Ardmore 1996 / 20 Year Old

Ardmore is still a very important malt in the Teacher’s blend, but we are fortunate that it also appears on the market as a single malt, for Ardmore can be quite good. Take this expression, for example. Released in 2017 this malt matured on a combination of bourbon barrels and former Islay casks. I’m sure that will contribute to the peaty character of this Highlander. Is the 49.3% be cask strength, I wonder.

Beautiful sweet nose on banana, liquorice, vanilla custard, oranges, apricots and eucalyptus. I was not expecting this, to be honest. It is a tropical Ardmore. There is hardly a trace of peat, despite the PPM and maturation (partly) on former Islay casks. But is it good? Absolutely yes!

It is more sweet and sour than just sweet on the palate and the smoke also lurks around the corner. Having said that, it is again a very fruity party with summery, almost tropical notes. Grapefruit takes the lead. The alcohol is nicely integrated, by the way. A bit of oak shows some pepper and liquorice, but everything is nicely balanced. Some mint and honey keep it sweet and even offer a dark edge to it.

The finish is medium long on citrus and chocolate, nuts and soft peat smoke. And delicious.

What a brilliant Ardmore. The nose is great, the palate wonderful and the finish is simply grand. Available for 80 to 120 EUR. Recommended!

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