Annual Release - four-way collab | 57.4% ABV

To What Resonates

It’s quite peculiar, when you think about it, how some distilleries just seem to ‘click’ with a broad audience or customer base more than others - bearing in mind how ‘broad’ still means ‘rather niche’ within the wider scale of whisky consumers.

Of course these connections don’t just happen at random, as they are without exception the result of hard work – work beyond the actual production of whisky, which in its own right is also a lot of hard work. I feel as if in no small amount it revolves around ‘the human touch’, where your product becomes more than just a product. Where your bottle of whisky isn’t just a bottle of whisky, but is connected to names, faces, stories, tales, memories.

And of course as such, these connections will have to add to the overall experience and enjoyment of the whisky and can never, ever be a replacement, compensation or cover up for a lack of quality or excessive pricing. A good story will sell a bottle once. A good whisky will sell bottles many times over.

This, I feel, is one of the biggest success factors for a distillery like Ardnamurchan. Of course it starts with the quality of their whisky, which I feel will almost always be ‘up there’, but things then get elevated even further by the amount of transparency they provide and by the people involved in one way or another.

When your staff become your advocates and ambassadors as well and engage in actual dialogue and conversation with the community, they’re not just ‘approachable’, they are an integral part of the whisky community. A ‘brand’ gets a face, and in Ardnamurchan’s case: many faces – Alex, Connal, Graeme, Jenny, DJ… and it works because, apart from working for a distillery where selling booze is their livelihood, they too are whisky botherers themselves. Just as geeky, fussy and invested about everything whisky as you and I.

Combine that with a work ethos of taking pride in making your whisky as good as it can be, et voila. Now of course this all seems like stating the obvious, because who wouldn’t want to make something as good as it possibly can be? Well, there’s the fact that things like stakeholders and branding and all other sorts of money-driven decisions can have a serious impact on just how good the end result can be. And with an independently owned and run company like Adelphi/Ardnamurchan, it seems branding has quality at the heart and centre of things. Luckily, I will add.

Review 1/4 - Earie Argyle

Ardnamurchan Paul Launois 2026 edition, 8yo (2017 - 2026), matured in bourbon casks and finished in Paul Launois Champagne barriques, 5726 bottles, 57.4% ABV
£65 paid at auction, excl. fees & shipping, still some spotty availability

I can’t speak for the man obviously, but it’s fair to say that if there‘s one person who has more than ‘clicked’ with Ardnamurchan, it’s our very own Dougie Crystal.

Becoming enamoured with whisky not that long after Ardnamurchan started releasing their first batches of single malt, it’s fair to say Our Doog has taken a particular liking for just about everything coming out of that remote distillery on Scotland’s west coast.

His many contributions to Dramface suggest he also likes other whisky, but I don’t think anyone on team Dramface - and arguably anyone reading Dramface - has built quite the connection with Ardnamurchan in the same way Dougie has, with the back catalogue to prove it.

In a way, I do feel quite some admiration, as he has managed to become laser-focused on one particular distillery, building a depth of experience, insight and knowledge as he goes, without wearing blinkers or being oblivious to what’s going on in the rest of whisky wonderland. It’s not collecting for collecting sake, but from a genuine interest, fascination and fondness of the distillery profile and above all a keen mind to go out and explore as much as possible.

It enables him to build an exhaustive mental library of what is and what makes Ardnamurchan - in its many shapes, sizes and presentations – what it is at its core; and how, when and where it alters, develops, changes and gravitates back and forth from that core, depending on what variables they decide to throw into the mix. Be it barley types, fermentation process, casks, bottling strength or all of these combined, it’s a precious thing and should be admired and cherished, I reckon.

Especially considering how I don’t see myself capable of doing what Doog has done and keeps on doing. If Doog is a faithful husband to Ardnamurchan with plenty of friends left, right and centre, I am, as Roy from Aqvavitae so eloquently puts it; whisky promiscuous.

Sure I have favourites among the hundreds and hundreds of options available to us today, but also I am keen and eager to try as much as possible, provided my standards are met (and I feel it’s important I emphasize this as it’s probably what lifts me from being a complete whisky trollop, as that would be someone who makes out with even the cheapest and dirtiest of blends or the lousiest of malts). I may be a floozy, but then at least I can pride myself on being a picky floozy…

Score: 8/10

**Something special.**
***TL;DR***
*Fruity, spicy, coastal delight!*

Nose

Rich – fermented fruit notes and warm spices. Roasted nuts, grilled citrus and pineapple. Perhaps even a hint of Jaffa Cakes. A soft salinity and mineral note reminiscent of sea breeze, adding not just complexity but countering the spice and fruit notes. This isn’t just promising, it’s downright impressive! I would be happy to just sit here and nose this all evening! With some water that signature Ardnamurchan combo of fruit and coastal elements become more accentuated.

Palate

Spicy-herbal arrival with ginger, a whiff of pepper, clove and dried oranges. Quite some fruit (apricot, rhubarb) on a somewhat dense and dry mouthfeel.

