Normally when we’re having whisky from the same distillery, we’ll focus on a certain age or style. However today’s Ardmore selection is quite wide, from 16 years of age to 41 years, with very different cask types as well. The trio comes from The Whisky Agency, the Thompson Brothers and Decadent Drinks.
Ardmore 16 yo 2009 (49,5%, The Whisky Agency 2026, Monbazillac barrique, 280 btl.)
Nose: gentle yet sooty smoke, with charcoal, crushed rocks, a hint of iodine and charred walnuts. Was this originally one of these ex-Laphroaig casks? Underneath there is a nice sweet layer of apricots, pears in syrup and muscat grapes. Then a dollops of honey and a very light minty element.
Mouth: more sooty smoke, ashes, with Corinth raisins, hints of muscovado and barbecued pineapple. Sweet grainy notes. Mid-palate the oak char gives it a bittersweet edge, along with a subtle hint of sweet mustard. Then back to burning logs, black pepper, herbal notes and a bit of clove, which ripe fruits stay strong.
Finish: long and smoky. Hints of citrus peels and a drying oaky note.
Peat as a dessert? Well yes, the unusual Monbazillac cask manages to unite deep peat with a pleasant sweetness. It feels quite natural and balanced. Still available, mostly in German shops.
Ardmore 27 yo 1999 (50,5%, Thompson Bros 2026, first-fill barrel, 161 btl.)
Nose: here lemon and lime stands out at first, along with a vibrant spicy oak note. Pineapple cubes and subtle mango, as well as orchard fruits like aromatic peaches. Rounder and brighter than the TWA bottling. Subtle ashes, hints of vanilla and light touches of clay and menthol.
Mouth: a nice fruity element again, think gooseberries, melons and many more peaches. Pretty creamy, coming close to some of these undisclosed early 1990s Islay whiskies at times. Chalky hints and subtle horseradish. Then herbal notes (thyme syrup), a little gorse and subtle medicinal notes.
Finish: fairly long, now more mineral and ashy, with hints of salty fruits, citrus zest and drying walnut notes.
A great combination of elegant smoke and minerals, almost tropical fruits and above-average complexity. Reasonably priced as well. Still available from the Thompson Bros or The Whisky Exchange for instance. Score: 89/100
Ardmore 41 yo 1985 (45,3%, Decadent Drinks ‘Whiskyland’ 2026, refill hogshead, 102 btl.)
Nose: yet another style. The peat is absent almost entirely, replaced with wet woold, waxy fruits, yellow apple and canvas. Paraffin and wax is growing stronger, bringing along some pineapple, melon and guava. Hessian, maybe very light tarry notes. Then also orange juice, light vanilla and honey. A true gentleman.
Mouth: very oily, with more of these waxy and rather tropical fruits, mixed with light menthol and a very light smoke. More paraffin, almost a lipstick? Later it moves towards grapefruit, old fabrics and old herbal tea. Some drying gravel too. Hardly any cask influence by the way.
Finish: long, slightly drying now, still showing this elegant evolved peat, nice mineral notes and a very subtle fruitiness.
The glorious waxiness and fruits brings this to another level. Impressive how you can notice the changes as the spirit ages from 16 to 27 and 41 years. Available from Decadent Drinks and retailers like The Whisky Exchange. Score: 91/100