Single Malt Whisky, Scotland / Speyside

Until 2002, Ardmore was one of the few Scottish distilleries to still heat its open-fire stills with charcoal. Unusually, the four first distillation stills (wash still) and the four second distillation stills (spirit still) all have the same capacity, i.e. 15,000 liters. Aged in a barrel that contained the emblematic rum of Trinidad & Tobago, Caroni, this magnificent Ardmore has risen to the challenge imposed on it: to contain, without distorting it, the ardor and power of Trinidadian rum. Stunning. Complex, captivating. Hydrocarbon, pear, ash.

TASTING NOTES

Nose : Rich, powerful. On the first nose, Ardmore and Caroni engage in a daunting fight. At the end of this duel, Trinidad rum seems to be gradually gaining the upper hand, notes of hydrocarbons invading the atmosphere. Then suddenly, very present, a greasy peat, rich in mineral salts, gamey and intensely smoky (soot) takes possession of the place without warning. Further, fresh fruit (pear, apple) definitely gives Ardmore the edge.

Appearance : Pale gold.

Mouth : Clean, racy. Abundantly fruity (pineapple, mirabelle plum), vanilla and much more peaty than the nose would suggest, the attack on the palate is also finely aniseed and minty. Both rustic and earthy, the mid-palate features a peat that has become dehydrated and more vegetal. Honeyed (acacia), the finish refreshes the palate by offering various herbal infusions (thyme, verbena, sage).

Overall : Long, concentrated. Traveling, the start of the final takes the direction of Mexico and its earthy and medicinal mezcals. Over time, barley sugar spreads all around the palate. Increasingly herbaceous (twigs) and empyreumatic (chimney fire), the aftertaste reveals itself at the same time to be deliciously vanilla, almost chocolate. Giving reason to the peat, the retro olfaction and the empty glass are in line with the mouth. However, for a long time, the trace of bitumen that still remains plunges us back into the world of Caroni.