Ardnamurchan AD/01.21:01

Following encouraging reviews from a peer, I finally opened the sample of Ardnamurchan 01:21:01, which was kindly shared by a friend. The nose presents honey drizzled on grilled peaches and pineapple, chocolate-covered raisins, mild peaty smoke, light florals, and seaside minerality, evolving into sautéed apples, mandarin oranges, and musty grapes, finishing with ginger, cloves, and sandalwood, and minimal ethanol burn. The taste has a medium mouthfeel, starting with creamy orchard fruit, a honey lozenge, and mild campfire smoke, followed by moderate spice that gradually fades to dark chocolate spicy mocha and dehydrated figs, then light florals and seaside minerality, concluding with candied lemon peel, nectarines, and cantaloupe, transitioning to light baking spices and sandalwood with noticeable ethanol burn. The finish is medium in length, beginning with a blend of creamy orchard and lightly tart tropical fruits, slowly yielding to dark chocolate spicy mocha, ocean brine, mild campfire smoke, and sandalwood. This is a delightful dram that tastes significantly older than its 5 years of aging. For me, it evokes sitting by the sea with a campfire, watching waves crash over rocks, while enjoying a picnic of sweet and sour fruits, honey on charred bread, and dark chocolate-covered raisins with rich mocha. It does have a bit more spice than I prefer, along with a mild youthful tartness, but overall, I would desire a full bottle to explore it further. This particular batch is likely depleted, but online searches indicate availability around $70, which seems a very fair price for a wonderful seaside fruity dram with light peat smoke. I am eager to see how their spirit matures with more age and believe this is one to watch. My thanks again to a friend for the sample; it was a true pleasure.

This whisky was quite reserved for roughly a month after opening, but it's beginning to reveal itself. Its aroma presents a gentle peat smoke accompanied by a bubblegum note in the background. I detect some lemon zest, but it's akin to lemon zest blended with sugar. There's a subtle hint of waxy apple skin, pear, and vanilla oatmeal. The palate is exceptionally smooth and rich, with a thick, oily texture. It features waxiness, lemon rind, cereal grains, and a whisper of smoke. The waxiness is reminiscent of Clynelish, and the lemon notes are similar to an Ardbeg, though considerably milder. The finish offers a touch of menthol, some lingering waxiness, peat smoke, and a subtle sweetness. Altogether, it's a pleasant drink. It's a bit expensive for my taste, but the distillery is producing interesting products. A QR code on the bottle provides details on each barrel used in the blend, which is quite innovative. I'll certainly sample another expression from this distillery.

This second release from one of the promising new Scotch distilleries has truly grown on me after a couple of glasses. To put it simply, it's like a classic Highlander with a warm, honeyed center, but with a vibrant undercurrent of ginger spice. Ardnamurchan produces both peated and unpeated spirit, and I'd guess this bottling contains a mix of both. The way the sherry casks present themselves mid-palate reminds me of how honey melts out of a lemon cough drop I had as a child. I would happily drink this over Glenmorangie 10 any day, and if tasted blind, I might even confuse it with a Balvenie, were it not for the spice. Between this and Torabhaig, we're going to be spoiled with excellent affordable Scotch before too long.

Nose: Ripe yellow peaches and papaya, soda, smoke, steel, sea salt, wood pencil shavings. Palate: Chocolate-covered cherries, 5-spice dusted baked peaches, ripe mango slices in melted butter with a hint of white pepper spice heat that lingers well. A creaminess tempers the alcohol, preventing a harsh finish.

Beautiful pear and apple aroma, sugary. Nice oily mouthfeel with warm spices on the finish.

From the 2022 advent calendar.