Ardmore 9 y/o - Elixir Distillers - The Whisky Trail - 59,1%
Photo taken somewhere in Stuttgart
We have a weakness for Ardmore, due to it's unique peat profile, which is slightly different to the smokebombs from Islay, Skye or Orkney. The Whisky Trail is the freshest single cask series by the busy bee's from Elixir and offers a vast range of single casks across scotland's distilleries.
Nose
That's what we meant! So much burnt bee's wax, vanillin sugar and an idea of tractor oil on a farm (hard to imagine, we know.). Sweet and dirty at once: we always find this odd but interesting combination at Ardmore. There are also fresh cut lime peels and some burnt rubber. The nose is pretty sharp. Let's add some water: becoming more floral and medicinal now. The vanillin sugar turned to grounded vanilla pods on a green corncob (childhood memories of hiding in cornfields).
Palate
So much honey sweetnees, Winnie the Pooh would kill for this! The texture is creamy, with a light body. We get carob, coffee and vanilla cake. It's also a little bit sharp (likely the young age).
With Water:
Becoming more herbal and buttery, with even more manuka honey.
Finish
Long and really bitter with old grapefruits peels, lemons and a few drops of that tractor diesel oil. Actually, a really satisfying finish!
Rating
We really enjoy the base profile of Ardmore with it's dirty honey sweetness. This indie was a classic highlander and really pleasant, but a few years more in the cask wouldn't do any harm here. If you want to get to the heart of Ardmore's distillery character, you should go for this. If you want complexity and maturity, one should aim on older Ardmore expressions. Apropos, the label is gorgeous!
