Ardnamurchan 10 Year (SMWS 149.26 "Dessert Island Dram")

 

Ardnamurchan is maybe The Big Success Story in Scotch whisky these days. Built in one of the remotest areas of Scotland, and construction completed in 2014, virtually every release from them gets stellar reviews. I've never heard of a bad bottle. 

They have a very distinct signature - a sweet peat with distinct Highland undertones, no matter what cask. This one is a 10 year from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, aged in ex-bourbon. 

Here are the official notes: 

Shipwrecked on a glistening shore, the nose rose with white and dark chocolate mousse, caramel bars and toasted crumpets spread with smoked butter. Meanwhile, the dusty air of abandoned haylofts wafted over floating debris while we foraged for clams along the coastline. The palate washed in sweet and salty waves of clamato juice stirred with honey, as blobs of hazelnut paste bobbed on the surface, before florentines and orange zest merged with a sharp strike of flinty dill pickle. A splash of water delivered lanolin and a fisherman’s jumper, the lively hum of a Hebridean folk night crackling in on the wireless. The finish clung generously with coconut and almond oil, cranachan and key lime pie. Finally, oatcakes topped with cultured butter, lime pickle and candied bacon provided enough to sustain a castaway in good spirits.

Very fanciful, no? But I'm enticed by chocolate, bread and butter, hay... clams and clamato?? Honey and orange and ... dill pickle?! Well, if they say so. 

Bottled at a sharp 64.4% ABV, let's see if my palate agrees with the SMWS tasting committee: 

Nose: This nose immediately takes me back to my first Ardnamurchan, it's so similar. Wet, maritime peat ... soft smoke, milk chocolate, salted caramel, buttered toast. All quite "dark" in essence, it's hard to explain... well, maybe I can just say there are no bright scents on the nose. 

Mouthfeel: Medium body, a little chewy. 

Palate: Ah... clamato, indeed. I do get shellfish and a bit of brine and red vinegar and maybe onions here. There is a big big hit of alcohol, as you'd imagine at this ABV. 

There is also, in the second wave of development, a honey-smoked malt-chocolatey core here that is quite sweet and nice and counterbalances well with the smoke and briney elements. "Sweet and salty waves" is a good description. I don't particularly find the citrus or the dill pickle, but I'll be charitable and say "maybe deeper in the bottle" or "with more/different water added" etc. 

If I close my eyes and REALLY stretch things, I can see the candied bacon thing. 

Finish: Key lime pie with graham cracker crust, oily smoke, burnt coconut, and more honey and chocolate. 

Verdict: Super attractive and a little kooky, this is a quintessential Ardnamurchan experience and just as high quality as the rest I've had. 

It has a lovely malt chocolate backbone that carries a honey/caramel sweetness side-by-side with a peat smoke and some savory elements... and it's all married quite nicely. 

I would heartily recommend this to those "light peat" and "sweet peat" fans. This isn't quite a dessert whisky, but it ain't far off either. Good stuff.