Mezcal & Golden Promise | 55% ABV

Score: 7/10

**Very Good Indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*Surprising new takes on the Glenbeg spirit.*

The Fire Rages Still

As the falasgair races across the hills, the resulting blue haze -drifting across the entirety of the island - is accentuated by the incoming Saharan dust cloud. It makes the view out the window a cinematic experience.

This seasonal burning of the moors, regenerating the soil beneath the smouldering heather, has been quite spectacular this year. The risk of these controlled burns losing their grip is echoed on the faces of the crofters who watch it unfold. The livestock mill around unperturbed by the flames, but the dry spell only amplifies the concern.

The falasgair regenerates, yes, but it also possesses the untameable power to consume anything in its path. If the horrific wildfires of Los Angeles last year, and Black Saturday of 2009 in Australia, are examples of what can happen if the ‘right’ circumstances meet with the wrong timing, it could quickly turn from cinematic to apocalyptic. But this is Scotland and those apocalyptic infernos would struggle to progress at this damp, miserable latitude, right?

Typically, during weeks where the sun arcs its radiant path across the unbroken blue sky, the death machines arrive. The angular fighter jets that tear at the heavens and boom through the glens; this area is a Tactical Training Zone, also known as “14T”.

Three or four times a year an A400M Atlas will soar along the hills across from our house, defying gravity; its huge bulk banking steeply to expose the four buzzing, 11,000hp Turboprop engines and their respective black and yellow counter-rotating propellers, that make this multi-role transporter an icon of the air (and film… Tom Cruise ran across the top of one before being dangled off the side, in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.)

Strangely the military have been quiet recently, despite the beautiful weather. As the fires spread the smoke thickened, and a blue murk formed stunningly beautiful sun rays over the tumbling landscape. They arrived in spectacular fashion, leaving thin contrails from their wingtips in their wake, as they flip-flopped from wing to wing, carving low streaks towards Portree before darting to the Western Isles. F-15 Strike Eagles, we concur, because of the twin tails and engines. But who knows. By the time the billy becks are produced and focused in, the grey jaggy darts are long gone.

What a glorious bout of sunshine we’ve had though. It’s regenerative for us people too, bringing much needed Vitamin D and some colour to the cheeks. The longer days, lighter nights and starry moonlit skies regenerate just as much. I love this place.

The April holidays arrive just in time to catch drooping shoulders and we’re asked where we’re heading for the break. We’re staying put; we’re already living in our holiday destination.

It’s been a busy old time, but as I see off a post-illness shadow still casting its irritant in the throat, my appreciation of whisky as a means to pass the time has returned. Sometimes we need a bit of our own falasgair to burn away the overgrowth and expose the soul below to the sunlight, allowing it to regrow more healthy; more vital.

The rain returns, dousing the flickering bands of orange that continue deep into the night. In the morning it’s as if nothing ever happened. The land looks green, not black, and there’s no smoky blue haze in the air. The sun appears through the grey clouds in fits and starts, drying the ground.

As the Crystal rent-a-mob settled into the Easter break, the weather looked decidedly patchy, so we rolled the dice and headed for Elgol, where the full majesty of the Cuillin range rolls out before us like a painting. A peaceful little fishing village, Elgol is at the end of a long winding single-track road. It’s still shoulder season - this will become a waking nightmare for locals come summer.

I look across to Ord, where I set off on a sea kayaking odyssey of reprehensible fortune - one of the sunniest days in the whole of 2024 made the sea billiard flat, the sun warmed our chilled faces and the refracted ocean floor was visible from our bobbing composite vantage points. We trailed our hands in the water as we paddled, collecting little jellyfish in our hands and watched the sun’s rays get eaten by the depths in shimmering globs, as the fresh spill from an estuary mingled with the salty coastal waters. Much the same as when you add water to whisky; those swirling oily manifestations.

Each night, upon our return from jaunting about the place, I’ve kicked the evening off with a dram of remarkably good Leith 10yo Blended whisky. Legacy it's called and its fantastic value for £28. Food for thought.

The big hitters come out. I’m lining myself up behind this Ardnamurchan 8-ball, so I’ve been sampling quite a few of the more recent offerings from the Glenbeg warehouses of joy.

The first is the 2024 Madeira Cask Release; still making me swoon. Then the more recent Mezcal Cask Release, which arrived as a wee surprise personal gift from oor Commander in Chief.

We are constantly spoiled by the folks at Ardnamurchan and I always jump at the chance of new takes of that inimitable west coast spirit, but this time I wavered on account of reasons covered in my last review. Unexpected and so generous, this will be the first of my three bottles under review here today - with thanks to Wally.

The words “Golden Promise” have been used a lot more frequently in the years 2024 and 2025 than they have been since I first got into whisky in 2021. For me, the hard to handle heritage grain is intrinsically linked to Ardnamurchan, ever since the hand-fill of dreams hit my lips in April 2024.

