The Old Pipe, a whisky shop that I don’t visit nearly enough, released some single cask bottlings through Claxton’s last year. I happened to get samples of both of them and decided that it was high time for a review of one of them.

This one is a 10 year old Ardmore, which is an interesting distillery. It’s a peated whisky from a region not well known for their peated whiskies. Also, I happen to have had some really good ones in the past, so let’s see where this one ends up.

What I find odd about this one, even before I begin tasting it, is that it was drawn from a Laphroaig cask. I don’t really see the point of maturing an already peated whisky in a Laphroaig cask, unless you want to add some of the coastal flavors from Islay, that are not usually present in Ardmore.

In a way that is understandable, but also, why would you want to get around so much of the distillery character by adding both sherry and coastal influences to a whisky that doesn’t necessarily have, or need that.

Image from The Old Pipe

Sniff:
A very barbecue-y smokiness. Teriyaki beef, charcoal, soot, some dried fruit. Smoked peaches, roasted barley.

Sip:
A lot sweeter than expected, more fruit, some chili heat, dry oak. Soot, smoke, charcoal. Grilled beef and grilled peaches.

Swallow:
The finish is dry and rather hot, but short. Some oak and smoke but not much else.

This is a bit of a confused whisky. I don’t really feel like I’ve been drinking Ardmore at all. It’s a tasty dram, but if I want a whisky that tastes like a sherried Islay whisky, I’d buy that and not a tinkered-with Ardmore.

So, it’s not bad, but I don’t really see the point.

83/100

Ardmore 2008-2019, 10 years old, Ex-Laphroaig Oloroso Octave, 56.2%. Available from The Old Pipe for € 80