Ardmore 2009
Madeira Finish
Cask Type: Hogshead
Cask Number: #709316
Bottled: 2024
Age: 15
Region: Highland
No. of bottles: 207
ABV: 53.6%
Release: Spring Release 2024
Felix Dear
“Sweet and peat? Wine not. The Madeira cask imbues this smoky Highlander with a distinctive sweetness, enhancing its peaty profile with rich undertones of ripe stone fruits.”
Tasting Notes
This peaty Highlander has spent years luxuriating in a sweet Madeira cask. Its earthy aromas mingle nicely with sweet apricot notes and plenty of gummy fruits. The palate is wonderfully viscous with hugely chewy notes of fruity smoke, plums, charcoal, earthy peat, peaches and oak spice. There is huge complexity here. Lingering smoke comes in waves against an oily fruitiness.
Distillery
Ardmore, located near Kennethmont in Aberdeenshire, was founded in 1898 and produces quite a peaty style by Highland standards. The distillery was one of the last to move away from direct coal, meaning the stills have thicker than usual bases.
Rob Whitehead says: “I love idiosyncratic distillates, whiskies with unique personalities that are easy to pick out amongst the crowd and Ardmore is absolutely one of these gems. I’ve never been sure why Ardmore isn’t a bigger name, but with it’s earthy, dry peaty character I’m exceptionally glad we’re able to source the odd cask.”