Since then we’ve seen a smattering of Golden Promise based Ardna in the guise of hand-fills, of course, and a trio of releases all featuring very similar whiskies: The Good Spirits Company, The Whisky Exchange and The George Hotel releases all featured Oloroso-casked Golden Promise distilled whiskies and all were stunningly good. I’ve also had a few other hand-fills of Golden Promise Oloroso octaves and all have been really interesting.

Of those three, I rinsed The George Hotel bottle in a matter of weeks. I held off buying any of the others because of the similarities, and fingers in different whisky pies, but curiosity eventually got the better of me and I bought one of The Good Spirits bottles, which - due to diligent drip-feeding - were miraculously still in stock many months after release. This is the second of the bottles under review today.

The final bottle I'm considering here today - the one that arrived a few weeks ago and was excitedly awaited ever since the email landed in our AD/Venturer inboxes - is an unfettered, untickled, unpeated, Golden Promise Ardnamurchan spirit matured exclusively in a single bourbon cask.

I’ve been really looking forward to trying this because of the generally held opinion that bourbon matured spirits are more honest, more pure or more open to explore the true spirit of a distillery’s character, without too much influence of other spirits or wines tainting the flavour. The very essence of Ardnamurchan then, using a heritage grain for ultimate texture.

More so, I'm just excited to add more information to the Ardnamurchan dictionary. It's been a wee while since something different has been released from Glenbeg, and the Mezcal and bourbon Golden Promise are the first to be released from the hillside warehouses.

Off we go.

Review 1 of 3

Mezcal Cask Release | 7yo Peated Spirit | 55% ABV
£70 Available Online and Offline, if you’re dedicated enough.

Score: 7/10

**Very Good Indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*A unique take, but with the same coastal joy that Ardnamurchan excel at.*

Nose

Ardna - salty, coastal, rocks, minerallic, sweet. Feels inherently Ardna. Smoke, lightly on the wind. Chorizo. Lime zest. Permanent marker. Lime Skittles. New car smell. Maoam or Chewitt medley. Almost Kilkerran new-make creamy peat.

Palate

Sweet and rocky. Woah! It’s savoury, salty, white meaty. Salt ‘n Pepper Chicken with a spritz of lemon juice. Then Sea Salt & Crushed Black Peppercorn Kettle Chips. Wee bit of blueberry. Fajita BBQ salt rub. Grilling peppers. Naan baking. Parma violets. Bit of rubber ball.

Review 2 of 3

The Good Spirits Company | Single Cask 1060 | 6yo | Oloroso Golden Promise, 58.9% ABV
£85 Sold Out.

Score: 8/10

**Something Special.**
***TL;DR***
*Wonderful stuff. The GP really brings more to this Oloroso party.*

Nose

Strawberry chewitts. Cedarwood. Strawberry laces. Maple syrup on icing sugar dusted pancakes. French toast. Vinegary fish and chips! Honey glazed salmon.

Palate

Gorgeously thick and red syrupy magic. Cedars. Salty. Red fruits. Jam. Viscous. Pine? Cinnamon cookies. Fireworks. Burnt toast.

Review 3 of 3

AD/Venturer Club | Single Cask 1069 | 6yo Bourbon Golden Promise 59.6% ABV
£75 Sold Out.

Score: 7/10

**Very Good Indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*It’s singular, and it’s pure, but it doesn’t move from that path. Delicious nonetheless.*

Nose

Malty. Earthy. Ramen noodles (EIS). Leafy. Tropical - pineapple in tin. Raw sweetcorn. Coconut husk. Olive Oil. Halloumi frying. Tropical burst leads to malty. Milk chocolate. Thompsons World of Furniture - leather armchair showroom. Cinnamon crackers. Wall paint.

Water - Sweetness increases - white chocolate.

Palate

Big. Spicy. Very Hot. Rich. Prickly. Malty exocet. Hot honey.

Water is essential. Sugar arrives big licks. Granulated. Honey on porridge. Almost Speyside - metallic. Doesn’t feel “Ardna”. Lack of coastal, it’s salty aye but not… Maritime?

The Dregs

Ever since the Rum Cask Release landed in my facehole flat footedly, and despite the cheers sounding around the Ardnamurchan exciterville, I’ve been tense when a niche casked or finished Ardna is announced. The ‘Cask Release’ series have been overwhelmingly great, each one bringing a different angle and each one delicious… Except the Rum Cask Release; horses for courses, we don’t all share the same palates.

Never having tried Mezcal, the release notes of a more vegetal, more savoury Ardnamurchan intensified my concern, leading me to take a pass on the release. I have to hedge my bets at the minute, and £70 on a whisky that might live in the garage like the Rum Cask Release was just too risky. I’m very fortunate that Wally is such a generous fellow, because this is a fantastic, engaging, alternative take on the coastal spirit de jour.

On the nose it’s immediately sweet and inviting, bringing that sandy, seaweed-tinged coastal air to the nose hairs and reminding the senses what a joy Ardnamurchan whisky is. There’s a bit of citrus in there too, but nothing much given away.

Through the palate the Mezcal impresses. Again, an initial sweet hit that quickly morphs into a sizzling black pepper lemon chicken; it’s clear something unique has happened during the 20 months in the Mezcal cask.

