Ardmore - Traditional Cask

Nose: sweet and peaty. I get vanilla, black licorice, some light florals, and a clean peat aroma than is more earthy than smoky. It has neither the ashy dryness of Laphroaig and Caol Ila nor the intense medicinal quality of Lagavulin. It displays peat prominently but more in balance with the sweetness.

Taste: Medium-bodied, it develops in a straightfoward fashion with not much in the way of complexity or surprises. Sweet and honied with toasty wood and peat flavour. All the flavours hit right away and remain consistent. It picks up some extra richness and depth as it moves to the back of the tongue. Overall, a nice-tasting whisky, peaty but not too challenging.

Finish: Retains the peatiness, of course, but also a fiesty black licorice sweetness.

Balance: An enjoyable whisky, almost like a very mellow Laphroaig. Lower price and higher alcohol than others in its range make it an economical choice for a peaty single malt. I found it more interesting than Dun Bheagan Islay (which I believe is Caol Ila), and more balanced than Bowmore 12 and McClelland's Islay. I would buy it again.

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