Ardmore 10 Year Old 2000 Creative Whisky Company

Ardmore can be found in the Highlands. There was once an Ardmore Distillery on Islay, truly. Maybe that explains why the whisky is so peaty? That you can easily confuse it with an Islay whisky? I am only guessing. This teenager was bottled by David Stirk for his Creative Whisky Company in their Exclusive Range.

The nose could easily fool you. Loads of coal, tar and even some lighter filling. Salty edge and soot as if from a stuck match. Shoe shine. The fruit only appears in the second wave, in the shape of apple and peach. Then suddenly a truckload of vanilla arrives. With walnuts. Big peat, even mildly sour. Very pleasant indeed! I left it for about five minutes, only to find out that the peat dissipates to make room for sweet butterscotch.

Very oily on the palate, almost creamy. The peat is very clear now. Herbal and mineral with hardly any room for the fruit. Again that nice salty edge with spices from the oak. Ginger, liquiorice and a whiff of pepper.

The finish is fairly long and salty.

Tasted blind, I would have called this a Caol Ila. Knowing that this is my favorite Islay distillery, that can only mean it is a great whisky (for me). But it is in fact a Highlander, not an Islay. Alright then: a Highlay.

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