Lately I’ve been becoming a bigger and bigger Ardmore fan, I realize. I’ve always liked peated whisky but I often find, after years of trying shitloads of drams, that the more gently smoked whiskies offer greater depth and complexity and a properly aged Ardmore fits that category nicely.
What also helps to make it stand out is that it’s a different kind of peated-ness than Islay. A difference between inland peat, or coastal peat, so to say.
So, when I was at Whiskybase some months ago and I saw this one on the shelf, it stood out because of the label. Upon further inspection it turned out to be an Ardmore and a 21 year old at that. I didn’t have to decide for long until it ended up on the counter.
And now, about half a year later, it was time to finish the bottle. I’ve used it in a tasting and shared it with some friends in a more casual setting. High time to write a review and empty it, so to say!
Sniff:
A gentle smoke of hay and moss. Very green in it’s smokiness. There’s also heather and honey. Some apples and a whiff of chalky white wine.
Sip:
A rich palate with hay and earthiness, heather, honey and pinecones. Forest floor, dried moss, some peat smoke. Barley and oak.
Swallow:
The finish is dry and sweet. Earthy with flavors of decay in all the right ways. Dead pine needles on a wet forest floor. Moss, heather, honey sweetness.
This is exactly what I hope to find in an Ardmore. A peated whisky without the seaweed, the salinity or the medicinal notes that are more common in Islay whiskies. Here it’s slightly more woody, mossy and heathery, and that’s great.
I love that the cask hasn’t been too influential on the whisky and the rather clean spirit of Ardmore still comes through nicely. A highlight!
90/100
Malt Fascination 