Ardmore Quarter Cask OB

[Deactivated Member]

Urgent help needed:

I am in Edinburgh Airport and they have a bottle of Ardmore Quarter Cask OB for sale - ridiculously cheap. Has anyone tried it?

[les taylor]

Nick I've an open bottle of Cask Strength 55.8% 1990 which is just fabulous. Based on that If I was were you are I'd buy it.

Hope that helps.

Les.

[Deactivated Member]

Thanks Les. I've had Ardmores before and when they're good, they're very very good. But when they're bland, they're very very bland. This is a litre bottle and the thought of soldiering through 50 bland drams makes it a bit of a risk. I'm sure I'll have the opportunity to buy again once others have taken the plunge first!

[les taylor]

Nick how much is it?

Also I've been doing some hunting around and have not seen it available anywhere. It looks like it's a duty free offering only.

[Deactivated Member]

£27 for 1 Litre. As I say, it's very cheap but I don't like throwing whisky out and I don't want to be saddled with a litre of boring whisky. The bottle looks very good, though.

[les taylor]

Not a bad price what strength is it?

[Deactivated Member]

Forgot to look, but at that price it won't be cask strength! I think I might buy it anyway...

[les taylor]

Good Man.

[Deactivated Member]

The deed is done. It's 46%.

[les taylor]

We expect a report sometime and maybe a piccie.

[vitara7]

sounds interesting, look forward to your thoughts on it nick. ill need to make arangments to need to go through edinburgh airport at some point...

[irishwhiskeychaser]

The Quarter Casking might give it that bit of umph... that it requires.

SO I reckon your on a winner...

I wait too for a detailed report

[Di Blasi]

Me too, I wonder about it, so do let us know when you open it, and a foto would be great since you say the presentation is well done.

[Deactivated Member]

No photos, I'm afraid. I don't have a camera. But the carton has a sepia view of the distillery in the distance with a golden eagle above it, with gold lettering and a stylized eagle as the logo. The bottle has two labels - one with the writing and one clear label with the eagle logo in white. This is supposed to look screen printed on the glass and hopefully future bottlings will do real screen printing or etching.

Anyway, I tasted the whisky last night, perhaps under sub-optimal conditions as I was tired, and I didn't do a formal tasting note. But here are my first impressions based on memory:

N: on opening there were citric notes - lemon and grapefruit, but these faded with time. There was a peatiness and a slight sweetness. There were earthy and woody notes like a dunnage warehouse.

T: citric at first, but this faded; light dry smoke like in Bavarian smoked cheese; vague oakiness; smooth mouthfeel

F: sweet smoke and then slight mint; short finish that vanishes entirely after 10 minutes

Overall, this is a subtle and delicate whisky - the peat is sweet-dry but not at all seaweedy, coastal or medicinal. It is also quite quiet and restrained. Unlike many of the special peated mainland whiskies, this carries the peat well. It doesn't feel like a bolt-on. The quarter casking has done the job well, and there is no trace of youth in this whisky, despite the absence of an age statement.

Obviously, Ardmore is the principal flavouring whisky in Teachers and this does taste rather like Teachers, but without the spicy grains. This isn't bad whisky, but it does feel more like an ingredient than a finished product. It needs something more to underpin the peat. The short finish is disappointing. This bottling certainly isn't in the league of the excellent Centenary 12yo OB; G&M Cask 1990 or the SMWS 66.16, all of which had longer finishes and probably slightly more depth to the peat. But it does offer a new experience to peat freaks and is probably good value for money.

[les taylor]

Thanks Nick nice report. So are you glad you bought it or do you wish you had rather not?

[Deactivated Member]

Fairly ambivalent at the moment, Les. I guess I would have sat wondering what it might be like if I hadn't bought it and I'm not likely to find it on any bar shelves. I guess I couldn't really give a firm answer, though, until I'm further down the bottle.

If someone has never tried Ardmore before, then I'd definitely recommend they try this. If they have tried Ardmore before, then I'd say it's not worth going out of the way to find it.

On edit - found a weblink including photo

http://www.whisky-pages.com/stories/rec ... 007-07.htm

[orangedogofglory]

thanks for the review and pic, Nick

[les taylor]

It looks a nice package. It's available retail fron sept onwards then. Possibly one to look out for.

[irishwhiskeychaser]

Yes the bottle and tube look very well if I say so myself. No wonder you bought it. It's a pity it did not totally live up to expectations.

[Di Blasi]

Nice review Nick Brown, thanks for letting us know. And thanks for adding the foto irishwhiskeychaser.

[Deactivated Member]

May I bump this thread to see whether others have had a chance to try this whisky yet? I know Lawrence has and I'd be very interested for his thoughts...

[woodhill]

UPDATE

Now available in Sainsburys for a intro offer of £14.99

IWBRNT

[mattbuty]

It certainly would...and having tasted this last week I would say that this is a perfectly reasonable drink.

Intrestingly Kedren rated this higher than I did, and she's not so keen on peated whisky.

[BruceCrichton]

UPDATE

Now available in Sainsburys for a intro offer of £14.99

IWBRNT

Brilliant! That's getting grabbed tomorrow.

[Deactivated Member]

I tried this at Whisky Live - apparently I had bought a bottle from the first batch which the distillery admits was a bit thin. The second batch is better and you'll not go wrong at£15 a bottle.

[mattbuty]

bagged a couple of bottles tonight. It is not sticking around. they put 4 cases out in my local store on wednesday, and they had 3 bottles left when I went in. I got 2, and am now kicking myself for not getting the other. Excellent Christmas present at that price...

[les taylor]

Thanks for the prompt Mattbuty. I've phoned my local store they are puttting a couple aside for me to pick up in the morning. I feel happy about that. But not as happy as Di Blasi with his haul today.

[mattbuty]

I feel happy about that. But not as happy as Di Blasi with his haul today.

Yeah but you've alrerady got a bottle of the lag 21 haven't you?

[les taylor]

I feel happy about that. But not as happy as Di Blasi with his haul today.

Yeah but you've alrerady got a bottle of the lag 21 haven't you?

Matt I have. But this was Di Blasi's haul. Yesterday was the Port Ellen 7th Release! Today, Lagavulin 21y, (yes, I got it!), Mackmyra Preludium: 05, and Nikka From the Barrel!!!


Matt 2 ardmore's or Di Blasi's shopping list. No contest.

[mattbuty]

I'm moved to tears...

[BruceCrichton]

I grabbed Ardmore from Sainsbury's for £15. Great tip.

My mate grabbed it from Whisky Live. Never asked what it cost him.