Despite this being north of 57% ABV, I find it quite palatable neat, but it’s also a bit closed. So let’s add some water to help open things up.

Oh yes! The salinity booms and there’s a slightly dry-woody note intertwined with (dried) fruit notes. The mouthfeel remains dense and dry, but also becomes a bit fizzy/effervescent. Rich and complex and overall absolutely excellent.

The Dregs

Packed to the brim with flavour and a lot of complexity with an impressive development to add to the overall joy. If you ever needed convincing that Ardnamurchan is a top-class distillery producing top class single malt: this is it.

That is all; really…

Score: 8/10 EA

Review 2/4 - Broddy Balfour

Ardnamurchan Paul Launois 2026 edition, 8yo (2017 - 2026), matured in bourbon casks and finished in Paul Launois Champagne barriques, 5726 bottles, 57.4% ABV

CAD$140 paid

Ever since I’ve gotten my hands on the first Ardnamurchan Paul Launois (AD/06:22), I knew I was onto a fun little vein in the whisky realm. Unfortunately, I missed out on the 2023 version, but was able to snag the 2024 release.

Only a handful of cases come to Canada and they are rapidly snapped up within a day or two of release. I was caught snoozing on the 2023. Fast forward to June 2026 and the slow-moving container ship crossed the Atlantic and the importer had a full shipment of other whiskies to make shipping more palatable. I snagged this bottle the day it was released, leaving nothing to chance. Fool me once and all that. I only bought a single bottle so I’m hoping, and also not hoping, this is a stunner. Maybe I’ll be the fool again, fool me twice.

Once I received the bottle, I immediately checked if it had been reviewed yet. Surely Mr. Ardna himself, our very own Dougie Crystal, has reviewed this already.

Nope. Well then, for once, the usual delay in receiving Scottish whiskies has worked out in my favor. A quick note into the Dramface writer’s chat and the inception for this review began and I get to collaborate, well after the global release.

Gotta love it when a plan comes together.

Score: 7/10

**Very good indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*Bright and fizzy, but stay for the uber-buttery mouthfeel*

Nose

Soft and syrupy smelling, belying the high-octane proof of this lovely colored liquid. But ye be warned, if you stick your beak too close, you’ll feel the full power. I find there are two dominant types of notes here: fruit and fermentation.

On the fruity side, I’ve got fresh strawberries, strawberry Danishes, fresh baked rhubarb pie.

On the fermentation-related notes, I get yeasty and sourdough related notes. Think yeast farts at the top of a fermenter, mixed with mid-rise sourdough levain. It provides a necessary counterpoint to the heavy fruits and is distinctly different from many other whiskies which tend to fill that gap with vanilla notes from American oak.

Sprinkled through these notes are veins of cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, and vanilla. Once in a while, white chocolate makes an appearance.

Palate

Immediately hit with a buttery and slightly syrupy mouthfeel upon entry to the facehole. The first sip does its job to slightly numb your tasting surfaces as the peppery cinnamon tingles dominate. Successive sips allow you to bring forth some golden notes (and feelings): fresh golden raisins, bright lemon citrus top notes, ripe nectarine and sweet grapefruit, all wrapped together with a fizzy effervescence that cleans your tongue and begs you for another sip rather than being cloying. The cinnamons and tannins (cheek puckers) never really go away but definitely move into the background.

This is a vibe whisky and transports me to summer. It is like a great crisp, clean white wine or semi-dry cider on a hot deck or patio in the summer, sun beaming onto my face as the day’s worries melt away, all shot in Kodak Gold. I can’t drink beer, so if you’re a beer person, insert your favorite bright, crisp, and clean beer instead in the previous storyboard.

Delicious.

The Dregs

This is a great whisky. A unique whisky, but not for the faint of heart with the significant bite and tannins present. But if you’re a flavor-chaser, this is your supercell. Find one. Try it. You’ll see what I mean. And if you do track one down, try to find this 2026 edition. The mouthfeel is excellent.

Compared to the 2024 edition, the nose is richer and more prominent. The palate is leaning heavier on the baking spices, attacking your tongue slightly more, but I look past that for the vastly more buttery and syrupy mouthfeel. Seriously, this 2026 is gorgeous in the mouthfeel department. Otherwise, the notes I get from previous versions are very similar, so if you’ve liked it in the past, this one will be right up your alley. I didn’t bother opening up my OG 06:22 bottling for this side-by-side, but I’m sure it’s similar.

I believe this is a collab article so I’m excited to see what other Dramface authors have said about this delectable whisky. In the spirit of collaboration, I’ve decided to be lazy (long work weeks folks) and not drag the camera out to snap some pics within this review since I believe our Dougie-san has stepped up to the plate to wow our photon receptors.

