2009 Claxton's Warehouse No.1 Ardmore 12 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Ardmore from a brandy cask presents a fascinating proposition, although the cask in question seems to have had a reducing effect on the nose. Not so on the palate where Ardmore's sooty keynote is emphasised in an ample malt of considerable vitality. Peppers dapple the tongue. The sooty peat recedes through the cocoa-laced, tea biscuit finish. From a brandy quarter cask yielding 147 bottles. 58.1% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered.

Notes from Claxton's... Nose: Sea-salty freshness at first. Butter biscuit with a sweet pepperiness. Palate: More peaty on the palate. Sweet ash and barbecue notes. Finish: Long, dry finish. Lots of salt and pepper and oak in the aftertaste.