Arnamurchan is one of those distilleries that goes for quality first and foremost. As in, that is what it seems like. Almost, if not all, bottlings so far have been very drinkable at least, if memory serves. That is, the ones I’ve tried, and taking in account that the oldest whisky from the west coast distillery is about seven years old now.

This one was brought back from Scotland by whisky buddy EH (or EE, on Facebook). I got a sample of it and tried a while ago. At five years old, from an octave, there should already be quite some wood influence, and I think the sherry that previously occupied the vessel won’t go unnoticed either!

Sniff:
Surprisingly forward with notes of vanilla and barley. Lots of pastry, and very old fashioned. Quite intense for a five year old, with some baked apple in the background.

Sip:
Drying and rather hot. A leathery texture with old apples, peach stones, oak shavings and a hint of pencils (so, cedar and graphite?).

Swallow:
The finish is a bit more sweet again and veers back to the pastry notes.

Not overly complex, but a good baseline for Ardnamurchan (and many others). Quite enjoyable, but lowering the ABV won’t hurt too much. It’s interesting how much more noticeable the oak is compared to the sherry. It’s mostly woody notes, and not as much the fortified wine and dried fruits that come with that.

86/100