Review #758 - Ardnamurchan Mezcal Cask Release (2025)

Ardnamurchan now releases a few different batches of cask-finished whiskies each year; here's a new one in 2025, a Mezcal cask release. While there's no age statement showing on the bottle, this was first aged for 6 years in ex-bourbon casks before a finishing period of 18 to 20 months in ex-Mezcal casks, so we know this is 7 years old. A total of 20 casks were used, all of which contained peated distillate.

A mezcal cask finish is a bit unusual for two reasons: first, the Scotch Whisky Association rules only changed relatively recently (2019) to explicitly allow casks that previously held agave spirits to be used for whisky maturation, and there's still some debate about whether or not the flavors contributed to a Scotch whisky are actually good. Second, there aren't actually a lot of ex-Mezcal casks around - traditionally, Mezcal isn't aged in the first place, and is drunk clear, so ex-Mezcal barrels are not produced in any great quantity.

Still, Ardnamurchan tracked some casks down and bottled this Mezcal batch release at a strength of 55% ABV, and as always with this distillery, we don't have to worry about chill filtration or added color.

Ardnamurchan Mezcal Cask Release (2025)

Scotland/Highland - Single Malt

Price: USD 94 (2026)

Age Statement: 7 Years

Strength: 55% ABV

Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon casks, finished in Mezcal casks

Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled 2017, bottled 2024; 4,968 bottles

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 3 months; bottles at 50%, 90%, and 80% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Interesting and varied across our tastings - earthy with some wood char notes, sweet vanilla and lactic Greek yogurt, vegetal and slightly funky. Butterscotch, honey, and lemon candies bring more sweetness, but we also get buttery notes and plenty of herbal peat smoke. Ash, white wine, salt, and lime soda are accents.

Palate: Strong fizzy peat, sharp smoke, and some nice petrichor and earthy notes in the background. Apples, especially golden apples, combine with lemon-lime soda, tart candies and a strong champagne note; sweet vanilla and salt come later. It's punchy with a medium-thick mouthfeel.

Finish: Vanilla and honey, lemon oil, lemonade - lots of light notes, decent sweetness. A medium level of sharp peat smoke comes in behind that, and we get some dry, astringent wood notes, wood smoke, and more earthy flavors. This is a medium-long finish.

Final Note: One of the more interesting bottles we've tried recently - this has such a strong earthy backbone from the combination of peat smoke and those Mezcal casks. There's plenty of sweetness from the ex-bourbon casks as well, especially vanilla, and the light fruit flavors like lemon and apple add some balance. The woody notes grew in intensity and brought a lot more sharpness in the finish. This is a good bottle with interesting flavors, but it might not be everyone's cup of tea due to the unique profile.

Value here is a little above average; Ardnamurchan continues their trend of fair pricing, including this bottle.

Our Rating: 7.2 / 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: 6.30

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.