islay’s ninth distillery, built by the independent bottler Hunter Laing. It stands out technically: it is the only distillery on Islay using worm tubs to cool the spirit, and its lyne arms are the longest in Scotland at 7.5 metres. Both choices give a fuller, oilier spirit.

The Oloroso casks lay dark fruit and nuts beneath the Islay peat smoke, and at 50% there is body enough to carry both without either taking over.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Intense red fruit first, then roasted walnuts and fresh orange peel. Beneath sits an elegant peat smoke, clear without being sharp.

Palate

Layers of raisins, sweet dates and juicy plums open, all balanced by Islay’s characteristic peat smoke. The texture is full and lightly oily, worm tubs in practice. At 50% the concentration holds the whole way.

Finish

Long and spiced, with a touch of black pepper and a smoke that lingers beneath the dark fruit.

Specifications

Name: Ardnahoe Bholsa Single Islay Malt Whisky 50%
Distillery: Ardnahoe
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 50%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Mainly Oloroso sherry casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Edition: Bholsa
EAN no.: 5060354287996

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Sherry Matured · Dark Fruit · Spiced · Full Bodied · Maritime

Did You Know?

Ardnahoe draws its water from Loch Ardnahoe, said to be the deepest loch on Islay. That was one of the main reasons the site was chosen for the distillery: plentiful clean, soft water with a natural peat character from the surrounding landscape.

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The first cask strength batch from a distillery that has only been making whisky since 2018. There is no history to lean on and no older vintages to compare against. There is just five years in first fill bourbon and 60.9% in the bottle.

The Expert's Description

Ardnahoe Cask Strength Batch 1 is an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured for five years in carefully selected 1st fill bourbon casks and bottled at 60.9% natural cask strength. It is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

First fill bourbon casks are a deliberate counterweight to the young age. The casks are active and give vanilla, coconut and body quickly, and they meet a spirit that is already full thanks to Ardnahoe’s worm tubs and long lyne arms. The combination delivers more weight than five years would normally allow.

Ardnahoe is Islay’s ninth distillery and was built by the independent bottler Hunter Laing. It opened in October 2018 and is the only one on the island using worm tubs.

Tasting Notes

Nose

A fresh coastal breeze first, then earthy peat smoke and rich cocoa. Vanilla and coconut from the new bourbon wood sit beneath, and at 60.9% the alcohol is pronounced, so let the glass rest a couple of minutes.

Palate

Orchard fruits open, followed by herbal tea and salted caramel developing into a complex, full body. The smoke sits underneath and comes forward more clearly with a little water. The texture is oily and fills out well.

Finish

A smoky close with elegant citrus shades that hang on the palate for a long time.

Specifications

Name: Ardnahoe Cask Strength Batch 1 Single Islay Malt Whisky 60.9%
Distillery: Ardnahoe
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 5 years
ABV: 60.9%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill bourbon casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Edition: Cask Strength Batch 1

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Cask Strength · Vanilla · Fruity · Maritime · Salted Caramel

Investment Potential

Medium. A first batch in a series is by definition a one-off expression, and from a distillery producing only since 2018, early releases are the kind of bottle collectors look for once the house has established itself.

Did You Know?

Ardnahoe’s stills have the longest lyne arms in Scotland, 7.5 metres from still to condenser. Normally a long lyne arm gives a lighter spirit, because heavy vapours fall back along the way. But the distillery also uses worm tubs, which pull in the opposite direction. The two choices partly cancel each other out, and that is precisely the intention.

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When Stewart Laing died in the spring of 2026, he left behind more than a distillery on Islay's north-east coast. He left one last bottle, composed to his own taste, boxed with a personal letter written in his own hand.

Expert Description

Ardnahoe Chairman's Selection is an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured 6 years in sherry and bourbon casks and bottled at cask strength 60.2%.

This is a tribute release, composed to Stewart Laing's own specifications shortly before his death, and it carries his name as the final whisky he personally signed off on. Ardnahoe drew on older stock for this release and selected the distillery's most heavily peated spirit for the job - making Chairman's Selection the smokiest whisky Ardnahoe has bottled to date. The casks are predominantly first-fill sherry, topped up with bourbon, and the combination gives a depth not found elsewhere in the distillery's range. The whisky is neither chill-filtered nor coloured.

