Review: Ardmore Legacy
Ardmore Legacy
Single Malt Scotch - Highland Region, Scotland
40% ABV
I've been lucky enough to have whiskies of all ages and all price ranges, and yet at only $30-$35 USD this bottle remains a constant go-to for me and is never absent on my shelf. There are of course plenty of qualities that separate the cheap to the diamond studded, self parking, one of only 5, outrageously expensive 'things' in the world. This bottle is not studded with gems, but it is a very affordable diamond in the rough as far as my eyes are concerned. Granted I will admit that the Traditional Cask bottling available up until a couple of years ago, the previous version of this current bottle, was better in plenty of ways but I'll save that for another bit of writing. This is a young whisky with no age statement, but still very flavorful and one of the most affordable, best bangs for your buck amongst single malts there is on the market right now.
This whisky starts out on the nose with a lot of grain. Being only a few years old, there is not much wood to be picked out yet, but the light peat smoking of the barley used in the recipe (not as common in most Highland region whiskies) carries over sweet smoke and honey into the flavor with a bit of cinnamon. The finish is a little drying though the small amount of peatiness sticks around to remind those trying this as their first single malt, or a lightly peated single malt for the first time, that they are tasting something very different.
It is certainly not a Dalmore 50 year old in any stretch, but for a gentle push into the peated world or just an all-around value bottle that is great to be poured any time, Ardmore nailed it with this. But in all seriousness, if you do happen to find a bottle of that original Traditional cask please let a fella know?…