Ardnahoe Inaugural 5yr old

Treated to a generous sample, I was looking forward to this tasting. My first Ardnahoe. Not sure of what to expect. Throw on a movie and take it for a ride. N: Sweet peat. Muscular yet approachable. A very inviting nose. A touch of salinity with the phenols always conjures images of a beach bonfire. Butterscotch, orange rinds, lemon drops, black tea and, believe it or not, eucalyptus. A very eclectic aroma mix. P: The body is thin. Thinner than you would expect given the hearty nose. Fruity and spicy. The sherry notes is the first flavor that you encounter. Somewhat akin to Glendronach. The phenols coat the palate. But with it, an apple orchard, leather, cherries, demerura sugar, nougat and milk chocolate ( think 3 Musketeers bar). These flavors don’t all come out at once. Time and patience are rewarded. F: At the end of it all, the palate is left sooty, tarry, vanilla-d. Cigar and caramel remain forever. A nice long finish. W: Water sweetens the dram. I am unsure if it improves the dram or not. It does help open the nose, however. O: @PBMichiganWolverine best describe this: “Think if Ledaig and Balvenie had a child”. Spot on analogy. This has all the right elements and balance to make it a wonderful pour. More impressively, this is only five years young but sips as a very mature whisky. This is worthy of a spot in the cabinet if you find it. Thank you again @PBMichiganWolverine [94/100][Tasted: 6/7/24]

I usually treat inaugural releases as a marketing gimmick. Something new and shiny, bottled too soon, and limited release making it silly overpriced. Not to mention severely underwhelming in taste. Even if it’s bottled with a good age statement and taste great, there’s still that over-price factor ( Daftmill inugural comes to mind). Except for now. This is a 5yr old , respectable 50%, 70k bottle release, priced at a very affordable $75. And taste fantastic! Nose: wow, not expecting this…big smack of peat and smoke. Palette: this is where that use of sherry comes out. Initially soot and campfire, but then turns into apples, heather , red berries and cocoa. Think if Ledaig and Balvenie had a child. This is really impressive for a first release. And more so considering its for the mass market at a whopping 70,000 bottle release. They really wanted all to be able to afford it and, more importantly, OPEN it to drink, not to hoard. Till now, my favorite inaugural release ( that I actually opened and had) was Kilchoman, and more recently, Torabhaig. Others were simply too expensive ( Daftmill, Bimber), or simply “meh, it’s fine” ( Aber Falls, Lagg, Drumshambo, Cotswold, Filey Bay, Isle of Harris, Lochlea, Wolfburn, Mc’Nean). This is now my new favorite inaugural release, with the bonus factor of actually being damn good. Buy on sight. Sure, slightly pricey for a 5 yr old ( still not bad, considering Ardbeg Wee Beastie is $65 and not as good), but damn affordable for an inaugural release.