Ardnahoe was Islay's ninth distillery when the first spirit ran from the stills in October 2018 - the culmination of over 50 years in the whisky trade for Stewart Laing. The distillery runs Islay's only worm tub condensers alongside Scotland's longest lyne arms at 7.5 metres, giving the spirit weight and a creamy texture under the smoke from an early age.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Peated smoke arrives first, followed by sea salt air and a dark, rich cocoa note.

Palate

The smoke deepens into an earthy, glowing intensity, joined by citrus from the sherry cask, honeyed malt and stewed plums.

Finish

Long and dry, with ash from burnt-out peat embers, cracked black pepper and a touch of salted caramel.

Specifications

Name: Ardnahoe Chairman's Selection
Distillery: Ardnahoe
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 6 Years
ABV: 60.2%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: Sherry and Bourbon Casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Worm tub condensing (Islay's only) with 7.5-metre lyne arms
Edition: Chairman's Selection
EAN No.: 5060354290002

Distillery: Ardnahoe

Flavour Profile

Peated · Smoky · Sherry-matured · Complex · Spiced

Investment Potential

High. This is the final whisky Stewart Laing composed before his death, and only a strictly limited number of bottles have come to Denmark. The story and the personal signature make this a bottle collectors will hold onto - and prices on the international market have already climbed sharply since launch.

Did You Know?

Only 120 bottles of Chairman's Selection have been allocated to the Danish market - a fraction of an already tightly limited release.

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Loch Ardnahoe is the deepest loch on Islay. The water looks as though it carries on downwards without end, which is why the distillery calls the loch infinite. The water in this bottle comes straight from it.

The Expert's Description

Ardnahoe Infinite Loch is an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a combination of 1st fill bourbon casks and Oloroso sherry casks and bottled at 50%. It is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

The two cask types each do their own job. The bourbon casks give vanilla, fruit and a bright sweetness, while the Oloroso casks lay in darker fruit and spice. Together with Ardnahoe’s peat smoke that produces a classic Islay profile with more breadth than a purely bourbon matured whisky would have.

The water comes from Loch Ardnahoe right beside the distillery, and the loch is one of the main reasons the site was chosen: plentiful clean, soft water with a natural peat character from the surrounding landscape.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Sea spray and peat first, which take the mind straight to Islay’s rugged coast. Beneath sit subtle undertones of dark chocolate adding depth and a light sweetness.

Palate

Opens fresh and lively, where fruity notes meet a touch of menthol in an interesting contrast to the smoky elements. As it develops, bonfire notes become clear and strengthen towards the close. At 50% there is good body and concentration.

Finish

Long and intense, saturated with smoke and a discreet hint of citrus.

Specifications

Name: Ardnahoe Infinite Loch Single Islay Malt Whisky 50%
Distillery: Ardnahoe
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 50%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill bourbon casks and Oloroso sherry casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Edition: Infinite Loch
EAN no.: 5060354287484

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Maritime · Fruity · Dark Chocolate · Fresh · Spiced

Did You Know?

Ardnahoe was built as Islay’s ninth distillery by Hunter Laing, a bottling house that had sold other people’s whisky for decades before getting a distillery of its own. The Laing family first learned to judge casks from all across Scotland, and then used that experience to decide how their own spirit should be made.

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Danish retailers got to decide. Ardnahoe took their young, oily Islay spirit and moved it into small Pedro Ximénez quarter casks, the sweetest sherry in the smallest cask. At 60.6% there is no caution left anywhere.

The Expert's Description

Ardnahoe Small Batch for Danish Retailers 2026 is an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky finished in small Pedro Ximénez quarter casks and bottled at 60.6% cask strength. It was distilled in June 2019 and bottled in February 2026, giving six years.

The release shows Ardnahoe’s signature plainly: slow distillation, high cut points and the iconic worm tubs, which give a fuller and oilier spirit than a modern condenser would. After the primary maturation the whisky was moved into quarter casks, small casks of around 125 litres where wood contact per litre is far greater.

PX is the sweetest of the sherry styles, and in a small cask it works fast. The result is a marked layer of dark fruit, syrup and spiced depth over Islay’s maritime peat smoke.

Tasting Notes

Nose

An intense combination of peat smoke, sea spray and sweet PX notes. Dried fruit, raisins and dark caramel sit as a warm layer over the fresh smoke, while a saline minerality recalls the coastline. Both youthful energy and a surprising maturity.

