

Ardmore 20 Year Old
(0.7l, 49.3%)
Ardmore cracks open a rare 20YO release that speaks of the Highlands and the salty sea.
William Teacher, needed a steady supply of Whisky to support their famous blend — Teacher’s Highland Cream. So, his son Adam founded Ardmore distillery in 1898 in the Highlands of Aberdeenshire. One of the things that makes Ardmore so unique is that they are one of the few Highland distilleries to dry their malt with peat smoke. So their Single Malts taste like a hybrid of a fruity Speyside and a mild Islay. For years all production went into blends. Now owned by Beam Suntory, they also have four, popular core Single Malt releases and occasional special editions.
Speaking of hybrid special releases… Ardmore 20YO Single Malt Whisky is an oddity — but it sure is a tasty one. It is comprised of twenty-year-old classic Ardmore Single Malt. But those two decades of time in the cask was time spent apart. Half of the spirit is aged in first-fill ex-Bourbon casks and the other half in refill Islay Single malt casks. We’ve tasted a lot of Whisky in our day, but this is a first. The result is a wonderfully complex dram that has strong notes of stone fruits and vanilla coupled with a bit of smoke and salty brine that tingles the tongue.
Smartass corner:
The name Ardmore comes from the Scots Gaelic “Àird Mhòr,” meaning “great height.” Perfect for a Highland dram, don’t you think?
William Teacher, needed a steady supply of Whisky to support their famous blend — Teacher’s Highland Cream. So, his son Adam founded Ardmore distillery in 1898 in the Highlands of Aberdeenshire. One of the things that makes Ardmore so unique is that they are one of the few Highland distilleries to dry their malt with peat smoke. So their Single Malts taste like a hybrid of a fruity Speyside and a mild Islay. For years all production went into blends. Now owned by Beam Suntory, they also have four, popular core Single Malt releases and occasional special editions.
Speaking of hybrid special releases… Ardmore 20YO Single Malt Whisky is an oddity — but it sure is a tasty one. It is comprised of twenty-year-old classic Ardmore Single Malt. But those two decades of time in the cask was time spent apart. Half of the spirit is aged in first-fill ex-Bourbon casks and the other half in refill Islay Single malt casks. We’ve tasted a lot of Whisky in our day, but this is a first. The result is a wonderfully complex dram that has strong notes of stone fruits and vanilla coupled with a bit of smoke and salty brine that tingles the tongue.
Smartass corner:
The name Ardmore comes from the Scots Gaelic “Àird Mhòr,” meaning “great height.” Perfect for a Highland dram, don’t you think?
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Category
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StyleSingle Malt Scotch Whisky
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Region
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CountryUnited Kingdom, Scotland
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Alcohol49.3%
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Distillery
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Age
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MaturationEx-Bourbon and Islay single malt casks
Flavor Spiral™
About The Flavor Spiral
smoky
vanilla
herbs
apple
apricot
pear
melon
oak
salty
What does Ardmore 20 Year Old taste like?
The Flavor Spiral™ shows the most common flavors that you'll taste in Ardmore 20 Year Old and gives you a chance to have a taste of it before actually tasting it.
We invented Flavor Spiral™ here at Flaviar to get all your senses involved in tasting drinks and, frankly, because we think that classic tasting notes are boring.
The Flavor Spiral™ shows the most common flavors that you'll taste in Ardmore 20 Year Old and gives you a chance to have a taste of it before actually tasting it.
We invented Flavor Spiral™ here at Flaviar to get all your senses involved in tasting drinks and, frankly, because we think that classic tasting notes are boring.

Dog Dogson's
Smartass
Corner
Corner
Single Malt Scotch Whisky is made in Scotland using a pot still distillation process at a single distillery, with malted barley as the only grain ingredient. It must be matured in oak casks in Scotland for at least three years (most single malts are matured longer).
Tasting Notes
Appearance / Color
Antique gold.
Nose / Aroma / Smell
Peat on the jump with apple, peach, citrus, apricot, dark chocolate, and oak.
Flavor / Taste / Pallet
Full, waxy, smoke that parts to reveal vanilla, pear, herbs, and more melon.
Finish
Gentle but long with peat and juicy sweetness.
Antique gold.
Nose / Aroma / Smell
Peat on the jump with apple, peach, citrus, apricot, dark chocolate, and oak.
Flavor / Taste / Pallet
Full, waxy, smoke that parts to reveal vanilla, pear, herbs, and more melon.
Finish
Gentle but long with peat and juicy sweetness.
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