Gordon & Macphail Ardmore 24yr - Exceptionalist

Established as a grocery business in 1895 in the heart of Scotland’s Speyside region, Gordon & MacPhail originally curated all manner of groceries from around the world such as teas, coffees, wines and whisky. Their appreciation of the rich tapestry of flavours they encountered led the founders, James Gordon & Alexander MacPhail, to seek out and complement this varied stock with fine produce in the form of Speyside’s many and varied single malt whiskies.

It was in 1898 that Adam Teacher, son of Glasgow blender William Teacher, decided that the family firm needed its own malt whisky distillery. The site he chose, on the outskirts of the village of Kennethmont in rural Aberdeenshire, was on land owned by family friend Col. Leith-Hay. It had water, there was a source of peat nearby, and the immediate surroundings grew barley. As significantly, given the vision Teacher had for the site, the railway between Inverness and Aberdeen ran alongside. By putting in a small branch line he could get casks and cows in, and whisky out. Ardmore has remained in the Teacher’s stable ever since, providing smoke and also top notes to a blend which still sells over a million cases globally.

Nose - Bright honey and pineapple are balanced by smoke. Cured meats develop alongside malted biscuit and grapefruit zest.

Palate - Sweet and smooth red apple intertwines with brown sugar and toasted oak. Citrus notes are accompanied by cracked black pepper.

Finish - Medium bodied and dry with toasted almonds and bonfire embers.

One of only 199 bottles produced worldwide