Palate

Powerful and full, carried by the high strength. The oily texture from the worm tubs gives a marked mouthfeel where smoke, dark chocolate, raisins, spices and a deep syrupy sweetness melt together. The PX casks add a rich, dessert-like character in fine contrast to the smoke.

Finish

Long, warm and lingering. The smoke holds on together with dark fruit, oak and a lightly bittersweet note.

Specifications

Name: Ardnahoe Small Batch for Danish Retailers 2026 PX Quarter Cask Single Islay Malt Whisky 60.6%
Distillery: Ardnahoe
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 6 years
ABV: 60.6%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Finished in Pedro Ximénez quarter casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Slow distillation with worm tubs
Distilled: June 2019
Bottled: February 2026
Edition: Small Batch for Danish Retailers 2026

Flavour Profile

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

Investment Potential

Medium. A small batch made for one market and bottled at cask strength exists only in the outturn the casks gave. Releases from Ardnahoe’s early years have also drawn steadily more attention as the distillery has established itself.

Did You Know?

A quarter cask holds around 125 litres and therefore has far more wood contact per litre of liquid than a standard cask. In the nineteenth century the size was practical, because casks could be carried on horseback along paths a cart could not reach. Today they are used precisely for that rapid cask influence.

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The bottle did not say whisky, and that was deliberate. Scottish law requires three years in cask before the word can be used, and Ardnamurchan had not got there yet. So they called it Spirit and sent it out anyway, so people could follow the distillery from the very beginning.

The Expert's Description

Ardnamurchan 2017 AD2 Spirit is a Highland Single Malt Spirit from Ardnamurchan Distillery, bottled at 53.6% by Adelphi. It is the distillery’s second annual release of young spirit and may not be called whisky, because it has not spent the three years in cask that Scottish law requires.

Ardnamurchan was built by the independent bottler Adelphi on the remote Ardnamurchan peninsula on Scotland’s west coast. There had never been a legal distillery on the peninsula before the site opened in 2014. The distillery makes two styles, one peated and one unpeated, matured in American and Spanish oak.

The run of Spirit releases spans 2016 to 2019, and AD2 is the second in the sequence. The distillery’s first proper Single Malt Whisky arrived in September 2020. The spirit is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Young and direct. Fresh malted barley first, then pear, green apple and a clear cereal sweetness. A light peat smoke sits beneath it all along with a clean, almost bready note you only meet in spirit that has not had time to be rounded off.

Palate

Powerful and raw in the good sense. Malt and grain fill the middle of the mouth, while the cask’s vanilla has only just begun to report in. There is a peated undercurrent and a peppery warmth, and at 53.6% the texture is oily and full.

Finish

Medium and dry. Grain, malt and a lightly smoky edge that lets go sooner than an older whisky would.

Specifications

Name: Ardnamurchan 2017 AD2 Spirit Adelphi 53.6%
Distillery: Ardnamurchan
Bottler: Adelphi
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Spirit
ABV: 53.6%
Size: 70 CL
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2017
Edition: AD2 Spirit
EAN no.: 5060386504023

Flavour Profile

Young · Malty · Fruity · Lightly Smoky · Cask Strength · Grain Forward

Investment Potential

Medium. The Spirit releases were made during a short window before the distillery could call its spirit whisky, and they will never come again. For anyone collecting a distillery’s history from the first bottle, AD2 is a link in a sequence that cannot be recreated.

Did You Know?

Ardnamurchan draws all its electricity from a hydro generator on the river beside the distillery. The location is so remote that producing its own power was easier than running a supply network out there. The environmental case was there too, but the practicality came first.

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Third year in the sequence, and now sherry casks only. Ardnamurchan put all of AD3 into hogsheads and butts from Spain, and the difference from the year before is obvious before you have tasted anything: the colour alone tells you what the wood has done.

The Expert's Description

Ardnamurchan 2018 AD3 Spirit is a Highland Single Malt Spirit matured in sherry casks in the form of hogsheads and butts and bottled at 55.3% by Adelphi. Approximately 5,000 bottles were made. The designation Spirit is because it has not spent the three years in cask that Scottish law requires before the word whisky may be used.

The two cask sizes do different things. A hogshead holds around 250 litres and works relatively fast, while a butt of around 500 litres moves more slowly and gives a more measured sherry character. Using both gives you speed and depth in the same release.

Ardnamurchan makes both peated and unpeated malt, and both styles feature in the house’s releases. The spirit is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Raisins and dried fig first, clearly sherried for something this young. Beneath sit fresh malt and a light peat smoke, along with a nutty note the butts have laid in.

