By Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

The newest single malt Scotch on the shelf is an interesting dram, both in flavor and for what it says about the Scotch industry. For some years now, we have offered superb bottlings of Ardmore from several independent bottlers such as Gordon & MacPhail, Duncan Taylor and Whisky Galore, and Signatory. Ardmore has never been available in America in an “official�? distillery edition; as with many rare malt distilleries, the only way to get any was the independent bottlers. But for the 110^th anniversary of the distillery, there is an official debut in America, called Ardmore Traditional Cask with a 46% abv, non-chill filtered version that happily promotes its “unique, Highland peat-smoke.�? Well, puff away…

Built in 1898, Ardmore lies in the Speyside region, home to such typically non-peaty, delicate whiskies as Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Balvenie. Ardmore, however, has always cranked up the fire and produced a relatively peaty and smoky whisky, much more so than its neighbors in Speyside. Until the advent of heavily peated BenRiach, Benromach, and other late-comer peat whiskies, Ardmore was easily the smokiest whisky in all the Highlands. Once upon a time, many Highland whiskies were rather smoky, but today only Ardmore (and to a lesser extent, Glen Garioch) pays homage to that old-fashioned style. Today that smoky flavor is very popular, as whisky lovers around the world and particularly in America have fallen in love with peaty Scotch.

The new bottling of Ardmore lacks an age statement, and in fact is likely well under 10 years of age. However, like its stable mate Laphroaig (both are owned by liquor conglomerate Fortune Brands), this American-issue Ardmore spends time in “18^th century quarter casks�? which due to their small size accelerate the aging process. This allows the owners to market a relatively young whisky, at a healthy price, without much compromise in flavor or quality. Making matters even better, the whisky is bottled without chill filtration, the cosmetic process which most malts undergo and which can rip out so much flavor, aroma, and texture. The issue of chill filtration means a lot to me. At home, on my own recognizance, few filtered Scotches pass my lips, as I nearly always choose pure, unfiltered Highland dew. Kudos to Fortune Brands for their righteousness in this matter.

For anyone enjoying a gutsy, full-flavored and smoky (though not outright pungent) single malt Scotch, Ardmore is well worth a look. Hopefully more Scottish malt distilleries will emerge from obscurity and come across the pond in the years to come.

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