Gordon and MacPhail Ardmore 1996 (43%)

For many years, Ardmore did not have their own bottlings, relying on G&M to be their official bottlers of sort. They weren’t alone. For decades, G&M served as the unofficial official bottling for Mortlach, Strathisla, Linkwook, Glen Grant, Imperial, Scapa and Ardmore.

Photo Credit: potstill.org/

Photo Credit: potstill.org

I’ve written quite a bit about G&M, but I do want to mention that they have recently embarked on an educational campaign called “The Wood Makes the Whisky”, in which a selection of whisky is taken from rather young (like a 2006 Macallan, to be featured in one of the following reviews) to really old (A 1954 Glen Grant, again, to feature in an upcoming review).  Watch this space for more to come 🙂

Photo Credit: thewhiskyexchange.com

Photo Credit: thewhiskyexchange.com

Gordon and MacPhail Distillery Lables Ardmore 1996 (43% ABV)

Appearance: Copper, quick, thin legs with a residual necklace.

Nose: Lemony peat, hints of oak, deep honey and a dash of dishwashing liquid (not in a bad way, actually).

Palate: Sherry like sweetness, peat on the tongue and spice all around, with a hint of some sweet friut in the back. There’s a lot going on here.

Linger: Very spicy and peaty, staying long on the inside of the cheeks and the top of the gullet. After a while, a spicy dryness with a hint of smoke remains.

Conclusion

A well matured Ardmore, packing quite a bit of punch for an 18 year old peated malt. I’d definitely recommend this bottle for peatheads wishing to drink whisky that can vote, especially now that the Laphroaig 18 is discontinued.

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