Palate

Sweeter and rounder than you would expect from anything under three years. Dark fruit and spice open, then the cereal character comes through along with a peated undercurrent. At 55.3% the concentration is good, and the sherry carries the youth well.

Finish

Medium length. Raisins, malt and a lightly smoky dryness that lets go cleanly.

Specifications

Name: Ardnamurchan 2018 AD3 Spirit Adelphi 55.3%
Distillery: Ardnamurchan
Bottler: Adelphi
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Spirit
ABV: 55.3%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Sherry casks, hogsheads and butts
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2018
Number of bottles: Approximately 5,000
Edition: AD3 Spirit
EAN no.: 5060383650426

Flavour Profile

Sherry Matured · Young · Dark Fruit · Nutty · Lightly Smoky · Cask Strength

Did You Know?

The Ardnamurchan peninsula is so remote that the road out there is single track along much of its length. The distillery sits at Glenbeg overlooking Glenmore Bay towards the island of Mull, and it is one of the remotest distilleries in Scotland. Seven years of work went from the idea to the finished distillery.

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The last chapter before the whisky. AD4 is the fourth and final Spirit release from Ardnamurchan, and the following year the distillery could finally write whisky on the label. Octaves are in play here too, the smallest casks in the house.

The Expert's Description

Ardnamurchan 2019 AD4 Spirit is a Highland Single Malt Spirit matured in sherry casks in the form of hogsheads, butts and octaves and bottled at 57.4% by Adelphi. Approximately 5,100 bottles were made. It is legally a Spirit because it has not spent the three years in cask that Scottish law requires.

Octaves are the addition compared with the year before. An octave holds around 50 litres, the smallest cask in common use, and with so little liquid per square centimetre of wood it works very fast. It is an efficient way to give young spirit more cask character than the years alone would allow.

AD4 is the last in the run of Spirit releases that spanned 2016 to 2019. In September 2020 the distillery’s first proper Single Malt Whisky arrived. The spirit is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dark fruit and syrup first, more concentrated than the preceding years. There are raisins, dates and a clear spiced sherry note, and beneath sit fresh malt and a light peat smoke.

Palate

Full and sweet, almost dessert-like in the middle. Dark fruit, spice and burnt sugar open, then the cereal character and the smoke come through. At 57.4% the concentration is marked, and the small casks make themselves felt in the texture.

Finish

Medium to long. Spice, dark fruit and a dry, lightly smoky close.

Specifications

Name: Ardnamurchan 2019 AD4 Spirit Adelphi 57.4%
Distillery: Ardnamurchan
Bottler: Adelphi
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Spirit
ABV: 57.4%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Sherry casks, hogsheads, butts and octaves
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2019
Number of bottles: Approximately 5,100
Edition: AD4 Spirit
EAN no.: 5060383650730

Flavour Profile

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

Did You Know?

An octave holds around 50 litres and is the smallest cask used in ordinary whisky production. The name comes from it being roughly an eighth of a butt. Because the ratio of liquid to wood is so extreme, an octave can deliver in a few months what a butt takes years to give.

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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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Second batch, same recipe. 65% bourbon casks, 35% sherry casks, half peated and half unpeated malt. Ardnamurchan found the ratio they wanted and repeated it, which is harder than it sounds when the casks are not the same from one year to the next.

The Expert's Description

Ardnamurchan AD 01.21:01 is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky composed of 65% ex-bourbon casks and 35% sherry casks and bottled at 46.8%. This second batch ran to 14,676 bottles.

The malt is split evenly between peated and unpeated. That is the distillery’s founding choice: rather than making two separate whiskies they bring both styles together in the same bottle, so the smoke works as a floor rather than the main event. The split between bourbon and sherry meanwhile gives both vanilla and dark fruit.

Every bottle carries a QR code giving access to blockchain-registered production data, and the carton is made from 100% recycled board. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Vanilla and bright fruit first from the bourbon casks, then raisins and orange from the sherry portion. Beneath sits a dry peat smoke, clear without taking over, and a fresh malt note.

Palate

Soft and balanced. Baked apple, honey and vanilla open, then the sherry’s dark fruit and a lightly spiced warmth arrive. The smoke sits underneath and grows clearer towards the close. At 46.8% the body is good without being heavy.

