ArdnAmerica 2024
Ardnamurchan Tour Bottling 2024 | 57.3% ABV
Is your whisky lying about its age?
Humans – like scotch whisky – have age statements. And with both whisky and humans, there’s a cluster of conventional wisdoms that are associated with age statements that often don’t stand up to scrutiny.
You could be forgiven for thinking that an age statement does what the name suggests – state the age of the thing to which it refers. In the case of humans, there are no surprises, but with whisky, it’s a whole other kettle of fish.
An 18 year old human is – shockingly – 18 years old. But unless we’re talking about a single cask bottling, a whisky’s age statement very definitely does not tell you how old it is.
Instead, it says “Some of this whisky is 15 years old. But we’re not telling you how much of it. And we’re certainly not telling you how old the rest of it is – but it’s at least a bit older. Possibly a lot”.
It would be more accurate to say a whisky was “15 years and above” or “15plus” and so on. But it wouldn’t actually be any more informative.
Now in reality, we all (and by “all” I mean the knowledgeable and discerning readers of Dramface) know that we’re merely being told the age of the youngest whisky that has gone into making the particular blend of different casks that now comprises the bottle in front of us. And I understand, of course, that the rules around age statements on bottles are intended to protect the consumer from unscrupulous charlatans that might pass off whisky as being older than it actually is.
But considering how obsessed the business (and the community) generally is about the age of the liquid, it’s a little surprising that the rule adopted pegs the age of any bottle to its youngest component.
And while you can argue that the whisky isn’t actually lying about its age, it certainly isn’t coming clean about it either.
From a purely logical perspective, it would be more helpful to state the average age of the whisky in the bottle rather than the age of the youngest indeterminate proportion of it. Wouldn’t it?
Anyway, regardless of the peculiarity of the whole age statement thing, most of us are – to one degree or another - susceptible to what is implied by the number on the bottle. There’s a whole raft of conventional wisdom that equates age with quality and, subsequently, price.
Most of us inherit and accept this apparent truth in the earlier phases of our whisky journeys. But in time, those of us that go down the rabbit hole of independent bottlers, lesser known distilleries, single cask bottlings and sexy finishes, ultimately learn to question this particular orthodoxy.
And generally, we reject it.
Frankly, it should come as no surprise that the “older is better” mantra doesn’t hold up. After all, it’s not like it holds true for humans either.
I know that we equate age with wisdom and reason and we are meant to respect our elders. And the theory behind that is fine. As we age, we gather more experiences. We learn more, travel more, meet more people and generally evolve our perspective on the world around us to better understand it and navigate it. We gather wisdom.
At least that’s the theory.
But – just like whisky – we are the products of our environments and experiences. The products of all the inputs and stimuli we receive in shaping not only how we view the world, but how we engage it and respond to it.
The result – as we know – is wildly varied and inconsistent.
We evolve into utterly different humans with wildly divergent perspectives, beliefs, attitudes, fears and aspirations. Some become open, empathetic and non-judgmental. Others – often others who have led very similar lives in the same places – become fearful, narrow-minded and accepting of only that which they know and feel comfortable with.
If you buy into the nature/nurture thing, some of this is about the environment we age in, and some of it is about what we enter the world with. Our basic or foundational spirit, if you like.
But how we mature and our experiences as we age – much like years spent in casks in different locations – has a massive and profound influence on how we turn out in later life.
And it’s so inconsistent that any kind of pronouncement that whisky (or humans) will definitely get better with age is about as ludicrous as saying that whisky under 10 years old isn’t worth drinking.
Come to think of it, that kind of applies to humans too. Many people are at their most agreeable (or least offensive) as children.
We all know humans of wildly differing characters of all ages. Some younger folks are wise beyond their years and some older ones remain naïve and far from worldly-wise. And we’ve all tasted dull and uninspiring older whiskies that are completely overshadowed by much younger whiskies busting with character, flavour and nuance.
Which brings me to the slew of young and genuinely exciting distilleries that are coming through and – in some cases – producing scotch of a caliber far beyond what conventional thinking would say is expected or even possible for a spotty adolescent in liquid form.
Lochlea, Raasay, Glasgow, Dornoch, Nc’Nean, Ardnahoe and many others are producing liquid that is generating excitement, sales and award nominations.
And of course, there’s Ardnamurchan – arguably the poster child for what an emerging distillery can do with younger spirit to establish an outsize reputation faster than anyone could expect. One thing that underpins the excitement that accompanies every release from Ardnamurchan or any IB bottling of the spirit, is our default expectations.
How often have you heard someone say (or read in a review) that the liquid tastes like it’s older than it actually is? That it’s incredibly nuanced for its age?
The truth is, part of our response is informed by the fact that our expectations of young whisky are consistently surpassed by Ardnamurchan. Even those of us that have now come to expect a great deal from that far distant peninsula, continue to be amazed by the consistency with which release after release and IB after IB draws us further into the arms of what is surely one of the most interesting and compelling producers in the world of scotch whisky – whichever brands you choose to compare them with. And they’ve only just turned 10.
