Hey guys, it's me again, your strange neighborhood hammock guy. I'm here to remind you that it is indeed Wednesday, of the Whiskey.
Coming at you from the far North East of Scotland's Highland region, the Ardmore Distillery as seen fit to distribute out to my local Liquor joint, and it it's footprint, their calling card; The Ardmore Legacy.
The Ardmore Legacy
Highland Single Malt Scotch
The Ardmore Distillery
40% / 80 proof
$44.99
Nose - The nose is light and flowery, with peaty earthen undertones. Very light, sugary notes of honey and a soft vanilla drift through brine, sending you to a what I would imagine a bright sunny day on a daisy covered Atlantic beachside knoll would smell like.
Palette - Very light honey and peat that tastes smooth and feels like it to. Fresh peat and earth with a nearly grassy, flowery tea like note, that melts into obscurity rather dramatically. With a good amount of concentration, I was able to dig some very violent bursts of honey towards the end of the palette and at the cusp of the finish.
Finish - The milky mellowness and suprisingly friendly taste subsides quickly into a refreshing spice and burn on the finish that becomes someone sensational. A light peat smoke subsists with mellow barely stands for quite some time.
Thoughts - I've had this bottle for a LONG time. I mean, I think I got it this time last year. My first experience with The Ardmore Legacy was one that I was quite upset with, and to be honest, was not looking forward to reviewing. I think it's quite fortunate that I've had quite a bit more Scotch experience under my belt since then, because this review was actually quite a pleasant one. I was able to pick up many more complexities and flavor profiles that I had at first; What I thought was a mundane, underwhelming Scotch, was actually just my inexperience with anything outside of the Islay region, and my utter ignorance to the intricacies of what other regions have to offer. I'm still a fan of the deep, heavily smokey, peated brine that is Islay, but I'm happy to know that I am now able to pull flavors out of whiskies that may be more challenging and complex than some of those really strong, up front veshches.
Is The Ardmore Legacy for you? I can't really say. It's quite complex and I would say that, if you're interested in really challenging yourself to something that is light but mysterious, this is a great way to go. I'd also highly recommend them if you really enjoy awesome packaging design, because the designer at The Ardmore really nailed this one.