Finish

Medium length. Malt, dark fruit and a dry smoky edge that lets go cleanly.

Specifications

Name: Ardnamurchan AD 01.21:01 Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 46.8%
Distillery: Ardnamurchan
Bottler: Adelphi
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46.8%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 65% ex-bourbon casks and 35% sherry casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Number of bottles: 14,676
Edition: AD 01.21:01 Batch 02
EAN no.: 5060383651324

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Fruity · Vanilla · Sherry Matured · Balanced · Malty

Did You Know?

Every bottle from Ardnamurchan carries a QR code giving access to production data registered on a blockchain: which malt, which casks, which dates. It is an unusual degree of openness in a trade where many distilleries would rather not state more than the age on the label.

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Six and a half years passed between firing up the stills and anyone daring to write whisky on the label. Ardnamurchan was busy finding the right ratio between bourbon and sherry, and in September 2020 they were done. This is bottle number one in the distillery’s history.

The Expert's Description

Ardnamurchan AD 09.20:01 is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky composed of 65% ex-bourbon casks and 35% sherry casks and bottled at 46.8% in September 2020. It is the distillery’s first official Single Malt Whisky, and 15,950 bottles were made.

The malt is split evenly between peated and unpeated, the choice that has since become the house signature. The smoke works as a floor rather than the main event, and the split between bourbon and sherry gives vanilla, bright fruit and dark sherry fruit in the same glass.

The distillery was built by the independent bottler Adelphi at Glenbeg on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, looking out over Glenmore Bay towards the island of Mull. Seven years of work went from the idea to the finished distillery, and the doors opened in July 2014. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Fresh malt and bright fruit first, pear and apple from the bourbon casks. Then raisins and orange peel from the sherry portion, and beneath it all a dry peat smoke, clear without being dominant.

Palate

Soft and well balanced. Vanilla, honey and baked fruit open, then the sherry’s darker fruit and a lightly spiced warmth arrive. The smoke gathers everything up towards the close. At 46.8% the body is good, and the whisky reads more finished than six and a half years would suggest.

Finish

Medium to long. Malt, dark fruit and a dry smoky edge that lingers neatly.

Specifications

Name: Ardnamurchan AD 09.20:01 Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 46.8%
Distillery: Ardnamurchan
Bottler: Adelphi
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46.8%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 65% ex-bourbon casks and 35% sherry casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Bottled: September 2020
Number of bottles: 15,950
Edition: AD 09.20:01 Batch 01
EAN no.: 5060383651256

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Fruity · Vanilla · Sherry Matured · Balanced · Malty

Investment Potential

High. This is the first official Single Malt Whisky a distillery ever released, and 15,950 bottles exist and never any more. First releases from distilleries that go on to succeed are among the most sought after bottles on the secondary market.

Did You Know?

There is no age statement on the bottle, but the arithmetic is easy: the distillery began distilling in July 2014, and the whisky was bottled in September 2020. That gives around six years and two months for the youngest content. The distillery chose to state the dates rather than a number, which says more precisely what you are holding.

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September 2015, the distillery’s second year of operation. Cask 588 was filled with peated spirit and stood untouched for almost a decade before being emptied for one Danish importer. Two hundred and forty-eight bottles, and among the very first single casks Ardnamurchan released to a single customer.

The Expert's Description

Ardnamurchan AD 09:15 Cask 588 is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a peated 1st fill American ex-bourbon barrel and bottled at 59.8% cask strength. The cask was filled in September 2015 and emptied in 2024, giving 248 bottles released exclusively for FC Whisky.

A first fill American ex-bourbon barrel is active: it gives vanilla, coconut and a clear sweetness that normally settles over a spirit. Here it meets peated spirit, and the result is a whisky where the sweetness and the smoke share the space rather than fighting for it.

Ardnamurchan began distilling in July 2014, so a cask from September 2015 comes from the distillery’s earliest years. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Peat smoke first, with vanilla and coconut right behind from the American wood. Salt and white pepper sit underneath, along with a clear maritime character that the peninsula’s seaside setting provides.

Palate

Peated and direct. Vanilla, salt and white pepper open, then the smoke arrives at full weight along with a dry oak note. The texture is oily, and at 59.8% there is plenty of concentration. Maritime in both nose and palate.

Finish

Long and dry. Smoke, salt and pepper, with a final vanilla sweetness beneath it all.

