Ardmore 20 Year Old 1990 Signatory Vintage

A few years ago, Signatory bottled this 20 Year Old Ardmore with a label that sported Wine Treated Barrel. This merely means that an old cask was revitalized and infused with sherry to impregnate the oak. The sherry then goes down the drain and the cask is ready to receive the spirit. Let us find out if it is any good.

The nose is aromatic on clean peat, vanilla, apples and walnuts. Some hay too. It becomes sweeter all the time. Honey, marzipan and grain cookies. Very pleasant, in fact, although after a while some cardboard does shine through. Or are those wood shavings? Small salty edge. After five full minutes, it becomes very grassy. Does seem much younger than its twenty years though.

Despite the high ABV, is absolutely does not burn. Very smoky and spicy. It kind of explodes on the palate, if you know what I mean. Very clean. The fruit is now both apples and pear, soon to be joined by citrus. Again pretty grassy. The salt actually clashed with the fruit here. What a weirdo!

The finish is very long, salty and spicy.

An unusual Ardmore, to be sure. But far from unpleasant.

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