Code
Distillery
Ardmore
Name
Surf 'n' turf
Producer
SMWS
Region
Highland
Age
12 years
ABV
54.9%
Bottler Type
Independent
Category
Scotch
Flavor Profile
Peated
The whisky opens with antiseptic-treated sheep's wool, followed by mildly medicinal phenols, iodine, and camphor. Frying bacon and mutton stock notes emerge, reflecting the distillery's notably agricultural character.
This cask presents a distinctly farmyard profile with coal scuttle and tar extract notes, burning rosemary wood, and metallic peat smoke. Water reveals lemon verbena, salted porridge, bacon jam, and salt and chilli-fried squid alongside the potent peat.
The finish retains the whisky's weighty peat smoke and medicinal character. Reduction brings dried sage, pork scratchings, aniseed distillate, and salted liquorice notes that linger persistently.
We found this opened rather sharply on antiseptic-doused sheep's wool, before further notes of mildly medicinal phenols, iodine and camphor, with a sense of frying bacon and mutton stock. We felt it seemed true to this distillery's notably 'agricultural' character. Reduction brought dried sage, pork scratchings, aniseed distillate and salted liquorice – with a surprisingly weighty peat smoke. The neat palate was very farmy, and full of impressions of coal scuttles, tar extracts, burning rosemary wood and metallic peat smoke. Water retained all this potent peat, while bringing out notes of lemon verbena, salted porridge, bacon jam and salt 'n' chilli-fried squid.