Specifications

Name: Ardnamurchan AD 09:15 Cask 588 FC Whisky Single Highland Malt Whisky 59.8%
Distillery: Ardnamurchan
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 59.8%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Peated 1st fill American ex-bourbon barrel, cask no. 588
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: September 2015
Bottled: 2024
Number of bottles: 248
Edition: Single Cask 588 for FC Whisky

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Maritime · Vanilla · Spiced · Cask Strength · Saline

Investment Potential

Medium. The cask is among the very first single casks from Ardnamurchan released exclusively to one importer, and only 248 bottles exist. Casks from the distillery’s first years are already few, and there will be no more.

Did You Know?

Ardnamurchan sits by the sea on a peninsula that reaches furthest west on the Scottish mainland. The warehouses stand so close to the water that the salt air draws into the casks during maturation. That is why even the bourbon matured releases often carry a maritime note you will not find in whisky from inland.

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December 2014, five months after the distillery opened. Cask 440 is a Spanish Oloroso butt filled with unpeated spirit, and it is among the earliest casks in existence from Ardnamurchan. Six hundred and ninety-three bottles, released to one Danish importer.

The Expert's Description

Ardnamurchan AD 12:14 CK.440 is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in an unpeated Oloroso Sherry Butt of Spanish oak and bottled at 59.1% cask strength. The cask was filled in December 2014 and gave 693 bottles released exclusively for FC Whisky.

This is the unpeated side of the distillery. With no smoke to contend with, the Oloroso cask can work directly on the spirit’s fruitiness, and a full butt of around 500 litres works slowly and in measured fashion. The result is a sherry profile where dark fruit and nuts get room without being forced.

The cask was filled five months after the distillery opened in July 2014, which makes it one of the very earliest casks in the house. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Raisins and dark orange first, with walnut and a dry sherry note behind. Beneath sit fresh malt and a lightly waxy fruitiness that is Ardnamurchan’s unpeated signature.

Palate

Full and dark. Dried fruit, walnut and bitter chocolate open, then spice and an oak tannin tighten things mid-palate. At 59.1% the concentration is considerable, and a fresh acidity beneath the sherry keeps it from turning heavy.

Finish

Long and spiced. Raisin, nut and dry oak, with a warmth that lingers.

Specifications

Name: Ardnamurchan AD 12:14 CK.440 FC Whisky Single Highland Malt Whisky 59.1%
Distillery: Ardnamurchan
Bottler: Adelphi
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 59.1%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Unpeated Oloroso Sherry Butt of Spanish oak, cask no. 440
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: December 2014
Number of bottles: 693
Edition: Single Cask CK.440 for FC Whisky
EAN no.: 5060383651652

Flavour Profile

Sherry Matured · Dark Fruit · Nutty · Spiced · Cask Strength · Fresh

Investment Potential

Medium. The cask dates from the distillery’s first six months, and 693 bottles exist, released through one channel. Casks filled in 2014 are the oldest in existence from Ardnamurchan, and there will be no more.

Did You Know?

Ardnamurchan keeps its peated and unpeated production separate in different periods of the year, and the casks are marked accordingly. CK.440 is marked unpeated, so you know in advance there is no smoke in the bottle, a clarity very few distilleries offer on single casks.

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The batch number is gone. It sounds like a detail, but it is a statement: the distillery now considers the whisky consistent enough from one run to the next that you no longer need to keep track of which one you have.

The Expert's Description

Ardnamurchan AD/ is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky composed of 65% ex-bourbon casks and 35% sherry casks and bottled at 46.8%. It is the first release without a batch number, marking the shift from numbered one-off releases to a permanent core expression.

The malt is split evenly between peated and unpeated. That is the distillery’s founding move: rather than keeping the two styles apart they bring them together, so the smoke becomes a floor rather than the main event. The split between bourbon and sherry gives vanilla, bright fruit and darker sherry fruit alike.

The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured, the carton is 100% recycled board, and every bottle carries a QR code giving access to blockchain-registered production data.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Fresh malt and bright fruit first, pear and apple from the bourbon casks. Then raisins and orange peel from the sherry portion, and beneath it all a dry peat smoke, clear without dominating.

Palate

Soft and well balanced. Vanilla, honey and baked fruit open, then the sherry’s darker fruit and a lightly spiced warmth arrive. The smoke gathers it up towards the close. At 46.8% the body is good without weight.

Finish

Medium length. Malt, dark fruit and a dry smoky edge that lets go cleanly.