Score: 7/10 BB

Review 3/4 - Nick Fleming

Ardnamurchan Paul Launois 2026 edition, 8yo (2017 - 2026), matured in bourbon casks and finished in Paul Launois Champagne barriques, 5726 bottles, 57.4% ABV
£65 paid, excl. shipping to NYC

As a self-confessed and fully signed-up Ardnamurchan fanboy, I was inevitably going to chase this bottle. I’ve enjoyed previous releases, so not getting my hands on a bottle of the 2026 Launois release would have felt like a mistake (even allowing for the costs of getting it to NYC). Having tasted it, I’m doubly pleased to have made the effort. For me, it hits a lot my personal sweet spots.

Score: 8/10

**Something special.**
***TL;DR***
*The best Launois-finished release yet*

Nose

Malty, furniture polish, chocolate, soft citrus notes, something vegetal – and damp. Charred fruit (peach? pineapple?). Gentle note of smoked paprika. There’s lots going on in the glass. A little prickly on the nose.

This is a dram where it pays to nose at both the top and the bottom of the rim of your glass. The alcohol and associated prickling of the nose is more prominent at the bottom of the rim; alcohol is heavier than air so tends to concentrate more there. The nose at the top of the rim will be less prickly and will also likely reveal more of the underlying character of the dram. It definitely did for me.

Adding water calms it down a little (I added two drops), and the fruit notes become more prominent.

Palate

Great viscosity. It coats the palate and lingers.

Malted loaf, lemon, tobacco, chocolate, brown sugar, browned butter/burnt cream, leather, roasted walnut, stewed dried fruits – raisins, dates, apricots. Ginger and salted toffee. Honey infused with chili flakes.

And there’s a kind of unctuous bitterness late on the palate – ever so slightly reminiscent of an Amaro. Dry and oaky notes emerge on the finish – which becomes quite tannic (in a good way) as it fades.

Collectively, all the elements lean into the slightly mucky, grubby territory that I enjoy so much.

The Dregs

I need another couple more bottles of this, but I’m pretty sure that’s not happening.

This is lovely, very layered and slightly off-beat – in the best possible way. I Iove a dram that draws me in and makes me think about it. The malty, brown notes put me in mind of some of the old single malts that I’ve enjoyed in the past. Stuff from the 60s, 70s and 80s. The prominence (to me) of the malt and many of the other notes had me thinking of drams from the days of direct fired stills and the rest. It’s very satisfying. It’s also quite rich.

There’s a subtle and curious vegetal note that makes itself known at times. And also a hint of bitterness. I referenced the suggestion of an Amaro note, but it also reminded me of a distillery exclusive of Hampden rum that my son brought back from a recent trip to Jamaica. Once I was done with this dram, I took a sip of the Hampden and recognized the note. A kind of dirty, vegetal, composty note – but from the other side of the room somewhere.

Dare I say it makes the dram funky?

Anyway, this is a great one and – for me at least – the best Launois-finished release yet. If this is where this series is going as the Ardnamurchan spirit ages, then I remain fully onboard!

Score: 8/10 NF

Review 4/4 - Dougie Crystal

Ardnamurchan Paul Launois 2026 edition, 8yo (2017 - 2026), matured in bourbon casks and finished in Paul Launois Champagne barriques, 5726 bottles, 57.4% ABV
£65 paid, still some availability

Every year the Paul Launois Release garners excitement from the crowd, but the fervent grab for it has reduced significantly, making this release probably the most enjoyable of the lot. It’s still around now, if you’re keen enough to find it.

There’s been a flood of Paul Launois in the exciter circles - the AD/Venturer Club enjoyed their own release of Paul Launois shortly before the official release earlier this year.

So much gorgeous whisky is now available, and remaining available, from them bods at Glenbeg. It’s fantastic for folk like me, who love their whisky, but have found the chase of whisky less exciting in recent years. The universe speaks.

Score: 8/10

**Something special.**
***TL;DR***
*A brilliant whisky at a brilliant price*

Nose

Very aromatic - strong cedar, baked apples, pear drops - a lot of borderline chemical notes. Interesting - barber shops/bay rum. Jammy, slatey, mineralic. Sweets - gingerbread, toffee and all the good runny golden stuff. Zingy, but feels less so than previous years. Totally engaging.

Palate

Cedarwood and spice, floral, brown sugar, burnt sugar. It’s sweet and powerful. Buttercream, the mouthfeel is top - viscous and encompassing. Coastal threads throughout, it’s nutty, peppery, salty, sugary doughnuts, Dr.Pepper!? Lots of poached orchard fruits, and the characteristic zinginess in the back, cutting through the heft of the woods and sweets. It’s gorgeous.

The Dregs

I used the Drammr app to concoct my tasting notes - such a beautiful app and one that’s just been updated to include lots of new information - like the title of the bottle you’re logging.

Another brilliant whisky released at a brilliant price; engaging, visceral, full-bodied yet light on its feet. The Paul Launois release remains the highlight of the Ardnamurchan official release calendar. That my fellow Dramface writers have managed to grab one and, as you can see, thoroughly enjoyed it enough to take the lead on what’s usually a Dougie crowbar, makes my heart swell. It’s not all Doug smoke, but genuinely fantastic whisky that’s lighting up all corners of the whiskysphere.

Score: 8/10 DC

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

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