Tag Archives: Ardnamurchan

2025 Whisky Show – Independent Bottlers Mainstage with Adelphi, Thomspon Bros, The Heart Cut

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If you’ve been following this blog for some time, you would know I’m a big fan of independent bottlers with several favourites. So when I saw London’s Whisky Show had a mainstage session devoted to independent bottlers, I knew we had to go! And I’m so glad we did – yes there were two familiar bottlers but the last one was a revelation and made us into firm fans!

With Dawn Davies, Georgie Bell (The Heart Cut), Phil Thompson (Thompson Brothers), Alex Bruce (Adelphi)

Cutting Through Tradition: A New Take on Independent Bottlings

Indie bottlings have long been a brilliant way to discover a different side to the world of whisky. There is now a new generation bottling casks with their own interests and palates. Dawn Davies MW, Georgie Bell from The Heart Cut, Alex Bruce from Adelphi and Phil Thompson from Thompson Brothers will explore this new wave.

Some mainstage sessions are very focused on a single distillery or dram. Going deep into the details of a single place and expression.

This was the opposite. There was an engaged discussion across multiple themes, a range of distilleries, industry trends, and insights.

Dawn kicked the session off by asking Alex Bruce, Managing Director, how the industry has changed over his 21 years with Adelphi? Alex shared that, starting in the early phase with just 3 casks, the involvement of Ian Macleod, long lunches with Peter Russel, Charlie McLean… he began at a time when one could “buy almost anything” and select the very best. Today it is the opposite.

By contrast, Phil Thompson shared how it was harder to fit into this space when he and his brother Simon started. It was the “end of the age of innocence”. The market was in flux… one could still get some good bottles, but there was a lot out there that really wasn’t fair value. Questions about “Can I sell it?” became the primary question for many players, where marketing budgets drove the game more than malts themselves.

Shifting to the newest player, Georgie Bell admitted it was challenging to start new – just in September 2023 – in a completely different environment! From the bountiful options Alex had experienced, Georgie and her husband Fabrizio Leoni opened The Heart Cut at a time when distilleries were closing, and the market was full of many independent bottlers. She was clear – they knew they couldn’t even try to compete with established players. Instead, they focused on world whiskies – passionate about the people and places they travelled. There is an authenticity and enthusiasm about The Heart Cut’s approach which is infectious!

But what about the whisky, you ask?

  • Adelphi – The Cargill 5 year Ardnamurchin and Cadrona Whisky Blend 57.5% ~GBP 100
  • Thompson Bros – “Error 502 Bad Gateway” Blended Malt 12 year (29 Sep 2025) 49%
  • The Hearts Cut #08 – St George Spirits (26 July 2016 – 17 Nov 2023) California Ale 54%

We began with Adelphi! Alex shared their initial experience beyond Scotland was in 2015 with a Japanese whisky – leading to their “Fusion” range. When they discovered New Zealand’s Cardrona, it was something they had to put together with their in-house distillery – Ardnamurchin. The result was “The Cargill” – inspired by the story of Will Cargill who led 350 migrants from Scotland to New Zealand in 1847.

The Cargill 5 year Ardnamurchan and Cadrona Whisky Blend 57.5%

  • Nose – Fruity, floral, young cereals, sweet vanilla, a happy dram
  • Palate – Here is where we knew this was no lightweight – at cask strength, black peppers, dark berries
  • Finish – Strong
  • Water – Just a few drops opened this blend up beautifully

This whisky blend combined the styles of two quite different distilleries and countries – the heavier Ardnamurchan with the brighter, wine-influenced Kiwi distiller Cardrona.

We then moved on to another blend – this time from Thompson Bros. The label gave a few clues – it wasn’t a single malt, only 1 bottle exists, and it may be a Dalmore blend, as Dalmore distillery is in Alness. Phil then disclosed it is 85% Teaninich 12 year from an ex-bourbon barrel with 15% Dalmore 15 year.

