Ardmore Traditional Cask

This one and this distillery would never have been on my radar, and I mean that sincerely, however recently I was meetin some friends for a beer and as the time goes by, one of them brought out the bottle from his cabinet in the bar, it is a Whisky bar with a members club, so he asked me to have a try, so being the gentleman I am and not wanting him to loss face (remember this is Hong Kong, part of China and this is disrespect if offered and rejected) I gladly had a drop and WOW I was pleasantly surprised, so we had a couple more. A great night with friends and a good Dram, you cannot beat it. So I got myself a bottle and this is the review, I am confident that this one will continue to be part of my cupboard.

What…

Ardmore Traditional Cask

Location…

HIGHLANDS

Where…

In my introduction.

Why…

Meetin Friends.

Tasting…

 

Nose: Sweet honeyed peat, if that makes sense, yogurtie, you get a whiff of bourbon in the nose initially, 10 minutes in the glass I get caramel, slightly crème brulee.

 

Palate: The peat is soft and I get the crème brulee on the tongue with my all-time favourite - buttery shortbread, you also get the bourbon as this is maturated in ex-bourbon barrels.

 

Finish: Buttery with dwindling peat and finally toasted oak.

 

Comments: Being bottled at 46% ABV is nice, very nice; I did some research on this as I found it unusual, unusual in a very good way. Seems Ardmore fermentation tubs are made from Oregon pine instead of the widely used stainless steel, which is claimed to impart distinct flavours into the spirit. Which is very interesting; like its sister distillery Laphroaig, Ardmore places its whisky in "quarter casks" for a second maturation, speeding the maturation due to the increased surface area between the whisky and the oak, giving much more interaction with the oak, soaking out more flavors from the wood. Faster than hogs heads and and and.

 

I see that Ardmore barrier filter rather than chill filter its whisky, meaning the whisky retains more natural oils and flavours, this I will talk about in future writings. Finally a great Dram that will feature in my cabinet for eternity, as long as I can find it.

Get it…

Online at the Whisky Shops, I recommend again Royal Mile, service is top, in Hong Kong it’s not available, or if it is I cannot find it anywhere.