Ardmore - Traditional Cask

@Talexander’s recent review of an SMWS Ardmore reminded me that:

1. I haven’t done a review in a while.

2. I’ve had this bottle for years and have not yet reviewed it.

I picked this up in (probably) 2011 at a DF returning to Canada from Boston. It was finally opened on April 27, 2014 at my club’s 11th meeting. It has always been at the back of my mind to do up a review. In fact I was hoping someone might want to take the bottle off my hands (minus a sample for review, of course). I rarely seem to reach for it (over a year since the last pour!), and it’s too tall to fit on my usual shelf for open bottles.

This expression has been replaced by another NAS version, Legacy, which I have not tried. TC is “matured for a final period in small 19th century-style quarter casks”.

This bottle has been open for 4 years, is about half full and gassed after each use. It is reviewed in a Glencairn glass in my usual manner, allowing it to settle after which I take my nosing and tasting notes, followed by the addition of a few drops of water, waiting, then nosing and tasting.

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Nose: 22/25

On first pour, fresh, fruity and dry peat. I get some light sweet syrup. I can’t identify any specific fruits other than a hint of green apple, but it is definitely fruity.

Taste: 21/25

A little thin on the arrival, some fruit. A big hit of spicy peat in the development. Kind-of tastes like “peated scotch”. It’s nice, but not too complex.

Finish: 20/25

Peppery, dry, astringent. Not at all exciting.

Balance: 21/25

A bit on the peppery side. While the nose is fruity, the palate is a bit too peat focused.

Score 84/100

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Interestingly, water did not really make much of a difference, maybe blurring the palate a little.

This is not a bad whisky. It tastes like a Scotch with peat. It’s got some fruit and some peat, but nothing that really distinguishes itself to me. I can foresee another year, or more, going by before I reach for this again.

Any takers?

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