Review #597 - Ardnamurchan AD/ Sherry Cask Release (2023)
Ardnamurchan is now doing regular releases with different types of cask maturation - rum, sherry, Sauternes, Madeira, Champagne, and recently, even a Mezcal release. Back in 2023, they bottled this AD/ Sherry Cask Release, a batch of just under 14,000 bottles. Ardnamurchan is great about tracking all of the information related to their production - on their labels, they add QR codes which go into incredible detail about each batch.
This sherried batch is comprised of both peated and unpeated spirit, a couple of cask sizes, a couple of oak species, and a couple of sherry types - quite a lot going on, really. Here's a quick summary of the 25 casks used in the batch:
60% of the spirit is unpeated, while the other 40% is peated
All of the unpeated spirit was filled into hogsheads, while the peated spirit went into butts
24% of the casks were American oak - all of these were seasoned with Oloroso sherry
The other 76% of the casks were Spanish oak - 2 of these casks contained Pedro Ximenez sherry, and the other 17 casks contained Oloroso sherry
There's no age statement on the bottle, but based on the 2018 vintage of all of the casks and the 2023 year of release, we know that this whisky is 4 to 5 years old; this release was bottled at a strength of 50% ABV.
Ardnamurchan AD/ Sherry Cask Release (2023)
Scotland/Highland - Single Malt
Price: USD 80 (2025)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 50% ABV
Cask Makeup: Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry hogsheads and butts
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled 2018, bottled 2023, 13,998 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 4 months; bottles at 100%, 80%, and 70% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Savory and a little funky to start - lots of spirit character. Mineral notes like slate, a decent amount of peat smoke, some charcoal and a coastal salt, too. Then the sweet fruits waft in behind that: plum, red berries. White pepper adds a nice kick, and we get sweet caramel with a lot more time in the glass.
Palate: A medium-thick mouthfeel, lots of flavor - funky and savory again, but the red fruits are stronger, especially sweet raspberry jam, maybe some orange or blood orange. Green olive, pickle brine, and salt add an interesting spirit dimension; there's a strong charcoal note accenting the peat, which has a medium influence itself.
Finish: Peat smoke remains relatively strong; lots of fruit like tangy nectarine, blackberries, sweet raspberry... mineral notes return, and there's a hint of musty mushrooms in the aftertaste. It's a long finish.
Final Note: Tons of character here - this dram also changed from session to session. Sometimes it was more funky, sometimes the sweet red fruits were a little overpowering; the peat smoke was a strong constant, but it's a nicely balanced peat. There's a little bit of youthful, spirity character at times, but for the most part, this tastes older than the 4 to 5 years of maturation it underwent.
Value is decent here - Ardnamurchan is a fairly priced brand, and these different cask maturation bottles generally come in between $70 and $85 here in the US. That isn't too much more expensive than their core range release, and we think the upgrade in flavor is worth it.
Our Average Rating: 7.4 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.81
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
