Ardmore 1998-1999/2024 - 25 yo - Thompson Bros.

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 48.9% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

For this Ardmore release, Thompson Bros. combined whisky distilled in 1998 and 1999 from two refill hogsheads. Both casks had previously been used to mature whisky. The single malt matured for 25 years; 463 bottles were filled in 2024 at 48.9%. It was neither coloured nor chill-filtered.

Fruit notes of mango, kumquat and smoked yellow stone fruit sit alongside fennel, mossy and petrol-like impressions, and peat smoke. Citrus, eucalyptus and herbs emerge on the palate; dark chocolate and ash accompany the finish.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, fennel, mango and kumquat mingle with a farmyard-like aroma, slightly petrol-like notes and an impression of burning gorse.
• Palate: The whisky feels creamy on the palate. Smoked yellow fruit meets lemon and eucalyptus, while peat smoke, herbs and a woody note give the flavour structure.
• Finish: The medium-long to long finish brings dark chocolate, ash and a hint of caramel; smoke and a mineral note linger.

Distillery/Bottler:

Adam Teacher commissioned Ardmore in 1895. The distillery began operating near Kennethmont in the Scottish Highlands in 1898, supplying malt whisky for Teacher's. Today, Ardmore belongs to Suntory Global Spirits. The distillery uses spring water from Knockandy Hill and ferments its wort with distiller's yeast in Douglas fir washbacks for around 53 hours. It processes both peated and unpeated malt.

Phil and Simon Thompson entered the whisky business through the Dornoch Castle Hotel. As independent bottlers, they select whisky from other distilleries for Thompson Bros., allow it to mature and bottle whisky from single casks or small combinations of casks. For this release, Ardmore produced the spirit, while Thompson Bros. selected and combined the whisky from the two hogsheads.

Facts: