Indie bottler Single Cask Nation went about business as usual in 2024 despite their acquisition by Scotch Malt Whisky Society parent company Artisanal Spirits. Founders Joshua Hatton and Jason Johnstone-Yellin tell us to expect more of the same as they continue to do what they’ve always done, deliver interesting and high-quality single cask spirits as conveniently and affordably as possible. The online “Nation” continues to hum along with membership (free) offering access to its own line of impressive one-offs. Today, we’re taking a look at three late 2024 online releases, two of which are still available for purchase as of this writing. Thoughts follow.

Single Cask Nation Ardnamurchan 5 Years Old – Aged five years in a first fill oloroso hogshead. Patience is rewarded with this one. Let it bloom. The oloroso is the star of the show, but it hides behind the curtain a bit on the nose, offering slowly evolving notes of fig, black cherry, marmalade, and sugared almonds. Things become more elegant and rich as it opens, adding to those classic sherried elements a thick layer of treacle, old books, rum cake, and a lacing of damp tobacco. The palate is boldly sherried with an initial hit of peppery heat and concentrated notes of dark toffee, rum raisin, and tart berry jams. The mouthfeel is syrupy with a rich, raw sugar sweetness that carries throughout, even as notes of old leather, tobacco, and lacquered furniture appear on the midpalate. The finish is generous and warm with lingering notes of dried apricot, plum jam, and saline. An impressive little sherry bomb. 116.6 proof. A- / $130

Single Cask Nation Ardmore 25 Years Old – The oldest Ardmore I’ve ever encountered, aged a quarter century in refill bourbon hogsheads. This is a delicate dram, gently smoky on the nose with notes of cigar ash and cold wood stove. Ripe orchard fruits give way to lemongrass and green tea as it opens up in the glass. On the palate, things are bigger than the abv suggests but still impressively approachable. A rich malt foundation of nougatine and barley sugar is accented by more energetic notes of lemon drops, tinned pears, and salted caramel. A bit of candle smoke and cracked pepper on the midpalate leads into a warm, simmering finish of cinnamon apple and flamed orange peel. An elegant old Speyside, and a bargain at this price. 93.4 proof. A / $275

Single Cask Nation Williamson 8 Years Old – A young single malt aged in refill bourbon barrels, likely from Islay’s Laphroaig Distillery. Williamson has been a popular alias in recent years. It presumably honors Bessie Williamson, Ian Hunter’s secretary who inherited the distillery and grew its reputation during the decades after World War II. Bessie would likely approve of this dram which smells exceptionally fresh from the cask with top notes of medicine cabinet and wet, salty smoke laced with a little petrol, lemon peel, and vanilla icing. The palate is all mesquite briquettes and burnt ends but dialed up to 11 at this generous abv. That volume is deceptive at first with a silky sweet entry, but it warms considerably across the midpalate as black pepper and chili flakes pile onto the barbecue, becoming salty and well-spiced into a long finish of lemon bars, coal ash, and brine. A classic Laphroaig – err Williamson – but with a lot more verve and vigor than the everyday 10-year-old. 115.6 proof. A- / $110

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