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. Ardmore remained in the Teacher’s stable for many years which helped to provide the distinctive smoke and top note blends. It wasn’t until 2014 that the distillery was added to the Beam Suntory portfolio, who maintain a relentless drive to achieve quality alongside profit from all the brands they own under their banner. Ardmore had until recently been used primarily for blending into Teachers whisky of which it is still a main component. However since 2015 there has been a large scale rebrand and a huge drive on releasing stand alone single cask expressions. Its importance for its blend has meant that Ardmore has never had a presence as single malt. The peatiness (it comes across as woodsmoke) is balanced by a gentle apple/floral lift, the product of a regime which insists on clear wort and very long fermentation in wooden washbacks. The fires which once raged under the stills added a heavy, mid-palate weight, as did the downward facing lyne arms. When the fires came out, the distillery team spent seven months creating new steam coils with kinks in them to replicate the ‘hot spots’ in the stills which had contributed this flavour. Since the steam has come in, an unpeated variant [called Ardlair after a nearby stone circle] has also been made.

• Capacity – 5.4 Million Litres Per Annum
• Malt Specification – medium peated, 12-14 ppm. Ardlair – plain malt
• Mash Tun Material – Cast iron body, copper dome
• Condenser Type – Shell and tube
• Heat Source -Steam (heavy fuel boiler)
• Washbacks -14 Wood washbacks
• Mash Tun Type – Semi Lauter
• Water Source – Knockandy Hill (15 springs)

A 24 year old highland cream recently sold in April 2021 for £5,000 at auction For the liquid they produce about 5.4 million litres per year with a 54 hour fermentation time. The nose is full of sweet toffee and earthy herbal notes. The earthiness is really effective and lends a great depth and appeal to this dram. There is also a distinctly honeyed note coming through. This is smooth and soft, and mixes well with the herbal notes of thyme and heather that also appear. The excellent news for investors is that it is remarkably good value still. Certainly worth adding to any portfolio. A bottle of 15 year old Ardmore retails at £200. Based on the above, If you were to hold your cask for 10 years or even 5 years, rather than the 3, the return will be considerably more.