53,3°
Distillery : The Ardmore - Speyside
1st Fill Bourbon Cask
Independent Bottling
By Hidden Spirits
Limited Edition
Single Cask
Bottled in 2023
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength
Peated around 12 ppm
Among other goodies, Hidden Spirits launched this range two years ago, The Poker Face Collection, which brings together 4 different bottlings, all illustrated with the same concept by Severino Del Bono, a world-famous artist, or so I'm told. This Ardmore is the 4th and final expression in the series, aged for precisely 21 years in a 1st Fill Bourbon single cask, and produced in an edition of 217 bottles.
Let's Taste It :
Ashy peat, admittedly light but intense. Exotic fruits, guava and mango, but in the background. Beautiful minerality, graphite, pencil lead, iron filings. Wax and earthy vanilla. All sprinkled with lemon. The palate, on the other hand, is very fruity, with white plums, banana, custard. The spices are not overpowering. A peaty aftertaste of black ash and soot. The finish is long, sparkling, lemon biscuit, tarte tatin, toasted almonds, frangipane, apple crumble, a pinch of cinnamon.
In Short,
Interesting, and really surprising. The peat is very intense for an Ardmore, but it doesn't hide the fruit, especially on the finish, or the profile of the distillery. This is a superb bottling, both subtle and extreme, unfortunately the price is high but it is still possible to find it for less on certain websites.
Score : 90
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Balthazar - Fever
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