Ardmore 1985 Whiskyland Chapter Thirty-Six 41 yo

 

 

 

45,3°

Distillery : The Ardmore - Highlands

Refill Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By Decadent Drinks 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2026

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Almost Unpeated

 

 

 

At the end of last year, as part of the same range, a 40-year-old Ardmore was released. It was ‘Chapter Twenty-Five’, a blend of two Refill Hogsheads released especially to celebrate the birthday of Angus MacRaild, one of the founders of Decadent Drinks. That’s why there was a birthday cake depicted on the label. But in fact, there was a third Refill Hogshead cask, Angus had simply decided to keep it for later. That ‘later’ has now arrived, and here it is. Distilled in the same year as the two sister casks bottled for the anniversary, it is now 41 years old. Only 102 bottles are being released, perhaps the team decided to keep a few for themselves, which I certainly wouldn’t hold against them. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Very subtle peat that builds slowly, kerosene, sticky honey, varnished wood, exotic fruits, mango, maracuja, pineapple, candied banana, a hint of wax and juicy apples. Very subtle vanilla, a touch of lemon zest, a pinch of salt. On the palate, it’s perfect, the peat is slightly mineral, with a chiselled limestone quality, but overall it’s very smooth, oily yellow plums and elegant oak, the vanilla is a little more pronounced. An incredibly powerful finish given the low alcohol content, hail, pepper and cloves, marzipan, fig cake. A touch of herbaceousness. 

 

In Short, 

It was truly exquisite, very subtle and impressive, it’s hard to write a review that does justice to this nectar. Although I did find the peat quite pronounced, a lovely power on the finish and some absolutely fabulous notes of wax. Great elegance, superb balance, a bit old-school but also very modern. Without a doubt one of the best Ardmores available on the market. Of course, the price puts a damper on some people’s ambitions, but it’s not that expensive for what it is. 

Score : 91

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                   To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                               Tina Arena - True Faith