So the next time someone blithely talks of how whisky doesn’t start to get interesting until it’s past the ten year mark, or how they seek out older bottles because that’s where the good stuff is, ask them how much spectacular Islay whisky never sees double figures.
Get them tasting some younger stuff blind among some older heavyweights. And make sure to include some Ardnamurchan.
My bet is that surprises will be had, eyebrows will be raised and perspectives will start to shift.
Review 1/2 - Nick
Ardnamurchan, ArdnAmerica 2024, Tour Bottling, Matured in Madeira barriques and sherry casks, 900 700ml bottles available exclusively in the USA (mostly western states) 57.3% ABV
US$95 paid (£72)
Living in the USA and being a lover of scotch means you consign yourself to a life characterised by a degree of frustration. Just how much frustration is largely shaped by the idiosyncrasies of the wildly inconsistent regulations across the country related to the import, distribution and sale of booze.
Compared to the UK and many other markets, the complexities and quirks of the Federal and State regulations are about as impenetrable and unmanageable as Boris Johnson’s hair (or his ego for that matter).
As a result, there’s a huge amount of the whisky we all get excited by that simply doesn’t make it to these shores. Or if it does, it’s in short supply and generally somewhere else. And bloody expensive.
So imagine our delight when some big-hearted distiller decides to produce a whisky just for us! A bottle that comes here and only here! Cue general excitement and salivating among the whisky botherers across the land, and a mad-eyed lust to get one’s hands on a bottle or two.
In this case the bottle in question is this year’s Ardnamurchan’s ArdnAmerica – billed as the Tour Bottling. This is the second year we’ve been treated to our own special release (last year’s was reviewed by Mr Crystal here). That bottle was mostly distributed on the East Coast and was introduced through a series of tastings which represented Ardnamurchan’s first real assault on the US market.
This bottle is carrying the flag to the Western States (though those of us in the East of the country have been quick to hit the buy button or engage our personal networks of whisky mules).
This year’s offering is almost the same ABV as last year’s (57.3 for this year vs. 57.8 for last) and excitement has been particularly high among Ardna-chasers here as the label tantalises with reference to maturation in Madeira Barriques and Sherry Casks.
Apparently the 900 bottles were derived from the combination of two Madeira Barriques containing peated spirit and one Oloroso Sherry Butt containing unpeated whisky.
Nose
When first opened, this bottle was noticeably feisty and peppery on the nose. But it calms itself after a short while to become decidedly more reflective of its rather sumptuous and layered character.
On the neat nose there’s cinnamon, nutmeg and burnt honey. A touch of Veno’s cough mixture, cola syrup and sticky glazed ham studded with cloves. There’s quite a bit of fruit - cherries and ripe plums and dark fruity jam (mixed berries?). Molasses and Christmas spices.
Somehow this smells slightly resinous (which I love). Christmas tree maybe?
There’s a whole party going on in the glass which I’m looking forward to joining.
Palate
This is rich, succulent and voluptuous.
It runs warm and spicy at the start. At first I thought black pepper, but it’s more pepper mixed with sea salt and some chili flakes.
Then it quickly gets into a territory that’s playing in the space between resinous and syrupy with notes of marmalade, cherry tunes and cola cubes. Rich chocolate cake with a bit of crystallized ginger, then black pepper and a note of muscovado sugar mixed with more chili flakes.
Dried fruits in honey and malt loaf drizzled in maple syrup come to the fore. Clove and nutmeg carry through from the nose. Brazil nuts, Garibaldi biscuits and stewed plums. And other stewed stone fruits.
This is juicy somehow – juice that’s been reduced over heat with brown sugar and spice. Inevitably, with all these notes, I’m getting Christmas pudding.
Texturally, this is silky and succulent. Somehow voluptuous. It wraps itself around every part of your palate and embraces your senses. Glorious!
There’s so much going on in this dram that the influence of the peated spirit is fully integrated and I taste it very much as part of the whole rather than with the distinctiveness one might expect. This is a really good thing. When you think about it, it’s there, but it’s subtle and more of a complementary note to everything else.
It’s a little more pronounced as the finish lingers (which it does), but the peat definitely takes a back seat to the Madeira and Sherry influence. There’s a light oaky, tannic note on the finish, but like the peat, it’s soft and well integrated.
Water takes away some of the redness - the fruit and the jam. Treacle and rich dark fruit cake. The chilli and black pepper quieten down and I get soft leather. And there’s a meatiness to it - roast beef in rich gravy. This plays very well with water. It becomes a little more gentle but no less complex or flavourful.
The Dregs
This review has been in process for a while. Life has intervened.
But that’s allowed me to get much better acquainted with this whisky. So much so that I’ve basically rinsed it, and the level is now dangerously close to the bottom of the label. Fortunately, I have more.
And while I have shared this with a few folks, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t consumed most of that liquid myself. And I did so gleefully.
In fact I can’t remember getting through a bottle this fast ever before. I find it outrageously drinkable. It’s been beautifully curated to result in a really well balanced and seductive dram that plays wonderfully on the palate.
I wish I was this sophisticated and nuanced.
