While Mythical Beasts is a series, the bottler is Spiritfilled. Interestingly, Spiritfilled doesn’t have any other brands than Mythical Beasts, so that’s something curious.

A bourbon cask Ardmore at 14 years old should be good. I have a soft spot for the peated Highlander and think they’re really leaving their mark on the whisky world the last couple of years. This particular one doesn’t have a vintage year or a clear year of bottling on the label, although it was added to Whiskybase earlier this year. That would set the year of distillation in 2008, most likely.

They’re being imported in The Netherlands by SPIRITS Services, but I’ve not seen shops that have this line yet. Let’s see where this one lands!

Sniff:
A whiff of smoke on a backdrop of clean barley notes. Slightly grassy and rather crisp with hints of moss and fern. A bonfire on the beach, so smoke, charcoal and a bit of a sea breeze. Heather too, with a slight floral note.

Sip:
The palate packs a punch with lots of very dry smoke, sawdust and white pepper. It turns to soot and heather quickly after, with a good amount of oak. A touch of grass, barley and hay plays second fiddle.

Swallow:
The finish stays dry but has a surprising sweetness that holds the middle between (too) ripe fruit and custard. Quite smoky, quite long.

It does exactly what you expect it to do, and that’s something I am quite partial to. I love the dry notes in combination with moss and ferns, especially when it feels like it fits. So, yeah, good Ardmore. Not overly complex, but drinkable and rather lovely.

86/100

So far it’s only available in the UK at £ 75