As excellent as the Ardnamurchan Sherry Cask is (and it is quite excellent), it makes total sense in the grand scheme of Scotch. It’s a great artisan, sherry-finished single malt, tried and true. But this Mezcal Cask Release? Well, this is a whole different animal altogether. Of course, I expected it to be good, but you never quite know with these unconventional finishes. Occasionally, things do go sideways despite best intentions. Not the case at all with this one. It’s quite simply a hauntingly beautiful Highland malt of the utmost precision, balance, and grace with a singular style all its own. The striking, deep gold color is certainly eye-catching, and the nose captivates immediately with subtle but complex citrus notes of all kinds, along with a thrilling tension between rich cream soda and racy, wet river stones. The mezcal-cask finish shows up in the background as faint, smoky agave that plays perfectly with the 100%-peated malt. With air, the smoky feature becomes finer and more graceful, with additional hints of green apple, cake icing, and a salty touch of sea breeze. The palate is likewise just stunning in its perfectly balanced, medium weight and racy, super-precise complexity. Bright green apple and Bosc pear upfront, backed by that stony minerality from the nose and the gorgeous purity of the distillery’s Highland malt. Lime zest and salty brine segue to a long, electric finish that offers one last rush of lemon cookie and pistachio ice cream. It’s difficult to sum up, so the best I can say is, if a top-flight Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru lent its personality to Highland malt, this would be the result, and with results like this, I 'm now an official Ardnamurchan super fan. The future is ridiculously bright for these guys.
95 points, Andrew Kitz, B-21 Spirits Buyer (Nov 2025)
Top Quality Store
