SMWS Whisky Sample 66.217 Ardmore 24 Year Old Cliché, but Who Cares? 2022 Release (30ml, 53.7%)

SMWS Whisky Sample 66.217 Ardmore 24 Year Old Cliché, but Who Cares? 2022 Release (30ml, 53.7%)

This SMWS 66.217 is a rare opportunity to taste Ardmore at a very advanced age. While the distillery is the workhorse of the Highlands (and the heart of many famous blends), its older expressions possess a refined, Highland peat that is vastly different from the medicinal punch of Islay.

Distilled in 1997 and matured for over two decades in a 2nd-fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel. It allowed the spirit to breathe for 24 years without being dominated by fresh oak. It captures that elusive "Highland smoke"—earthy, ashy, and dry—rather than the "wet" or "seaweed" smoke of the coast.

Tasting Notes

Nose: A beautiful mix of heather honey and dunnage warehouse dust. There are notes of dried apricots, beeswax, and a gentle, persistent soot. As it breathes, you get a hint of paraffin and old leather.

Palate: The texture is creamy and substantial. It opens with vanilla fudge and salted caramel, but then the "Ardmore signature" kicks in—smoked malts, wood ash, and a touch of white pepper. There is a delicate, orchard-fruit sweetness (red apples and pears) hiding in the background.

Finish: Long, warming, and elegantly dry. It leaves a lingering trail of tobacco leaf, coal dust, and a final kiss of sweet honey.

Why this bottle is special

Highland Peat vs. Islay Peat: This bottle is special because it showcases the "dry" side of smoke. If Islay is a bonfire on a beach, this is a hearth in a stone cottage. It’s earthy, vegetal, and refined.

The Age Statement: 24-year-old Ardmore is a rarity. This bottle is special because it represents the distillery at its peak of maturity, just before the oak begins to take over. It’s an "old school" Highland malt that doesn't need to shout to be heard.