More to Enjoy
- Raided Score: 86
- Publication: Drink Hacker
- Excerpt: The higher proof helps keep things engaging and is a worthwhile contender of consideration into a full-fledged addition to Ardmore’s core range.
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- Raided Score: 88
- Publication: Whiskey Raiders
- Excerpt: Starts jammy and sweet, ends dry and peppery. This could definitely use a bump in proof, but is very good as it is.
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Intro:
Undisclosed distilling year gives us an 8yr sherry matured Ardmore bottled by Cadenheads, and proofed to 46% ABV. This is a new trend for the brand, and I'm not sure how supportive of it I am. Let's let the whiskey speak. Typically, Ardmore has a bit of character to it - earthy, light smoke. It's interesting to see just this much color on a bottling this young, and at this lower ABV, which is intriguing. Enough chatter - let's get to it.
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Nose:
Orange peel, cherry preserve, honey, blackberry, toffee and sweet cream. I'm a bit surprised - not the profile I was expecting. But, like many things - it's a surprise I'll take.
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Taste:
Thin to medium mouthfeel. Sweet cream, blackberry, toffee and cocoa. Big fruity notes, some malt backbone. Grows richer and richer with time. Nice desserty, malty, stewed fruit character. This could be a bruiser of a bottling if it didn't taste as thin.
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Finish:
Long, dry finish that starts juicy fruity and ends dry, tobacco and peppery. This might actually be my favorite part. Great transformation across the finish.
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Overall:
Starts jammy and sweet, ends dry and peppery. This could definitely use a bump in proof, but is very good as it is. Good work, Cadenheads (and Ardmore, too, I suppose)
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Score:
6
- Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources