A little over 12 months ago, Gordon and I set off for the edge of the world - the Ardnamurchan peninsula on Scotland’s wild west coast - to select a cask for our Glenbeg Blue bottling, a celebration of Ardnamurchan Distillery’s 10th anniversary. Little did we know the distillery team had plans of their own quietly maturing: this year, they invited the whole Marloe team back to choose a cask for a bottling that would mark our own milestone - Marloe’s 10-year anniversary. A cask that will mark a decade of stories, resolve, and shared time.

And so, bags packed and spirits high, we headed north once again on what’s fast becoming an annual pilgrimage - 500 miles, 12 hours on the road, and three adults as giddy as children on Christmas morning. The latter part of the drive from the south of England was nothing short of spectacular. As we wound our way through the dramatic landscapes of Glencoe, the weather played its part: brooding skies, shafts of sunlight breaking through, and that unmistakable Highland air, crisp and full of promise.

Gordon was making his own way south from his remote studio on the Isle of Skye, and encountered what passes for an average summer’s day in the Highlands - the Armadale to Mallaig ferry cancelled due to bad weather, forcing a casual hundred-mile detour.

We finally met up on the banks of Loch Linnhe, before heading together to the Corran Ferry, which traverses the strait at the Corran Narrows. This crossing always feels like a right of passage - a gentle transition into somewhere truly remote and magical. Once across, we pressed on through sweeping glens and drifting coastal mist, bound for Ardnamurchan Distillery.

Arriving at Ardnamurchan, nestled between sea and forest, we were welcomed with warmth and enthusiasm. The distillery, with its rugged charm and windswept beauty, is home to a team whose quiet professionalism and unwavering dedication to the craft of whisky-making are as refined as the spirit they produce.

After a tour of the distillery and a brief lesson in the art of whisky-making, we were each handed a Glencairn glass and led to Warehouse 1 - one of Ardnamurchan’s atmospheric dunnage warehouses. Armed with a valinch and bung extractor, Connal, Ardnamurchan’s Sales Director, guided us on a spirited exploration through rows of slumbering casks, inviting us to sample some of their finest 10-year-old whiskies. Each cask revealed its own unique character, flavour, and coastal depth - a testament to the wild landscape and the distillery’s meticulous craft.

Inside the dunnage warehouse, the angel’s share lingers in the air like a warm, invisible mist - that slow, silent evaporation of spirit - and it’s intoxicating, as if the very walls are steeped in whisky and time. But with a mix of determination and curiosity, we pressed on - sampling our way through peated and unpeated expressions, sherry and bourbon casks. Gradually, we narrowed the field to just four contenders: casks 092, 235P, 420P, and 740P (the ‘P’ denoting those filled with peated spirit all those years ago). Each one offered its own distinct story, but only one would become ours.

We gathered small samples from each cask and retreated to the comfort of Ardnamurchan’s on-site cabin to continue our tasting. With the four shortlisted whiskies lined up before us, it was a rare pleasure to explore their individual characters - subtle differences in aroma, texture, and flavour revealing themselves with each sip. At this stage, the spirit can reach upwards of 60% ABV, so adding a touch of water helps the whisky breathe, unlocking its depth and allowing its true personality to emerge.

One dram stood out to all of us - rich, complex, and layered with coastal depth. It felt like the story of our journey, bottled: wild, thoughtful, and quietly powerful. And if you’ve had the good fortune of tasting cask 233, the companion to our Glenbeg Blue watch, you’ll appreciate the contrast in character.

This release promises to be something truly special - not just a whisky, but a celebration of time, craft, and the road travelled together. We can’t wait to share it with you this Christmas - and rest assured, there will be a tasting!