Maclean & Bruce 2nd Edition | 58% ABV

Score: 7/10

**Very Good Indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*Another fine example of ‘red’ Ardnamurchan.*

It is what it is.

I’m not a scientist. I’m not a mathematician. I’m not a historian, a doctor or an engineer. I don’t work in absolutes and, where whisky is concerned, I really don’t work in the cold, harsh light of steely comparison.

I float in a ruby pool of ethereal looseness. An atonal odyssey into the unexplored 7th dimension of fusion jazz; I operate on the feel of the thing, man. Whisky is a state of mind, a reflection of how it feels. Take the blue pill and enjoy it. Savour it. Morpheus and the horrible, inescapable reality can wait.

The dream for me when I first stepped into whisky, like most people when they set off on an endeavour, was to find something I really loved. My whisky. Vitally so, given I’d spent the best part of my entire life not enjoying the taste of whisky. It was through the amber prism of Glengoyne that I found the doorway to whisky enjoyment.

Once inside, and after a good look about, I found the whisky that was mine. I decided then that I would explore, in all permutations, iterations and nuances, how that distillery evolves. How the whisky is made, certainly, but also how it matures, in various cask types, of different ages, climates, locations and strengths, and also how the distillery matures too.

I haven’t approached this exploration from a perspective of logging it all for some completionist agenda, or documenting it forensically for fullness, scrutinising mashbills and second-water temperatures. I don’t get overly excited about those things, even if they’re intrinsic to the final product. I have all the time in the world for people that do enjoy those aspects of whisky, because it’s a wonderfully immersive world to be in.

What matters more to me is the story of it. The why. What made it happen? Who makes it happen? Where does it happen?

When it’s happening is now, which to me is the most thrilling aspect of all this: experiencing these developments in real time. It’s a relentless journey, with something new to seek and consider, constantly, every day. I absolutely love it.

The grab for me was their core release 07.21:05, and since that point in 2021 I’ve travelled like a greased spelunker through the caves of Ardnamurchan whisky. I don’t collect bottles of anything anymore - my impatience to experience the whisky inside puts paid to that notion - but I do chase and sample everything I can. Through the generosity of many folks around Whiskyville, not least of whom work for the distillery, I’ve managed to explore quite a lot of Ardnamurchan whisky that goes beyond the official and independent releases.

As a means to understand just where I am on this journey, four years into it, I decided to dust off the list of Ardnamurchan whisky first used to calculate my journey when reviewing the Ardnamurchan 10yo Adelphi release last August. It listed everything that I’d bought and finished. My list of 46 whiskies, in retrospect, was a wee bit inaccurate and incomplete.

From chasing the “Spirit Drink” releases at auction; to grasping what was occurring before it could be legally called whisky; and through the multiple bottles of core range killed over the years to establish and maintain a full understanding of definitive Ardnamurchan whisky - as the team sees it; I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve found, albeit some more than others.

Through the “Cask Release” bottles and the inimitable single casks, to the milestone AD/10 and Adelphi Cask 10 anniversary releases, and onwards via independent bottlings and samples, I’ve set out to get the widest and most varied picture of what Ardnamurchan whisky is, what makes it inherently Ardnamurchan, and where I’d like to see it going, simply because it makes me immeasurably happy. I don’t claim, and will never be, an authority on Ardnamurchan whisky, but I live and breathe it because it’s bloody good fun.

The full list is up to date now, and I feel incredibly privileged to discover I have to date 103 varieties of Ardnamurchan whisky in my knowledge base. The size of this list is not lost on me; every whisky I have tried, every minute I’ve existed in the company of the Ardnamurchan team, is cherished deeply because more and more information is being fed into the Ardnamurchan memory banks. I’m an Ardnamurchan inlet, open for business.

I’m telling you this because I’ve become paralysingly introverted about it lately, leaning somewhat over to feeling guilty about my excitement; that I’m wrong to think Ardnamurchan is worth getting so worked up about, or that I’m missing something, or am just plain stupid. The fun of discovery and immersion has been put aside in place of the appearance of impartiality.

Yep, it’s ridiculous really, but when one shouts about something as often as I do, soon it starts to wear and suddenly I’ve become the boring old Dougie talking far too excitedly about that Ardnamurchan whisky again. Snore. It’s made me less willing to be as openly enthusiastic about it all.

Recently I was with Connal at Glenbeg and he asked if I wanted to visit Warehouse 2, to which I replied “sure”. He was crestfallen. He said I’d lost the fun of it, to which I protested, but he was half right. The truth of it, and something I didn’t dare reveal, was that a crushing guilt had crept into my day - of having rare access to undiscovered gems in this hallowed place, wandering around with a valinch in hand again. I didn’t feel I deserved, or belonged, and much more keenly I didn’t want to take advantage of his goodwill.

