Malt Room Inverness - Ardnamurchan & Wild review
Recently, we took a film crew (and friends) to Lewis and this meant a stopover in Inverness. A quick check on Trip Advisor and the number one nightlife attraction in the city is a tiny whisky bar. We do love a city where the number one venue has an impressive whisky selection.
Purely for work purposes, we thought we might pop in.
The Malt Room in Inverness takes a little finding tucked down an alley behind a Victorian market. There we found the manager John Donaldson, a mathematician from Ardnamurchan that made us feel very welcome indeed. We are very glad his career took a different turn.
Opened in 2019 before the world went mad, you step through a low door into a beautifully designed modern bar. It’s a popular spot with many locals but also whisky fans like ourselves intrigued by this young teams’ energy and enthusiasm.
The whisky selection is vast and tempting but, like the hosts themselves, very friendly. The Daftmill is not hidden behind a cage, the inaugural releases are not kept for friends. This is an open atmosphere, with all welcome and it shows in everything they do.
In the middle of the pandemic they ran a whisky and donuts pairing, they regularly pair chocolate with whisky and recently they have started a ‘drams delivered’ service. High quality drams are delivered but the accompanying videos show off their personality and easy charm which is clearly part of their success.
John is joined by the owner Matt Macpherson in these beautifully shot, concise films. They really are a joy to watch. Talisker Distillers Edition, Clynelish 14 , Daftmill 2008 and Ardnamurchan have all featured recently so these are not ‘run of the mill’ whiskies. They introduce these whiskies without highbrow tasting notes but in, what we are discovering to be, their trademark open and friendly manner.
Our evening progresses and we were shown upstairs to the tasting room which has recently been refurbished. As John comes from Ardnamurchan it seemed fitting to taste a dram from his home area. Expecting (and being very happy with) the standard inaugural release we were surprised to see a full range from this new distillery.
The distillery is owned by Adelphi, highly respected Independent Bottlers and a byword for quality in the industry. Their first distillery has been incredibly popular and it has been very tricky to secure bottles, never mind the whole range. It seems the Malt Room is friendly with us but also Adelphi, giving them access to some rare but also popular drams.
So let’s taste shall we?
Ardnamurchan AD/04.21.03
65% bourbon cask, 35% sherry cask
50% unpeated, 50% peated
NCF and no colouring
Nose: A creamy, malty nose with bags of fruit and ginger biscuits. The beginnings of smoke with ripening, recently cut hay.
Larkfire: With just a few drops the fruit starts to come forward with pears and green apple skin.
Palate: The earthy, malt biscuit arrives and there is a slight oily texture which really helps the mouthfeel. Subtle salty chocolate and toffee is partially hidden by the oak.
Larkfire: A tiny splash opens up the oak and separates the elements. The base spirit is easier to split out and it’s a good one.
Finish: It’s a drinking whisky so the finish is not long. There is heather honey, pepper and fruit to enjoy.
We loved The Malt Room and the Ardnamurchan was a great dram to match with the venue. Both are unpretentious, fun and well worth seeking out. Adelphi could have charged double for these bottles and sold out but they chose not to. Instead they made it available to John, Matt and everyday drinkers like you and I.
In their way, John and Matt have an equally democratic, open way of introducing whisky to their audience. They use the terms ‘breathe in, sip and savour’ instead of the more affected ‘nose, palate and finish’ and this is a good sign of their personality. They use everyday language and have an infectious passion for their craft. Hats off to them and we can’t wait to visit again.