The stills at the Ardmore distillery have been running since 1898 and were reportedly for a long time been Scotland’s only lightly peated highland single malt (sat inside what is more readily referred to as the Speyside region). The distillery was originally built by the Teacher family for production of their longstanding Teacher’s Highland Cream blended whisky.
Whilst the distillery does have a handful of releases, with the Ardmore Legacy being a widely available non-age statement single malt in UK supermarkets, and a couple of travel retail exclusives at airports, there aren’t loads and loads of expressions of Ardmore single malt available and so the chance to try a single cask offering is a rare opportunity for a scotch fan, and another smart move from Saltire.
This whisky marks Saltire’s sixth bottling since launching their brand. Distilled on 23rd June 2010 and bottled 24th June 2024 to just clock in at 14 years old, this single malt has sat in an (undisclosed) ex-Islay refill barrel. The barrel yielded a total of 249 bottles, having been captured at indie bottler’s preferred 48.8% ABV strength, without chill-filtration or colouring. Bottles are available at RRP £75 GBP.
Nose
A big smoky arrival (way more than anticipated) with lots of influences at play. Think smoked white fish, cooking apples, lemon pancakes, and the sweetness of matchbox candy sticks. Lots of tropical fruit notes and tangy-ness sit beneath.
Taste
An initial creamy flavour and vanilla arrive before the smoke and spices really take hold and casue a tingly tonsil or two. There is a definite smoked haddock note but it’s quickly buffeted by a lollipop sugary sweetness.
Finish
A drying oak finish, floral sweetness (almost like Parma violets) and an oyster sauce finale.
Verdict
A tasty insight into something not so characteristically Speyside. Yes, it’s a fruity malt underneath but the ex-Islay cask and (presumably?) lightly peated spirit underneath really deliver something punchier and smokier than you’d expect from the region. Certainly smokier than I was expecting.
I used to have an Ardmore Traditional Cask bottle that was my first experience of the distillery and I enjoyed its gentle peat. It was almost a gateway into peated whiskies. It was 46% if I remember correctly so had punch. The Ardmore Legacy dropped to 40% and lost some of that bite, but Saltire’s 48.8% really gives it’s a whack and peppery fizzle.
It is a pretty clean malt and with those smoked fish notes I really should have enjoyed this with a nice fish cake. In fact, it does have quite thendrybwhiteneinenfinish to it too, that I’d associate with a fish dish. Not something that I normally go to in terms of pairings or tastings but one I really enjoyed. Like I said, a tasty hit of something else.
M
Sample disclosure: This sample was received as part of a Tweet Tasting event run by The Whisky Wire using #SaltireRareMaltWhisky. All notes are intended as an honest, fair, and independent review of the whisky, and not as a promotion. Please drink responsibly. Please drink wisely.
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