Ardmore 8 Year (John Milroy)

 

I am an enormous Ardmore fanboy, and I can't really resist any of the independent bottlings that come out from that distillery. This is an 8 year old Ardmore from John Milroy - a fascinating bottler. John Milroy, the man, opened a fine spirits shop with his brother Wallace on Greek Street in London's toney Soho neighborhood in 1964, and he was one of the first to really push single malt Scotch on the public - for decades (centuries!) blends were the rule. And apparently Milroy had a fine nose for excellent casks, hence this brand. 

So, let's explore. This is bottled at 54.8% ABV, which indicates a rather severe angel's share and also hints at the reason for bottling at only 8 years old, but that's OK - not every barrel is perfectly sealed and many whiskies are great at this age; those 8 years were in a refill bourbon barrel. Here we go:

Nose: Rich fruit and sharp iodine storm out of the glass to greet you - it's obviously peated (lightly), and yet it's also fairly strong on the fruited end of things. I get citrus fruit, but also dark purple fruit: plums, grapes, and prunes. Light orchard fruit, a distinct melon note, peat, smoke, red wine vinegar, salt, medicinal qualities, herbs, and vanilla. 

With water: Sea water, apple and pear, light herbal smoke, butter. Unripe tropical fruit. Rocks and medicine. Sweetish dry peat (typical Highland style, even though Ardmore is sort of on the border of east Highland and Speyside). 

Mouthfeel: Thick, viscous, quite nice. 

Palate: A quintessentially Ardmore series of flavors: dark red fruit (plums/prunes), smoke, iodine, peat, salt, brine, leather, malt, earth, moss, vanilla. Hints of menthol, biscuits, herbs. Very energetic, tons of presence. Very well balanced between the sweet and coastal, surprising at so young an age.

With water: Still a really full, rich mouthfeel even when diluted: melon is the foremost note, then dried/stewed red fruit, leather, malted barley, rock salt, grimy/dirty brine, and forest moss. Comes across as a hair young thanks to a swipe of alcohol mid-development, but I've had much worse in terms of both alcohol burn and also brash youth. 

Finish: Much longer than expected: buttered bread, cut grass, malted barley, light wood, light fruit, more iodine, salt... a surprisingly rich, bready, and complex finish that lasts and lasts and lasts. Extremely long considering the age. 

Verdict: An unexpectedly good Ardmore. I've had quite a few now, and this is one of the better single cask offerings. It has a lot of layers, a lot of flavor, and is a good representation of the Ardmore house style. Tastes like a 12 year instead of an 8 year. A very expressive Highland style here, lovely stuff: recommended.