I love these older Ardmore. Time in the cask allows some of the heavier and bolder qualities of the younger and feistier malts to mellow out so that more of the murky depths of the whisky begin to take shape.  For this particular release, the Thompson Brothers combined a hogshead from 1998 and 1999.

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Whisky: Ardmore 25 Year (1998/1999), Thompson Brothers

Country/Region: Scotland/Highland

ABV: 48.9%

Cask: Refill Hogshead

Age: 25 Years (Distilled 1998-1999, Bottled Nov. 2024)

Notes: Wispy smoke and charred pork belly met herbal perilla and sesame seeds— I was at a Korean barbecue joint, the table grill in action. More caramelized sweet marinades lingered in the background with grass, almost green onion like, hot metal, and antiseptic wipes. Medium to light-bodied on the palate with familiar notions of charred sugars, fats, and grass, but with more fruits and a sharper acrid quality than the aroma. Tinned pineapple caramelizing on a hot grill top arrived with mugwort and perilla as herbal spices turned toward grass and soot. Less meaty than the aroma, the palate shifted toward raspberry and vanilla syrups, but with a constant acrid char in motion amongst churning antiseptic wipes and lemon.  The finish was medium-length and quiet with a touch of peppery spirit, pithy citrus, and soot. 

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Score: 7 (83)

Mental Image: KBBQ Table Bussing

Conclusion: This verged on greatness, but it settled for just being really good— but all that is quibbling when the whisky is delightful. The aroma and palate were rather discordant as they initially developed and then lost overlapping elements, while the finish was not particularly strong. It was a wonderfully tasty whisky, but the flavor notes lacked distinctiveness and the richness that could elevate the experience. Overall, I have been a bit entranced by these older Ardmore lately and this was enjoyable, even if it felt a notch below some of the others.