Ardmore 8 Years Old 2009 Great Drams Exclusive (46%, Douglas Laing, Refill HH, 299 Bottles, 2017)

• Category: Highland single malt scotch whisky
• Origin: Ardmore Distillery
• Bottling: Douglas Laing bottled for GreatDrams
• ABV: 46%
• Cost: £50.00 buy from GreatDrams

What they say:

Bottled exclusively for GreatDrams, this limited edition
Ardmore 8 Year Old Single Cask Single Malt Whisky bottling
is a release of just 299 bottles globally. Once it is gone, it really is gone.

To celebrate the launch of my new book, The GreatDrams of Scotland, I worked with the fine folks at Douglas Laing
to choose a cask that I would bottle in commemoration, and after going through a number of samples,
this Ardmore 8 Year Old Single Cask Single Malt Whisky hit me as the one to choose;
not only does it taste fantastic, but Ardmore was actually the first Scottish whisky distillery I ever visited,
and happens to feature in the book for being part of the Teacher’s blend recipe.

Distillery: Ardmore
Region: Highlands
Age: 8 Years Old
Distilled: July 2009
Bottled: September 2017
Cask type: Refill Hogshead
ABV: 46%
Volume: 70cl / 700ml
Limited: 299 bottles globally
Non-chill filtered
Natural colour

Bottled under the Douglas Laing Provenance label they explain as being “bottled exactly as the distiller intended – without colouring and without chill filtration,
so that the naturally present oils, fats and enzymes in the Whisky are allowed to make their own special contribution to the nose, mouthfeel, palate and finish”. 

My notes when choosing which cask to bottle read like this:

The nose combines light smoke, subtle honey, tropical fruits & a wisp of toasted pineapple. Each evokes gloriously sweet smoke, molten toffee & lovely oaky note with a biscuity character, finishing with soft white pepper spice.

What are you waiting for? Pick up your bottle of this limited edition Ardmore 8 Year Old Single Cask Single Malt Whisky today and
pour away as you read through The GreatDrams of Scotland.

What I say:

To celebrate the launch of Greg’s first book The GreatDrams of Scotland he has bottled this fine 8 year old Ardmore expression with Douglas Laing.  Celebrating both the launch of his book and the first distillery ever visited by Greg during his journey through plenty more – of which you can read much more about in his book! Thanks to Greg Dillon of GreatDrams for the sample.

Appearance:

Light champagne gold (4/20) numerous quick & rounded large tears leave long fine legs

Nose:

Sweet and peat on the nose, a healthy dollop of vanilla & Chantilly cream over a sweeter and heavier honey note, backed by salt and leather tannin and gentle heathery peat smoke, beeswax, polish, biscuit and fruit also feature

Taste:

Light then medium bodied, that light vanilla cream starts then the honey and biscuit cereal develop, a sourness develops that invokes fruity BBQ grilled pineapple, apple rings and pale Rainier cherries over smoky coals, waxy and buttery in places on the palate eventually a sharpness of peat smoke invokes leather tannins and dried fresh oak wood flavours also.

Finish:

Long, bitter-sweet, sour apple with white pepper

Overall:

Sweet, waxy, fruity, peaty and spiced, this dram has it all and is tempered by presentation at 46% to be rather palatable and moreish.

Score: 84/100

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