Thompson Bros “Error 502 Bad Gateway” Blended Malt 12 year (29 Sep 2025) 49%

  • Nose – Rich and complex, heavy with peat and sherry, yet not too much
  • Palate – The complexity carries through, quite a powerful combination
  • Finish – Long and strong
  • Water – Adds a lot – opens up into a burst of fruits, sweetens the peat

Dornoch Distillery was founded by the Thomson brothers Phil and Simon in 2016. In Dornoch, Sutherland they bottle both single malts from their distillery and independent bottlings of other distilleries. For their distillery, their focus is on heritage barley varieties, playing around with local brewers’ yeasts, and leveraging the seasonal variation in cask maturation.

We closed with the newest independent bottler… and I will admit the expression blew us away! So much so that we went straight after the session to The Heart Cut stand, tried nearly everything on offer, then went to the show store to buy a trio for a future Bombay Malt & Cigar / Whisky Ladies evening. As this expression was not available, I then booked it online and collected it the next day from The Whisky Exchange. We then later purchased a further set of bottles, plus some “pocket pours!” Can you say hooked?

Let me begin with a clear caveat – what we tried is not technically whisky! Georgie shared their goal is to connect Distiller with drinkers, starting with a group of friends. If they are excited about the liquid, it makes it easy to promote.

The Heart Cut #08 – St George Spirits (26 July 2016 – 17 Nov 2023) California Ale 54%

  • Nose – An exuberant floral perfume, lots of chamomile, rose water, Indian mithai (condensed milk), generous apricot, an orange blossom tea
  • Palate – The perfume perfuses, joined by sage. A lovely texture, delicious, sweet, and satisfying
  • Finish – Is that lemongrass? Distinctly different in a lovely way

We knew it was matured in a California ale cask, yet it was more like buttery brioche than beer! It was very different – an experimental malt that began as a beer, then was distilled and matured in not only an ale cask, but also bourbon and tequila! It was fun, a complete departure, and simply enchanting! As Georgie shared, “I like it, I sell it, even if it isn’t whisky!”

This triggered a further round of remarks on the state of the industry, contemplating what the future of Independent bottlers will look like? Who will survive, evolve, change….

Alex believes there are very tough times ahead, and it will get rid of those who aren’t there for the right reasons. The cash challenge is real. For Adelphi, the plan is to stick to their proven methods, hope can continue to obtain ‘tradeable” quality, overall optimistic that despite the tough times, the good ones should survive.

Phil shared that supply and demand shifts don’t necessarily mean independents will get the thin end of the wedge. They can help open doors to collaborative products, help those distilleries that are struggling to move product, yet are sellable.

As Georgie shared, their approach is to shine a light on the new / smaller players, there is a different “drinks value” – with heart, soul, grit, passion, will hopefully succeed along with the distilleries they partner.

With that, Dawn closed the session – with the note that people want value, and if your pricing is on point, people will buy.

I can’t wait to see what Mainstage sessions will be part of the 2026 Whisky Show in London!

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What’s in a Name? April Fool!

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Last summer, I missed an interesting session with the Bombay Malt & Cigar gents with the theme “What’s in a Name?“.  The inspiration for this theme obviously came from how the whiskies were dubbed inventive titles such as “Peace, Love & Whisky“, “Memories” plus this one called “April Fool’s”! All three were from independent bottlers – the initial two were from Simply Whisky and this last whisky was bottled by The Whisky Exchange.

Very kindly they kept aside samples for me to experience solo. 

As background, for those not familiar with the story, Ardnamurchan is the Highland distillery recently re-opened by independent bottlers Adelphi. The original distillery stopped production in the early 20th century and its current avatar officially opened in 2014. Ardnamurchan produces both unpeated and peated single malts.

So… what did I think about this expression?

