Ardnamurchan Scotch Whisky and Blockchain

[SaltyStaves]

I recently picked up a bottle of the second release from new distillery Ardnamurchan.

At around 5-6 years old, its young for a Scotch, but it has a profile that I gravitate towards and the first edition sold out fairly quickly, so it was an easy purchase decision when the new batch showed up.

The Scotch Whisky Association has strict rules on how much information a producer can divulge to the customer about the makeup of the Whisky (yeap, that is as crazy as it sounds). Ardnamurchan are getting around some of these restrictions by storing the info in the blockchain. There is a unique QR code on the back of every bottle and this is what I got after scanning mine.

Continued in the following post..

[SaltyStaves]

This is where things get nerdy for a distiller, because it is rare to be able to look over all of the barrels that went into a batch. I was presented with a 2 page pdf of all the casks, their age, wood type and what warehouses they were stored in.

I thought this was very cool as I'm messing around with blending at home with peated and unpeated and balancing bourbon casks with sherry casks etc. This gives me a look behind the curtain and lets me analyze what is in the glass with a lot more insight. It also encourages me to compare with later releases (which is very good marketing).

Just thought I'd share.

[NormandieStill]

That's rather awesome. The newer scottish distilleries seem to be doing well in making very drinkable young whiskys. I drank some of their 5 year old single malt back in the early 2010s and was very impressed. It was smooth in a way that I had come to expect of 10 to 12 year old single malts.

[SaltyStaves]

I drank some of their 5 year old single malt back in the early 2010s and was very impressed.

Ardnamurchan started producing in 2014.

[NormandieStill]

I drank some of their 5 year old single malt back in the early 2010s and was very impressed.

Ardnamurchan started producing in 2014.

Yeah. I missed a sentence in my explanation. I drank some of the 5-year old whisky from Kilchoman. Also a young distillery.

[SaltyStaves]

Ah. Yes, Kilchoman makes some good young whisky.

[Twisted Brick]

Quite the enlightening post, Salty. One wonders if Ardnamurchan divulging its distilling detail is a one-off or if other distilleries might deem the practice valuable enough to follow suit.

Thanks for posting.

[SaltyStaves]

Thanks Twisted Brick.

It might encourage more people to request the info from other distilleries. If they keep having to answer requests as people get more thirsty for info, they may just pull their fingers out and do it.

[Twisted Brick]

It might encourage more people to request the info from other distilleries. If they keep having to answer requests as people get more thirsty for info, they may just pull their fingers out and do it.

It reminds me of the first time lyrics got printed on an album with the Beatles’ Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club .