It took an inwardly stern talking to and a brief chat with Wally, but I’m here today to say I’ve relinquished those pathetic shackles, and have found a new thermal on the hillside of enthusiasm and determination, one that is moving me upwards at a rate far quicker than the suffocating requirement for me to be a stone cold comparator here on Dramface, which I never really was to begin with.

I want to be me, in all my boyish excitement for whisky maturing on the Ardnamurchan peninsula; and not be hampered by the straight faced, lab-tech standards of methodical analysis that tend to follow us mouthy folk, when we talk about whisky.

I’m going full Rambo; the taps aff, I’ve tied a sock around my head and my wibbling eyes are laser focused. I henceforth fully embrace being that annoying guy. No takebacks.

Review

Ardnamurchan 5yo, Adelphi MacLean & Bruce, from two FF Oloroso butts (1059 & 1263), 2018 distilled, 2024 bottled at 58% ABV
£89-95 still available online - release of 1,403 bottles worldwide.

Early days, when I first visited the distillery and had concluded the tour, I sat down at the bar in the visitors centre to a few drams - a core range of the day, a Paul Launois first edition, a UK Exclusive CK.339 and a MacLean & Bruce 5yo from Adelphi. The first three were, to my green palate, super, but the M&B was astonishing. It was red and fireworky and salty and sweet and confusing and lovely. “What is that!?” I shouted into DJ’s face - our tour guide.

Since then, due to the huge premium demanded for the Adelphi M&B 2015 bottling at auction, I’ve been seeking out something that has the same characteristics, and have found similar in things like the Doddy Weir single cask or the Sherry Cask Release and many more; but never that salty coastal blaster, as was that first experience.

I do wonder if I’ll ever find it - Wally says it might have been the glassware imparting some character to it, had it not been washed properly, or if it had been embellished with the environment of the place. He might be right, in which case I need to get some reed diffusers made up with the essence of Glenbeg…

From my 2022 visit to Glenbeg, where I first tried the Adelphi 2015 First Edition MacLean & Bruce

Under discussion today is the 2nd Edition of the Adelphi Ardnamurchan 5yo in partnership with MacLean & Bruce, a double casked Oloroso butt blend that reads right up my street. But before we get into it, who are MacLean & Bruce, and why are they bottling Ardnamurchan through Adelphi Independent Bottlers?

Adelphi Distillery Ltd, who own both the independent bottling arm and the distillery, have a long history in whisky stretching back to 1826 with the establishment of the Loch Katrine Adelphi Distillery in the Gorbals district of Glasgow. Over the years the Adelphi Distillery changed hands a few times, before suffering a catastrophic washback collapse in the 1906 Great Gorbals Whisky Flood, resulting in a man drowning in the resultant red-hot, glue-like draff/wash mixture. A horrible way to go, no doubt.

1971 saw the closure of the distillery, later demolished to make way for Glasgow Central Mosque, but the Adelphi name was revived in 1993 by Jamie Walker (great grandson of Archibald Walker, co-owner of the Adelphi Distillery in the Gorbals), when he launched Adelphi as an independent bottler.

Through mutual friends, Charles MacLean MBE was invited to discuss creating the brochure for the first portfolio of bottles, but after working together through some sample bottles for an afternoon, it was suggested that MacLean should be involved with Adelphi more directly, and was invited to become a non-Executive director.

Walker would later go on to sell the company to two wealthy landowners, Keith Falconer and Donald Houston, whisky enthusiasts on the prowl for a hogshead of whisky who in turn loved Adelphi so much, they bought the company. Shortly after, Alex Bruce - descendent of Andrew Usher of North British Distillery, VAT69 and Usher’s Green Stripe lore - was brought onboard to grow the brand around the world.

The successful growth of Adelphi opened up the discussion of cask availability as a means to trade and, as the supply began to dwindle, talk turned to building their own distillery on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula on land owned by Houston, to secure the future of both Adelphi and their ability to trade casks.

Decision made, the ground was broken at Glenbeg for the Ardnamurchan Distillery in 2013, with the first liquid running through the stills in July 2014, with Royal sign-offs from HSH Prince Albert of Monaco and HRH The Princess Royal respectively. Technical guidance was provided by MacLean and the late Dr. Jim Swan.

In 2013 MacLean & Bruce was established by Vikki Bruce, partner of Alex Bruce, and Charles MacLean, to facilitate and manage high-end whisky experiences and travel for those visiting Scotland from afar. MacLean’s place in whisky, recognised and regarded as the foremost authority, means it comes as no surprise that he was involved in the rebirth of Adelphi, the independent bottler, and onwards with the establishment of the Ardnamurchan Distillery.

To celebrate the 28 year anniversary of when MacLean first joined Adelphi as cask selector extraordinaire, Adelphi bottled a 5yo Oloroso casked Ardnamurchan, in partnership with MacLean & Bruce, and in doing so became the first independently bottled Ardnamurchan whisky to be released. A nice circling of the square.

A few years later a second edition arrived, in the form of this bottle under consideration today.

Phew! It’s a potted history, and there’s so much more nuance to it all, but that’s the partnership, and now it’s time to enjoy the spoils.

