James MacArthur ‘Old Masters Cask Strength Selection’ Ardmore 2000 (14 year old) 58.3%
Bourbon Cask 217/ Dist: 2000 Btl: 2014/ Tasted: Dec 2014
A lovely, sweetly peated nose with heather honey and gristy barley. It settles down to show a vivid herbal character, which reminds me of young, herbal rye. Hints of antiseptic and mint appears as the phenols kick in.
The palate is lightly oiled and gristy to begin with. The oils keep the peat in check to a certain extent and allows the off-sweet barley and fleshy apricot fruit to shine. Intensely alcoholic and a slightly bitter finish, but the barley and moist vanilla notes balance. Finally the sweet peat breaks free of the oils and rounds the palate off rather well.
Dilution emphasises the oils on the nose. Still fairly herbal with the sweet peat just accenting. On the palate it really emphasises the sugar coated barley. The peat is now just a distant, earthy note but it’s still quite herbal and some dusty spices and heather have appeared. Very long with a little a lovely dry and sweet peat finish.
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 