Specifications

Name: Ardnamurchan AD Single Highland Malt Whisky 46.8%
Distillery: Ardnamurchan
Bottler: Adelphi
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46.8%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 65% ex-bourbon casks and 35% sherry casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Edition: AD/

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Fruity · Vanilla · Sherry Matured · Balanced · Malty

Did You Know?

Dropping the batch number is a vote of confidence in your own craft. As long as a distillery numbers its releases, it is implicitly saying every run tastes different. When the number disappears, the message is that the same expression can now be hit again and again, and that is harder than it sounds when the casks are never identical.

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Forty casks peated, ten casks unpeated. That is not an approximation but an arithmetic, and it is exactly the sort of figure Ardnamurchan is willing to state where most distilleries settle for saying blended.

The Expert's Description

Ardnamurchan Cask Strength AD 02.22 is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky bottled at 58.7% full cask strength by Adelphi. It was composed from forty peated bourbon barrels and ten unpeated casks, and 12,886 bottles were made.

Ardnamurchan makes both peated and unpeated malt, and both styles go into this series. Cask strength means the whisky has not been diluted with water before bottling, giving more concentration and a clearer cask character than the house standard at 46.8%.

The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured, and every bottle carries a QR code giving access to blockchain-registered production data. The distillery sits at Glenbeg on the westernmost mainland peninsula in Scotland.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Peat smoke and maritime salinity first, then vanilla and coconut from the bourbon wood. A clear cereal sweetness runs beneath it all, and at this strength the alcohol is up front, so let the glass rest a couple of minutes.

Palate

Powerful and oily. Vanilla, honey and baked fruit open, then the smoke arrives with weight along with black pepper and a dry oak note. The cask strength gives concentration, yet the whisky is not harsh.

Finish

Long and dry. Smoke, salt and spice, with a final malt sweetness lingering beneath it all.

Specifications

Name: Ardnamurchan Cask Strength AD 02.22 Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 58.7%
Distillery: Ardnamurchan
Bottler: Adelphi
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 58.7%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Forty peated bourbon barrels and ten unpeated casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Number of bottles: 12,886
Edition: Cask Strength AD 02.22
EAN no.: 5060383652215

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Cask Strength · Maritime · Vanilla · Spiced · Malty

Did You Know?

The ratio of forty to ten is one quarter unpeated malt. That is a smaller share than in the house AD expression, where the split is even, which is why the smoke stands out more clearly in the Cask Strength series. The figures appear on the bottle, which is rare in the trade.

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Second release in the series, and this time with sherry casks in the mix. Where the February release was pure bourbon, there is now darker fruit beneath the smoke: same spirit, different wood, clearly different result.

The Expert's Description

Ardnamurchan Cask Strength AD 09.22 is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky bottled at 58.4% full cask strength by Adelphi. It was composed from a mix of bourbon and sherry casks and is the second release in the distillery’s Cask Strength series.

Ardnamurchan makes both peated and unpeated malt, and both styles go into this series. Cask strength means the whisky has not been diluted with water before bottling, giving more concentration and a clearer cask character than the house standard at 46.8%.

The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured, and every bottle carries a QR code giving access to blockchain-registered production data. The distillery sits at Glenbeg on the westernmost mainland peninsula in Scotland.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Peat smoke and maritime salinity first, then vanilla and coconut from the bourbon wood. A clear cereal sweetness runs beneath it all, and at this strength the alcohol is up front, so let the glass rest a couple of minutes.

Palate

Powerful and oily. Vanilla, honey and baked fruit open, then the smoke arrives with weight along with black pepper and a dry oak note. The cask strength gives concentration, yet the whisky is not harsh.

Finish

Long and dry. Smoke, salt and spice, with a final malt sweetness lingering beneath it all.

Specifications

Name: Ardnamurchan Cask Strength AD 09.22 Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 58.4%
Distillery: Ardnamurchan
Bottler: Adelphi
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 58.4%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Mix of bourbon and sherry casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Edition: Cask Strength AD 09.22
EAN no.: 5060383652529

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Cask Strength · Maritime · Vanilla · Spiced · Malty

Did You Know?

Ardnamurchan releases Cask Strength twice a year, in February and September, and the code on the bottle tells you which. AD 09.22 means September 2022. The system makes it possible to follow how the distillery develops from one half-year to the next, something that otherwise requires keeping your own records.

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