Ardmore 20 Year Old 1996 Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Ardmore · Ardmore Distillery
Ardmore is the Highland's quiet peater, and at twenty years the smoke has integrated beautifully into a complex, honeyed framework. This is a thinking dram — one that rewards patience and reveals new dimensions across the session. An underappreciated distillery showing its full potential.
Nose
Gentle peat smoke weaves through layers of heather honey, dried apricot, and warm vanilla. A secondary wave brings out toasted almonds and a faint floral sweetness reminiscent of rosewater.
Palate
Rich and layered, with malty cereal grains meeting smoked honey on the entry. The mid-palate opens into dried fruit, clove spice, and a waxy mouthfeel that coats the tongue. Oak influence is present but never dominant.
Finish
Long and warming, with lingering smoke, cocoa nibs, and a final note of orange marmalade.
- Region
- Highland
- Cask Type
- Ex-Bourbon
- Peat Level (PPM)
- 12-14 ppm
- Distillation
- Double pot still distillation
- Maturation
- Ex-bourbon casks for 20 years
- Chill-Filtered
- Non-chill filtered
Food Pairing
Smoked salmon rillettes with crème fraîche on oatcakes. The salmon's smoke mirrors the whisky's peat while the cream tempers the honey sweetness.
Built in 1898 to supply Teacher's blends, Ardmore remains one of the few Highland distilleries committed to peated malt, with this 20-year-old expression released in limited quantities through independent bottlers.
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