AD Paul Launois Western Highland (700 ml)

Ardnamurchan Distillery, built in 2014 on the most westerly point of the British mainland, draws cooling water from the River Glendrian and is powered entirely by renewable energy — a deliberate founding principle, not a retrofit. The peninsula's exposure to Atlantic weather systems, combined with its coastal elevation and rocky, peat-laced terrain, drives rapid maturation and imparts a saline maritime character that distinguishes it from eastern Highland peers.

This expression is finished in casks sourced from Paul Launois, the small Blanc de Blancs Champagne house based in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, whose barrels carry residual Chardonnay lees character. The Champagne finishing layer sits over Ardnamurchan's core spirit, which is matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks before the finishing stage. Bottled at 46.8% ABV, non-chill filtered and natural colour.

What separates this release is the specificity of the Champagne source: Paul Launois is a grower-producer working exclusively Grand Cru Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs, meaning the finishing casks carry a mineral, citrus-driven lees signature rather than the broader fruit character of négociant barrels. The result is a coastal Highland malt with an unusually precise floral and chalky counterpoint to its Atlantic brine.