Ardnamurchan AD/ is the core bottle from the most westerly distillery on the British mainland, and it tastes like orchard fruit and malt with a distant bonfire. This Ardnamurchan AD/ review is about a 46.8% malt that costs about £47, tastes of orchard fruit, malt and honey with a trace of smoke, and is a fruity, rounded and thoroughly well-made dram.
I like it a great deal. It is a young distillery with a clear style, and the strength gives the malt a lovely texture. It is a bit fiddly to say and very easy to drink.
Ardnamurchan sits on the Ardnamurchan peninsula in the west Highlands, the most westerly point of the British mainland, and it was built in 2014 by the independent bottler Adelphi. The Ardnamurchan distillery makes both peated and unpeated spirit, and the AD/ is the core bottling in the range.
It is bottled at 46.8% with no age statement, and the batch coding on the label changes with each release. The cask mix is not clearly published, so check the label. UK prices I found ran from about £40 to £47, with the major shops at about £46.95, so I use about £47. Age statements versus NAS explains the missing number, and the beginner’s guide to Highland whisky covers the region.
A bowl of orchard fruit beside a plate of malted biscuits, with a thin curl of smoke from a distant fire.
The nose is fruity and malty, with orchard fruit, honey and a trace of smoke, then a hint of vanilla, a little citrus and a faint coastal note. It smells warm, clean and inviting.
On the palate it is fruity and rounded, with malt, citrus and spice, then a creamy middle, a hint of smoke and a soft oak. The 46.8% gives it a good body, and the texture is silky and slightly oily. The balance is very good, and the smoke is a seasoning.
The finish is medium to long, with oak, malt and a faint smoke. It is warm, clean and satisfying.
A few drops of water bring out the orchard fruit and soften the spice, and I think it is a little better for it. It also gets sweeter as it sits, and the honey comes forward. At 46.8% it takes water well, and a patient pour pays off.
Neat, with a few drops of water, in a tulip glass. It is a very good sipper and a good everyday malt. It makes a rich Old Fashioned, where the fruit and the smoke work with the bitters.
It goes well with a mild cheese, smoked fish and a cold evening. It is a very good gift for somebody who likes fruity, lightly smoky whisky and likes a new name.
At about £47 it scores 76. Glengoyne 12 scores 79 at about £38, which is three points better for £9 less. Tomatin 12 scores 76 at about £45, the same score for £2 less. Ben Nevis 10 scores 77 at about £50, and Balblair 12 scores 77 at about £46.
So the AD/ is a very good whisky at a fair price, in a tough group. The Glengoyne beats it by three points for £9 less, and the Balblair beats it by a point for £1 less. I would buy it for the newness of the distillery and the clean fruit, and I would be happy.
The Ardnamurchan peninsula is a long, winding drive from anywhere, and the distillery has the sort of remote location that makes a good story. It is also a serious operation, with the spirit made carefully and aged in good casks.
The AD/ shows what the distillery can do at its basic level. It is clean, fruity and rounded, with a little smoke that comes and goes, and it has a clear identity that is separate from the Speyside and Islay styles. It is a very good introduction to a young distillery.
If you like the idea of tasting something new and well made, this is a good way to do it. If you want the best value, the older, cheaper Highland names still lead.
Four more bottles, from the better buys to the neighbours.
A slow-distilled, nutty Highland malt that scores three points higher for £9 less.
A gentle, fruity Highland malt that ties it for £2 less.
A tidy, citrusy Highland malt that scores a point higher for £1 less.
An oily, characterful Highland malt that scores a point higher for £3 more.
Ardnamurchan AD/ is fruity, malty, rounded and faintly smoky, a young Highland malt with a clear voice. It is a very good bottle at a fair price, and the Glengoyne 12 is the better buy.
Caskable score: 76 out of 100.
Orchard fruit, malt, honey and a trace of smoke
Fruity and rounded, with malt, citrus, spice and a creamy middle
Medium to long, with oak, malt and a faint smoke
A fruity, rounded, quietly smoky Highland malt that is very good and fairly priced.
Thomas Grønvold is the founder of Caskable and a whisky enthusiast who believes the best way to learn about whisky is simply to drink it, compare it, and stay curious. From supermarket favourites to bottles from distilleries around the world, he writes about what he actually tastes and experiences, without pretending you need to be an expert to enjoy a good dram.
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