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Ardnamurchan The Midgie 2025 Edition Review

What happens when you scan the QR code on Ardnamurchan’s The Midgie? A remarkable and unusually detailed glimpse into the whisky’s composition that rewards the curious.

OVERALL RATING

7
$62
  • Genevieve is a South African whisky enthusiast with a PhD in Philosophy and founder of Kenton on Whisky, a coastal tasting venture.
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Tasting Notes

About:

The Midgie is a NAS single malt composed of 25% peated and 75% unpeated spirit. It was matured in a combination of 50% bourbon barrels, 48% Port barriques, and 2% sherry casks. And is bottled at 48% ABV. Like all Ardnamurchan whiskies, it’s un-chill filtered and natural in colour.

Ardnamurchan produces both peated and unpeated spirit in order to give their blenders a greater flexibility when crafting their releases. The Midgie is one of their limited releases. A previous release in 2024 sold out in local UK markets, and so a second batch was put together for 2025 and released globally. A total of 16,500 bottles were produced.
Appearance:
Tawny
Nose:
An initial bright tartness of fresh apricots. Perhaps some pineapple and some citrus notes. Burnt, caramelised sugar accompanies lashings of vanilla sweetness. There’s a suggestion of coconut, followed by a delicate touch of prickly white pepper.
Palate:
The palate opens with sugary sweetness, transitioning into bitter dark cherry chocolate. Plenty of dark, red fruit notes are present. Prunes and raisins. There’s a gentle floral note, and a tiny hint of marzipan which makes an appearance. A touch of tannin. The peaty influence is very subdued.
Finish:
A long, drying finish, with lingering notes of cherries and dark chocolate.
Comments:
This playfully named whisky is a tribute to Scotland’s notorious midges. I must admit that I was first drawn to this whisky because of its name. I spent some time hiking in Scotland last year, so had plenty of first-hand encounters with midges!

I found the whisky itself very enjoyable – so much so that I’d gladly buy another bottle if I could find one. Sadly I suspect I’ll have to wait for their next batch of The Midgie to be released.

Ardnamurchan is a new discovery for me. It’s a fairly new distillery, established in 2014 by Adelphi, an independent bottling company that still owns the distillery. It is located about 16 miles from the Ardnamurchan Lighthouse, and this is regarded as one of the most remote distillery locations in Scotland.

The Ardnamurchan lighthouse was built in 1849 from granite taken from the Isle of Mull (which is just a little to the south), and I believe it’s a tourist destination in its own right. The lighthouse was designed by Alan Stevenson (the uncle of the author Robert Louis Stevenson). The Stevenson family actually designed most of Scotland’s lighthouses over a period of 150 years (while hiking and encountering plenty of midges, I visited the one they designed at Cape Wrath).

One particularly interesting detail about The Midgie (and apparently all the other bottlings from Ardnamurchan) is the QR code on the back label. Scanning it gives access to detailed, bottle-specific information, including barley variety, mash temperatures, fermentation times, hydrometer readings, and precise cask breakdowns. What stood out to me was seeing all the vintages (2017, 2018, and 2019) which went into this bottle. This level of transparency is unusual, since Scotch Whisky Association regulations traditionally allow producers to disclose only the age of the youngest whisky. Bruichladdich, for example, has said that they are legally prohibited from listing the older component years in their Classic Laddie (another NAS whisky), choosing instead to redact them. Ardnamurchan, however, seems to interpret the rule differently, offering enthusiasts a fascinating glimpse into the whisky’s makeup. As someone who’s a huge fan of full transparency in whisky making, I find this addition bold, refreshing and commendable.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Genevieve Jacot-Guillarmod

Genevieve is a whisky enthusiast from South Africa with a PhD in Philosophy, so she enjoys both drinking and thinking about whisky. She loves tasting new whiskies whenever she gets the chance - so much so that a few years ago she set up a small whisky tasting business, "Kenton on Whisky", in the tiny coastal town where she lives (this also serves as an excellent excuse to grow her selection of whiskies beyond reasonable limits).

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