Review 229. Ardnamurchan 10 year old.

Where (if?) last week  I was making a case for one of the lesser known 21st century distilleries that is, in my opinion, coming along nicely, this week I’ll be focusing on another 21st Century distillery that’s rapidly been embraced, cherished and revered by many enthusiasts. Ardnamurchan is indeed a quintessential example of just about everything enthusiasts like to see when we’re nerding out on all things whisky. Integrity presentation (as in always presented at a respectable ABV while staying well clear of chill filtering or artificial colouring), transparency through the use of blockchain technology  (a lot of transparency in fact: age, provenance of the barley, fermentation details, cutpoints during distillation, cask make up… it’s all there.  I think the one thing they fail to mention is the stillman’s 2nd cousin shoe size). And just about everything they release comes with 3 key words at the heart and centre of these releases: quality, quality and quality,  at a very fair price point at that. We’re not asking for cheap, we’re asking for value: what does our money get us? In the case of Ardnamurchan: quite a lot, I’ d argue. Even if their ‘profile’ doesn’t suit your particular palate, there’s no denying that they can be seen as a benchmark for other distilleries to aspire to.

Despite all this, I believe this will be only the 3d time I've reviewed Ardnamurchan in 5.5 years of whisky blogging . The reason for this is quite simple: availability. I do most of my whisky shopping through brick and mortar stores, and the stores I frequent all tend to be within a 30 minute drive radius from Malty Towers. Only a few of those tend to stock Ardnamurchan, so if I want to add it to the cabinet, I’ll often need to look elsewhere as they’re not exactly known for gathering dust.  There’s a few reasons behind this purchasing ‘strategy’. Avoiding webshops when possible is safer on the wallet for starters.  A lot safer. While it is true that webshops CAN be cheaper than actual brick and mortar shops, the ease  and comfort of shopping through a few mouse clicks can proof to be a dangerously expensive one. I found that having to make a physical transfer from point A to point B and then to point A again is probably the best guarantee to keep a bit of a lid on things. Furthermore, the potential cost saving mechanism of buying online compared to picking up a bottle in a store, is made redundant by the benefits of building a personal relationship with the proprietors and / or staff at these stores. Websites don’t tend to let you try before you buy, for starters or just invite you to sit back and enjoy a dram as you discuss what’s what in whisky or just indulge in some small talk. Now I’ll emphasize that we’re I’m living we’re quite well ’endowed’ when it comes to finding good stores, and I’m well aware that ordering on-line for many is pretty much the only way of purchasing bottles, unless they’re willing to drive 100 miles or more back and forth to visit an actual brick and mortar store. So definitely not judging here, as I’m well aware that I’m quite lucky in that regard.

Anyhoo, I don’t think I’m overstating things when I say that in just 5 or 6 years, Ardnamurchan have built themselves a loyal customer/fan base who are keen and eager to watch them evolve as they go along.  And by focussing on quality, integrity and transparency while pricing their releases fairly, they’ve come a long way indeed (stop me if I start to sound like Ralfy here). Of course everything starts with the team running the place, who are dedicated and discerning enthusiasts themselves, making them, each in their own roles (as they tend to have multiple jobs and responsibilities) an ambassador for the brand. And much like Clydeside last week, their story ‘fits’. Bringing back social and economic life to a very remote area of Scotland (quite literally you’ll need to go the extra mile to visit the place), bringing sustainable entrepreneurship into the equation as well: they combine a 21st century vision on distilling and running their business while building on decades and decades of experience from the staff but also knowing and respecting  centuries of tradition, provenance and history.

Ardnamurchan 10 year old. 2024 release. 50% ABV, NC, UCF, matured in ex bourbon cask and ex Paul Launois Champagne casks. 16746 bottles and still available. App. €65-€70 (£54-£60)

Nose

Sweet – cheesy/umami – mineral - salinity and grassy. All of these sensations I’m picking up  simultaneously and interwoven with each other. Yellow fruit sitting on something slightly dry – I’m guessing that’s the champagne casks in action. An ever so shy green – menthol note, pastry and a whiff of a clay – earthy like note. Busy and layered and while there’s a lot going on, it manages to still maintain a youthful vibrancy and liveliness to things. Very interesting and very promising.

Palate

That almost signature fizzy/effervescence taste/sensation on the arrival with again that umami note of cheese and earthy clay , mineral notes and salinity. There’s less sweetness here, or rather I should say the sweeter notes are there, but more in the background now. The mouthfeel brings a medium full, medium dry, slightly wooden texture. If I were to absolutely nitpick here, I would point out the tiny alcohol – peppery note that’s there, but that’s indeed me searching (and searching hard)  for something to say something resembling a point of critique about this whisky. Excellent stuff.

Finish

Medium, somewhat peppery and then salty and earthy.

Final thoughts

 While I am an absolute fan of what Ardnamurchan  does and how they do it and have a ton of respect for the people working there, I’m by no means a die hard fan of each and everything they release. As said above, availability comes into play here, but also I’m too whisky curious (promiscuous?) to always leave room and money to keep up with their releases. By and large, I tend to just let whisky ‘happen’ and see what crosses my path. That said, I’ve had a few  of their standard batch releases, some good, some really good, some just nice. None ever bad or disappointing. I’ve also absolutely adored some of their ‘limited’ releases (I think their Sauternes cask release was absolutely excellent and that’s quite a thing to pull off as I’m generally not a fan of a whisky finished or matured in this type of wine casks) and I feel this ‘limited’ anniversary 10 year old is right up there too. Fairly priced, busy, layered, complex and  very tasteful while still having some youthful playfulness to it: this one delivers a lot of bang for very fair buck. The sample kindly provided to me by Greg (with whom I just had a -suite long -  chat over on YouTube) simply begs for me to go and get a full bottle.  Strongly recommended!