Ardnamurchan has launched its inaugural single malt Scotch Whisky. The Western Highlands distillery commenced production back in 2014.
Matured for six years in a mixture of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry oak casks, the Ardnamurchan single malt is composed of an even split of peated and unpeated Whiskies. Bottled at 46.8% ABV, the resulting liquid has notes of honeycomb, waxy peel, oyster shells, brine, strawberries, black pepper, and bonfire embers.
Ardnamurchan produces two signature styles of spirit, one peated and one unpeated. Tand has been designed to produce a full flavoured malt true to its location in the west Highlands.
“When we filled the first spirit into casks, just over six years ago, the concept of being able to disgorge those casks into bottles seemed very distant,” noted Ardnamurchan’s managing director Alex Bruce. “However, we have had an incredible journey, building our 100% local team, filling the warehouses with over 10,000 casks and preparing national and international distribution. We relied on the unique local maturation climate to do the rest, and are really excited by the quality and consistency that has been reached.”
The single malt is available for purchase from Whisky shops across the United Kingdom beginning on October 5. From thre it will be released in 25 global markets. It has a suggested retail price of £45 ($57.90 USD) per 700ml bottle.
Due to its remote location, Ardnamurchan was built to develop and fully utilise a local circular economy. It is said to be one of the first distilleries to be wholly reliant on local renewable energy. The entire heat and power requirements are supplied by renewable sources within two miles of the distillery: hydro electricity from the river that also supplies its cooling water, and wood chip for its biomass boiler, delivered by tractor from nearby sustainable forestry.
The distillery also claims to be the first to use blockchain technology, providing consumers with a scannable QR code on the bottle to show the site’s field-to-bottle journey.