Ardnamurchan 2017 AD/ Paul Launois Fifth Release 9 Years Old

Released in 2026 from 2017 distilled spirit, this is the fifth Paul Launois Release from Ardnamurchan, a 9 Years Old expression bottled at 57.4% ABV for the European market. The release marks the longest aged expression in the Champagne cask collaboration with Paul Launois of Le Mesnil sur Oger to date.

Both peated and unpeated production runs from the distillery's split regime feed this release. Concerto barley is milled into a copper topped semi lauter mash tun, fermented 72 to 120 hours in seven stainless steel washbacks on a single strain distiller's yeast, then double distilled through wash and spirit stills with reflux boil balls to a new make of 74 to 76% ABV. Spirit was filled at 63.5% for nine years of primary maturation in ex Bourbon casks before finishing in ex Paul Launois Blanc de Blancs Champagne casks at Glenbeg.

The longer primary maturation phase deepens the ex Bourbon contribution, with vanillin, oak lactones and the slower Maillard products of toasted oak sugars more fully developed than in earlier shorter aged releases. Paul Launois Blanc de Blancs casks finish the spirit with residual wine compounds from Grand Cru Chardonnay grown on chalk soils, layering bright citrus, brioche, autolytic lees notes and chalky mineral register on top. Peated phenols (guaiacol, syringol, 4 methylguaiacol from St Fergus Highland peat at 30 to 35 ppm) carry as structural smoke, with the nine year integration giving more bedded in character than earlier releases.