Scottish distillery releases ‘midge’ whisky inspired by infamous beastie

An award-winning Scottish distillery has announced a new whisky inspired by midges.

Most Scots will be counting down the days until the start of summer, with plenty of afternoons soaking in the sun and evenings spent in beer gardens to look forward to. One aspect of the warmer months that isn’t so popular, though, is midges.

The tiny flying insects, infamous for their bites, can be a major nuisance. However, Ardnamurchan Distillery in the Highlands has unveiled ‘The Midgie’, a bottling inspired by the notorious insect.

The new whisky was created in collaboration with midge repellent brand Smidge. It has been described as having a sweet, smoky, and lingering flavour.

The tasting notes for The Midgie contains brandy snaps, pancake batter, crystallised ginger, nougat, smoked Manuka honey, love hearts, satsuma peel, and freshly squeezed orange juice. This is followed by mouth-cooling fresh mint, bread and butter pudding, Edinburgh rock, cooked peaches, salted almonds, and cookie dough.

Bottled at 48 per cent ABV, the whisky is made up of a mix of ex-Madeira and Sauternes barriques, as well as some ex-Bourbon barrels and a sherry butt. It includes a blockchain-enabled QR code on the back label which, when scanned, will reward the consumer with information about their bottle of whisky.

Managing Director of Ardnamurchan Distillery Alex Bruce commented: “We are delighted to be celebrating the infamous Scottish beastie so synonymous with Ardnamurchan and to be collaborating with Smidge, our seasonal saviour in the West.

“This is a whisky true to its surroundings with a familiar persistence and coastal bite.”

Director of APS Biocontrol Ltd. Dr Alison Blackwell added: “Smidge is excited to be collaborating with Ardnamurchan distillery on their Midgie whisky. They are in the heart of midge territory and it’s a great celebration of one of the most feared Highland animals (but also respected due to their clever survival tactics under often difficult conditions).”

The Midgie is available to purchase now at a recommended retail price of £52 per bottle. It is currently available to buy from Tyndrum Whisky.

More information can be found on the Ardnamurchan Distillery website.

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