If coal-fired stills had been wrecked in favor of steam in the early days of Ardmore, it could have been progress. But extinguishing the fire as the distillery celebrated its 100th anniversary seemed almost perverse. This large distillery is located on the eastern edge of Speyside, where Aberdeenshire’s barley fields begin. Will the switch to steam mean a less caramel-like malt in Ardmore whisky and blends from the parent company Teachers? Yes, probably.
Ardmore (Ex. Laphroaig cask) 11Y – 59.3%
After this Ardmore has stored for almost 12 years, on an Ex. Laphroaig Barrel, we have bottled it at full cask strength of 59.3%. It has previously been possible to buy a share (cask share # 27) in this cask, and the “remaining” bottles have been put up for sale after bottling.
The cask has previously been used for storing whisky at Laphroaig, which has given this Ardmore a “whiff” of Laphroaig in both the aroma and the taste.
Jim Murry's rating:
88.5 out of 100 points
...The smoke on the nose actually has an acidic bite rather than playful nip or caress. And when the unusual hotness of the cask kicks in, the peat has a slightly different, saltier character...
| Age | |
|---|---|
| Distilled on | 23-12-2008 |
| Bottled | 14-12-2020 |
| Region | |
| Peated/non peated | |
| Group | |
| Cask # | 709235 |
| Cask type | Barrel |
| Colour | Amber |
| Nose | Lightly smoked, salty, malt, nuts and not least herbs |
| Palate | Peat, iodine, salt, caramel, vanilla, herbs, coconut (sweetness), a little licorice and smoked peat |
| Finish | Long aftertaste with smoke, salt and sweetness from vanilla |
| Bottled by | |
| Bottle size | 70cl |
| Total bottled | 235 |
Sample 3cl
€6.00
5 in stock
