Woodrow’s of Edinburgh Ardnamurchan 7yo Cask #245 & Woodrow’s of Edinburgh Dailuaine 17yo Cask #303793

Woodrow’s of Edinburgh Ardnamurchan 7yo Cask #245 

Region: Highlands

ABV: 55.0%

Price: £77.95

Distilled on 13th March 2018 and matured for seven years in a single first fill bourbon barrel. It was bottled in October 2025 with an outturn of 255 bottles. 

Nose

The nose opens with soft vanillas, whipped cream, custard doughnuts, alongside a little coastal salinity. There's also hints of pear flesh, lemon balm, candle wax and fresh pressed green grape juice. It's a restrained nose, it doesn't jump out of the glass, but it's pleasant, and integrated nicely. There's a bit of mustiness in the background too, alongside some mushy apple as the nose opens up. 

Palate

The palate opens with a warm toffee and caramel sweetness, some rye biscuits, cinnamon sugar doughnuts, and a little hazelnut spread too. There's much more bourbon cask influence here, very unctuous, with a nice oily texture to the dram, and a bit of sea salt peeking through as the palate develops. It's got a bit of an alcohol kick, a mixture of black pepper and freshly grated ginger spice. There's a touch of grapefruit right on the finish, with a bit of bitterness coming through for us.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has more of a maritime aroma to it, sea spray and cold air, but there's still lots of the vanilla, whipped cream and even some stale sponge cake with almond icing showing through. The nose is still fairly restrained though.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate continues with the caramel, toffees and spice, more cinnamon now, more digestive biscuits, it's fairly simple and single-note, but it's a very pleasant, well integrated note. 

Conclusion

Well made Ardnamuchan, not messed around with, a clean bourbon cask expression. A tad warm in places, but it's only 7 years old so that's understandable. Pretty tasty whisky. 

Score: 7.5/10

Value

Very competitively priced against other single cask Ardnamurchan releases.

Woodrow’s of Edinburgh Dailuaine 17yo Cask #303793

Region: Speyside

ABV: 58.7%

Price: £89.95

Distilled on 26th March 2008 and first matured in a refill hogshead, then re-racked into a second fill ex-Mortlach Oloroso sherry hogshead for a finishing period. It was bottled on 14th October 2025 with an outturn of 222 bottles. 

Nose

The nose opens with handfuls of currants, pink peppercorns, poached rhubarb, damson jam and some clove spice in the background. Behind this sits something more akin to caramelised apple and fig jam. The sherry finish has definitely had an impact, but it's not split from the spirit, the integration is definitely there. Time and air brings out butterscotch and warm honey notes. 

Palate

The palate opens with a kick of ripe raspberry coulis, a little lemon juice and zest, light brown sugar, and a lovely viscous, syrupy texture.. It coats the cheeks well. We're also finding strawberry laces and a little cured meat, sweet honey roast ham. There's a bit of a spice kick, but it's masked by a mixture of tart citrus and berries that almost feels natural rather than alcoholic. The palate goes through a journey of rich, dark dried fruits and savouriness, into sweeter, fresher and riper fruits on the finish, it's quite interesting.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has more of that butterscotch, now veering into almond marzipan, alongside roasted nuts, more figs and honey. It feels like it's lost something though, there's slightly less alcohol spice but it's not worth the loss in complexity.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate doesn't change too much, but there's now a distinct earthiness, dried leaves and foliage, alongside foraged berries and maybe a little mushroom too. Water has definitely amped up the savouriness of the dram, but there's still a fresh, vibrancy on the finish that balances this out.

Conclusion

Perhaps it's placebo, but there's definitely a savoury, slightly meaty kick to this dram that you could attribute to the ex-Mortlach cask, or perhaps just the sherry style used in maturation. Either way, it's a complex and textured whisky that we really enjoyed, a well integrated finish and one to sit with and savour.

Score: 8/10

Value

Like today’s other review this is pretty competitively priced against other indie releases.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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