Nose

Saucy. Brut Aquatonic! Woody, pine sap, cedar shavings. Fudge. Rocky/mineralic. Red, umami. Salty. Menthol/minty - tictacs. Earthy, like damp soil, no smoke. Golden syrup oh aye! Tarmac, petrichor too. Coffee bean, stale. Brick paints! Ardna character in here too - sandy coastal.

Palate

Lots of juicy fruits - red wine gums. Earthy here too, again soily. Petrichor. Bit hot - needs a drop of water. Rubber, salty. Fences - maybe a touch of creosote on the very distant wind. Chalky. Sweet juicy raspberries, maybe a blueberry in there too. Ardna character still underpinning the coastal, sandy, salty thing. Wish there was more salt though.

Water brings out the sweeter side, some black pepper and orange Starburst. Chalky too.

The Dregs

This is everything I love about Ardnamurchan. The underlying new-make spirit character that so defines Ardnamurchan whisky, for me, is present and weaving its coastal fingers around the other flavours - predominantly big red ones. It’s interesting just how bold this oloroso sherry cask matured whisky is, given it’s from two butts, regarded as the big slow-and-steady maturation vessels.

I’ve tried whisky straight from a 10yo oloroso sherry butt in Warehouse 1, and it was liquid dreamboats with a softer, silkier and subdued redness, but even then the Ardna character persisted. This is half that age, so it’s going to be a bit more visceral, and in the glass did require a touch of water to bring it down from being overly hot and spicy.

It’s a really lovely example, but it didn’t deliver the notes of fireworks/match strikers that had me so drawn to the first release of MacLean & Bruce. That’s ok though: in the time it’s taken to finish this review I placed a bid on a 2015 M&B at auction and won it for £75 before fees - £86.26 with fees. That’s £3.74 under RRP at launch, which I’m really pleased with.

When I was searching for one in 2022, a legacy of folk paying £170-200 to grab one remained - this was a bottle in demand. So I’m pretty delighted to see that prices are starting to equalise back to normality! I’ll let you all know how that one fits when I collect it in a few weeks.

Mouth filling, oily, red, salty, sandy, sweet, toffee, fruity, big and unfiltered; this 2018 5yo is another great example of just how delicious young Ardnamurchan can be, if the right casks and right conditions allow for the balance to remain. It’s not an overt sherry bomb despite the colour (something that Ardnamurchan spirits seem to reject as standard), and it’s not a creamy, bright young upstart either. It’s a balance of those two elements.

Scoring wise, it’s up there as one of the fine examples of red Ardna, but there’s just something holding it back - it might be the heat, it might be the lack of saltiness for me, or perhaps it would benefit from a touch of peat to bring that earthier, grounding character into play. The Doddie Cask leads the way in earthy, robust, meaty Ardnamurchan. This is more aligned to the UK Exclusive CK.339 (also an Oloroso sherry butt) - just downright tasty whisky. Very good indeed, 7/10 on the DCNSA*.

Price wise - £95 is quite high if we’re being totally comparative across the spread of OB Ardnamurchan at £80/85, but the UK Exclusive I reference above was £90 and the Doddy Cask was £100, but there’s honourable reasons for that. Coming into 2025 we’re seeing a slight creep upwards in Ardnamurchan pricing due to taxes/duties levied. That said the 2015 bottling was £90 at launch, so a £5 creep is negligible.

It’s not isolated to Ardnamurchan, and historically Ardnamurchan and Adelphi have been very good to us with pricing. This is now just the price asked for single/double casked Ardnamurchan. If whisky is resonant, the price soon falls by the wayside and I’m totally ok with it.

All said and done, it’s another marker on the expanding graph of Ardnamurchan, and I’m delighted to continue my journey through the world of Ardnamurchan whisky unabashed, unperturbed and doubly motivated to make sure I have the most comprehensive picture of what this inimitable distillery has to offer. I absolutely love it.

UPDATE: 12-06-2025

So, after a bit of an intervention by the Big American Surfboard himself, Carl Crafts, it seems like this bottling is made up of different casks to that of which is both on the label, online and in my findings. It’s a bit of a shock, actually, because the casks are the following:

Cask 1: Unpeated Golden Promise into a First Fill Oloroso Butt

Cask 2: Peated spirit into a First Fill Oloroso Butt

This astounds me, for two reasons. The first is that I didn’t detect any of the malty, unctuous, syrupy notes that Ardnamurchan Golden Promise is renowned for, nor any overt smoke/peated spirit. There’s earthy notes in there, and some rubber and whatnot, but certainly nothing like the Sherry Cask Release, Doddy Cask or any of the other peated sherry casked Ardnamurchan I’ve tried.

I don’t know what to do with this information. I’ll update in the comments below when the cold I currently have clears and I can have another look. Absolute scenes.

Score: 7/10

*The Dougie Crystal New Scale of Ardnamurchan (‘tis a long story)

Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. DC

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