It’s not dulling or flattening of the experience, like the Rum Cask; instead opening up the flavour stage to embrace these little savoury hits of basil leaf and tomato sauce. All notes build on top of the base of salty, sweet, coastal syrup.

I love that the Mezcal influence elevates the experience. I feel it’s what the Rum should’ve done. Maybe I’m being unfair; so I dig out the dusty Rum Cask Release and pour a dram to remind myself. Sure enough, alongside the Mezcal, the Rum feels like a rounded corner: sweet, stable and a bit hot.

The Mezcal, by comparison, is grippy through flavour rather than heat. It feels saucy, if that sauce was peppery crispy chilli chook. A very balanced combination of sweet, savoury, salty and sours here, and I really like it.

One thing that’s bringing together this entire equation is that all the casks used in this Mezcal release are peated. It’s quite remarkable that in all the time I’ve spent with this bottle (down past the half-way mark in a week or so), I never realised it’s peated: I’ve never scanned the QR code. I like a bit of blindness to avoid preemptive opinion forming. Yet when I scanned it just now, I was shocked to see this release uses 100% peated spirit. Maybe I’m becoming peat-blind where Ardna is concerned. Aye there’s a coastal smoke wafting gently through, but I just took that as regular old Ardmanurchan character. But then again…what is “Ardnamurchan Character”?

It’s the core range expression: the go-to flavour profile for their whisky overall, and that expression is very much peated. 50% peated, in fact. That makes sense now as to why it feels so inherently “Ardnamurchan” versus the Golden Promise to come, especially on the nose.

*The Cask Release series so far. What’s next?*

Leading on to the Golden Promise duo, I spend a lot of time with the bourbon single cask first, because I need to appraise it in isolation. When I opened it, the first thing that hit me was grain - the smell of grain. Big soft malty notes and chatting with the EIS - Englishman, Irishman, Scotsman collective; all resident Dramface bods - the general consensus is that of dry ramen noodles.

I’m not getting much in the way of the coastal character through the thickness of the grain’s presence. It’s definitely a recognisable flavour though, because when I turn to the Oloroso GP, that same malty note is present here too. But this is where I diverge and get a bit twitchy. The Good Spirits bottling is gorgeous - malty yes, but also red fruity, salty and decadent. The malty character of the GP grain integrates beautifully in that landscape, and it’s complimentary.

Alone and isolated, the overwhelming nature of the bourbon GP character sort of does what the Rum Cask Release did - it homogenises, to an extent. It becomes the Golden Promise show, rather than the boosted Ardnamurchan show. The maltiness of the spirit makes for an engaging textural exploration: unctuous and thick, mouth coating. But once you’ve become accustomed to that gloopy scene, I find myself waiting for the classic Ardnamurchan train to arrive, but it never does.

That’s not a fault of the whisky, nor a criticism. That’s simply an unfulfilled expectation of my own manifestation, because this isn’t ‘regular’ Ardnamurchan. It’s using a totally different grain strain than standard, in an unpeated bourbon cask, which is something I don’t gravitate towards anyway. If Ardnamurchan is at its best in red, then this is already on the back foot.

It’s wonderful to experience just how potent Golden Promise is - the malty, syrupy presence that bullies its way through the Ardna spirit, would be fantastic when deployed alongside other things, maybe as part of The Midgie, or even the core range AD/. It works beautifully when integrated with Oloroso, and goodness knows it all depends on what the cask has done too for balancing out the cask influence with the spirit inside.

The single cask comes in hot, and demands water to tame the prickly spice. I find myself reaching for the water even after getting up to tempo, even though I prefer all whisky at its natural presentation. Just a drop or two to take that sear off, and we’re back in the game.

It’s really good. As an Ardnamurchan Ultra, this is a niche exploration vessel and is exactly what the AD/Venturer Club should be bottling for us - unique expressions of their wonderful whisky.

In conclusion, it seems that my expectations have been upended, as whisky is so bloody wonderful at doing. I came to this trio expecting the Mezcal to be the quirky but singular whisky, the Good Spirits to be a reminder of incredible whisky, and the Golden Promise to open my mind to a new world of Ardnamurchan.

What’s happened instead is the Golden Promise has shown a new, interesting yet singular example of Ardnamurchan, the Good Spirits Oloroso GP has reiterated that my love for Ardnamurchan grows inside their red casks, and the Mezcal has widened the viewing angle of Ardnamurchan - that of a more savoury, peppery, lemony scene. Fantastic. All of it. But the Mezcal is the big surprise here.

Sherry Cask, Madeira Cask, Rum Cask, Sauternes Cask and now the Mezcal Cask. All interesting and unique, and all amplifying what fantastic whisky Ardnamurchan are producing.

Three questions remain. What’s next for the Cask Release series, and when can we try it? And what whisky am I going to blend with the bourbs Golden Promise to see how that gloop affects the overall experience?

Score: 7/10

*The view from Elgol towards The Cuillin Range (Click for big one)*

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

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