This is the kind of whisky that has placed Ardnamurchan among my very favourite distilleries. I know they get a lot of attention these days and some people feel that’s wrong in some way. But the truth is that they get the attention is a reaction to the quality of what they release – whatever its profile. And whatever the age – this whisky was distilled in 2017 and 2018 and yes, it drinks above its age.
This is the attention that comes from creating great whisky that resonates with a large number of whisky fans. In short, it’s the attention that is actually earned and deserved. Not the kind of attention that is bought with large marketing budgets and flashy promotions or packaging and pitifully little substance.
And they produce their whisky at decent prices – even here in the Land of the Bloody Expensive!
My only regret about this year’s ArdnAmerica release is that it’s all done. Never to be produced again. Based on last year’s similarly wonderful release, I’m optimistic that next year’s release will also be right up my street. But part of me will pine for this 2024 release when it’s gone.
If you live in the US, I recommend getting your hands on a bottle and hunkering down by a quietly flickering fire, pouring a dram or two and savouring the feeling. The ArdnAmerica will make a good fireside companion – in the same way it makes for a really good ambassador for Ardnamurchan to the USA.
Score: 8/10
Review 2/2 - Dougie
Ardnamurchan, ArdnAmerica 2024, Tour Bottling, Matured in Madeira barriques and sherry casks, 900 700ml bottles available exclusively in the USA (mostly western states) 57.3% ABV
US$95 paid (£72)
There’s a bit of full-circle serendipity happening here, because a year ago, just before I was heading off to the Misty Isle to start a new life of tranquility, I received in the post a bottle of ArdnAmerica 2023 from the man who wrote this review. A touching and generous gift to see me off into the shallow sunset, and a brewing talent in oor Nick who would, in the year to come, join the ranks of the Dramface Writer’s Guild.
I’ve written enough so far about the year it’s been for the Crystal Crew, to avoid a tedious replay with this new ArdnAmerica Tour bottling. This year’s effort, resplendent in inverse labelling and dropping the stars ‘n stripes, brings a different concoction to the table too. Where last year there was a mix of Oloroso and PX, with both peated and unpeated spirits, this year introduces an extra spice element in a Madeira cask to go alongside sherry, again with peated and unpeated spirits.
Nose
Big coastal. Salty. Rocky. Sweet coastal. Touch less red berry than last years, bit more spice too. Soft strawberry chewit. Bit of smoke hitting. Wee bit of dirty dunnage now, almost, and you’ll love/hate me for saying this, a Wee Toon funk creeping in - oily garage. Back to some visceral pineapple tin. A lick of banana skin, a wee bit earthy, a wee bit sweet. Apple sours. Clotted cream on strawberry jam on raisin scones. Tickle of rubber. Sugary cola cubes.
Palate
Smoke, wood, sweet, salty, unctuous, delicious. Spice is nicely tempered - giving a bit of warming heat but not overpowering. It’s got a savoury lick - not overboard with the sweet sherry here. Biscuits - digestives, a wee bit buttery. The Madeira casks are bringing some interesting new flavours to the show, it seems! Poached pears, a bit of souring at the end. Cedar wood in the sun. Gingerbread. Umami? Something soy-like.
The Dregs
The addition of Madeira is enough to bring a bit more grip to the show, a bit more spice. It’s not quite the overt maritime red juicebox that last year’s was, or indeed any of the Ardnamurchan stable of Oloroso/PX matured beauties.
It’s also, thankfully, not as fiery hot as the Madeira Cask Release of 2022. Instead this bridges the gap nicely, with rich, vivid red fruits and robust cedarwood from the Oloroso, and that aforementioned grip and spice from the Madeira. It has a bit of heat, peppery heat, but it’s tamed nicely with the sweeter sherry components.
In a dram-off it’s like choosing between a great whisky and a great whisky. The differences are very subtle and despite nursing the 2023 bottle, I’ve taken a good lump out of it to see if I can make up my mind. The ArdnAmerica 2023 edges this year’s release by a bawhair, just because it’s overtly yummy and out-and-out moreish. 2024 is a touch more savoury, a touch more souring at the end, but it’s very close. 2024’s bottle is still knock-out, and I’m loving the beautiful layers of sweet hot cedar berry juice that, in my opinion, makes the coastal character of Ardnamurchan shine like the sun. It’s utterly dreamy.
The 2024 also highlights a wee bit more obvious smoke in the 2023 as well, I think. I didn’t really register it last year for some reason, even though tonight’s pour made me question if 2023’s had peated malt in there (it does). 2024’s has a tropical nature, with pineapples and bananas appearing here and there, and a lick more heat, which I quite like. It’s a tour de force of coastal sherry magic. What a follow-up to the inaugural stunner.
For scoring, it looks like a drop after last year’s ArdnAmerica scoring an 8/10, but this would have also been an 8/10. However now that I’m using the DCNSA, the 2024 bottling is a 7/10 - Very Good Indeed (and the 2023 should be read as such).
Loved this whisky, and delighted to have the next half to savour for the coming year…if I can avoid dipping into it. I will fail. Question is, who can I find next year to mule 2025’s ArdnAmerica over for me…?
Score: 7/10 DC
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. NF