Ardnamurchan whiskies

History

Adelphi is a historic house of Scotch whisky that for decades devoted itself to bottling casks from other distilleries. At the beginning of the 2010s it decided to build its own distillery in a remote and spectacular spot, on the Ardnamurchan peninsula. The distillery began producing in 2014, with hydroelectric power from the nearby river and a biomass boiler fuelled by wood from local forests, and the process residues are used on local farms. Its first malt came out in 2020, and since then it has released annual batches of its benchmark malt.

House style

Ardnamurchan’s malt is coastal and balanced: it combines peated and unpeated spirit in similar proportions, matured in bourbon and sherry casks. The result has gentle smoke, sea salt, ripe fruit and spice, with an oily texture. It is bottled at almost 47% ABV, without chill filtration and with natural colour. It is a young but very well-built malt, with a profile reminiscent of the nearby islands. Each annual batch may vary a little, but keeps the same balance of smoke, salt and fruit.

Where to start

Ardnamurchan AD/ is the catalogue’s entry and the best way to get to know the distillery. Try it neat and with a few drops of water. If you like it, compare it with Talisker 10, from the neighbouring Isle of Skye, and with Ledaig 10, from Mull, to see different expressions of smoke and coast in the west of Scotland.

• Ardnamurchan Single Malt AD/Single malt · 46.8% ABV