Ardnamurchan 5-year “April Fool – Extremely Old, I wish I were Younger” (2022) 53.2% (The Whisky Exchange) 1575 bottles. GBP 75

    • Colour – Bright gold
    • Nose – What first greets you is a decided sour aroma. A cross between sour apple sauce and a balsamic reduction. It then opened up to woods, toasted nuts, smoked meats, heavy caramel, warm and oily, some fruits
    • Palate – Hot and spicy! There are more smoked meats, joined by smoked fish, sweet spices, and more of that oily element. Certainly this would be part of their peat expressions…
    • Finish – Strong, hot, bitter and long
    • Water – Don’t mind if I do! It helps, it really helps.
      • On the nose, it brings out some fruit sauce – like a mix of apples and others. the sweet spices of ginger, allspice, nutmeg and cloves peak out.
      • With a generous splash, it also tames the palate, allowing more of the sweetness to come through – some fudge with a ginger honey glaze topped by a coastal salt spray
      • The finish too becomes much more approachable
  • Have you had salmon on cedar plank? Somehow it reminded me a bit of that once watered down, settling a bit. This is no sprightly romp through the park. Instead, it is more like tromping through a deep forest in autumn.

    I’ll have to admit that until I added a dollop of water (no mere carefully measured drops!), I wasn’t so enthusiastic about this dram. However, with water, I could see this being the bracing accompaniment to coming in from the cold.

    That shared, I had trouble reconciling this not-so-thrilling experience with the positive buzz I’ve heard and read about Ardnamurchan. Me thinks in the upcoming September London Whisky Show, we’ll have to spend some time exploring to make a more informed determination for ourselves.

  • What more do we know? This whisky has been aged in first-fill ex-Bourbon casks for 5 years before being bottled at cask strength.

    Here is what the folks at The Whisky Exchange have to say:

    Our April Fool’s 2022 special release is wise beyond its years. Distilled at Ardnamurchan under the watchful eye of the Adelphi Distillers team, this five-year-old whisky combines centuries of tradition with modern whisky making to create a fruity dram, run through with a gentle seam of peat smoke. The whisky’s details are hidden on the label, only revealed when you shine a UV torch on them – April Fool!

    Compliments of my friends this is what the bottle looks like to the “naked eye”.

    And under the black light? This is what you can see… sort of… revealing that it is a mere 5-year-old upstart!

    What else was sampled in an evening devoted to What’s in a Name?“:

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BMC July 2023 edition – What’s in a Name?

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Last summer, I missed an interesting session with the Bombay Malt & Cigar gents with the theme “What’s in a Name?“.  The inspiration for this theme obviously came from how the whiskies were dubbed: “Peace, Love & Whisky”, “Memories” and “April Fool’s”! All three were from independent bottlers – two from Simply Whisky and one from The Whisky Exchange. The gents kindly kept samples aside for me – yeah!

So what did we try from the evening of “What’s in a Name?“:

What an interesting concept! Curious to see the results? Click on the links above and live vicariously through my notes! Or share your experiences too!

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Dream Dram – Adelphi’s Miltonduff 40 year old 50.4%

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We were on the quest for a “Dream Dram” at London’s Whisky Show 2023… which meant we simply had to prioritize getting to the folks from Adelphi. 

Folks who know me well, know that I have a soft spot for several independent bottlers. I appreciate the hard work that goes into creating a whisky, yet equally appreciate those who aspire to pre-select unique, sometimes quite rare special bottles. Before they opened their Ardnamurchan distillery, these folks were known for bringing out some exceptionally rare remarkable drams.

This is why I knew I was in good hands with my top choice for Dream Dram – the Miltonduff 40 year old!  Our guide shared how it was matured in refill Bourbon hogshead, enabling the flavours to slowly ease into the liquid gold.

Miltonduff 40 year (1982) 50.4% (Adelphi) GBP 700

Incredibly elegant with a beautiful, delicate nose, lightly floral with orchard fruits. And on the palate? It was effervescent, almost sparkling like a bubbly champagne! Bright, oaky spice, with more apples & pears, creamy and even a hint grassy….. The finish was equally elegant, though from our simple light sips, not so long.

We didn’t even notice the relatively high cask strength for a 40 year old! Only later did I observe this must have meant very little escaping into the angel’s share. Perhaps that contributed to the sparkling quality we found!

I had planned to return to explore whiskies from their distillery – Ardnamurchan – however, alas we didn’t manage to make it back! One simply can’t do everything at a show!

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