Very much like this. Light, honeyed, mild smoke, a little pears and vanilla. Just as Chivas 12 is my quality floor for a decent blend, this is my floor for a single malt - both give something to appreciate on the nose, palate and in the finish. Oh, and they can both be had for a score. I would recommend them to people but nobody ever asks! Good review, Vin.
@@NoNonsenseWhisky I just brought home a bottle of Teacher's and, after a couple of hefty drams, refilled with this (Ardmore being, of course, Teachers' core malt). Wow! I highly recommend this experiment!
1) Ledaig 10 2) BenRiach Curiositas 3) anCnoc Cutter 4) Benromach peated 5) Paul John Peated Select Cask 6) Longrow NAS Rider: i don't actually consider Talisker, HP, Springbank to be peated whiskies such is my palate. Edit: I will put Compass Box in as Islay given the make up of it.
No Nonsense Whisky and the first 4 all in what I would call affordable or 'no nonsense' whiskies Vin. Even the PJ wouldn't be a premium price in UK. And is a real bruiser of a peated world whisky.
Despite my age I don't recall the Traditional. Bang on with your review of the Legacy.. Cheaper but drinkable single malt, Not a killer but not bad at all.
For the price, I found the Ardmore Legacy to be a decent whisky but the 40 % ABV does make it a little light tasting for me. I definitely prefer the old Ardmore Traditional Cask version over the Legacy version. For non-Islay peated whisky, my 3 favorites are Talisker 10, Longrow Peated and GlenDronach Peated.
Can I just say that I thought this is an excellent review are you are absolutely ‘spot on’ on your taste notes. Now (especially being a Scot) some will reach for their crucifixes and brandish me to everlasting hell but I am more of a ‘gin man’. Occasionally, I get the desire for whisky. Took a while for me to appreciate Laphroaig but it is an acquired taste worth having. Also love GlenDronach. Picked this up for £20 and honestly did not expect much from it but I am really pleasantly surprised. Nice combination of peat and charcoal tastes. Well worth £20 IMO.
Thanks for the kind words! I think it's important to diversify tastes so theres absolutely no problem in enjoying your gin! Im just getting into brandy.
00:22- MY personal non-Islay "peated" so far is Ardmore Tradition Peated; NCF and 46%. (but I think it's very lightly coloured cause that was the only "connoisseurs' checkmark no-no" which wasn't written not on the box). But; it's so well rounded, and a wonderfully balanced easy-drinking dram (Not harsh like an Ardbeg). A few drops of water brought out more of the lemony/citrusy notes from the ex-bourbons. For a 1-litre bottle (unfortunately it's at duty-frees only), I think it was still very fairly priced.
Talisker or Ballechin (on a Day i want to go PEAT!) for the non Islay. The Ardmore Legacy is great. Had it on new Years with the Family of my Girlfriend. It was gone in about an hour. Even the Grandma joined us in drinking it and liked it. I am also a Fan of the Blend made from it: Teachers Highland Cream. Both real bang for the buck Whiskys!
Want to try this one. Just found out my ancestors lived in Aberdeenshire. Living in Alexandria, Louisiana there aren’t many options for Scotch. Cheers!
It's a shame you have limited options. The State system makes it weird. I went to Texas a few years back and I could get Scotch that I couldn't even get here in the UK!
@@NoNonsenseWhisky It’s money and legal bull. Texas produces a few brands I’d like to try. If you ever come back you’ll have to visit and try some of our Louisiana food.
Can't argue with that. The land is littered with whisky that would be amazing at 43%. Still though, for the price, the Legacy ticks most of the other boxes for me
@@NoNonsenseWhisky it is always so sad to see such greed as so that distilleries bottle at 40%. Here locally I can get better presented whiskies for nearly the same price as of now (or even cheaper in some cases)
I have a bottle of this going since September 20, and there's still 1/3 of a bottle left. That means it's not moving particularly fast... i never got the chance to try the Traditional Cask... Maybe I'll pour a dram of this Ardmore Legacy now for the hell of it...
Awesome video Vin! I still need to try an Ardmore although this dram doesn't sound like something that would excite me. My fav. non islay peated single malt is probably anything from Springbank. I know.. I know...shocker right? :)
December 2, 2020 - I’ll be reviewing this soon so I’m comparing notes. It’s not an amazing whisky but I like it. Recently had the anCnoc Peatheart- fantastic! Have a Merry Christmas!
I've recently discovered "The Ardmore" here in the Japan Alps. Retails for 2,750 yen a 70cl bottle, that's just over 3,000 yen with tax. Carton claims "single malt", however talks of "a marriage of peat and unpeated" which surely makes it a blended malt. In any event, a really good drink that feels like 12-year-old, so an exceptionally good deal for the money. As an aside, the carton shows a map with contour lines up 400 - feet or metres? In either case, "Highland" even at 400 metres, gimme a break. Jack the Japan Alps Brit, 1000 metres in the valleys
Glad you got to try it! The single in single malt relates to a single distillery rather than one malt. All single malts are essentially blends of many casks, apart from Single Cask bottlings of course. Ardmore sits at around 600ft above sea level, so not high in itself but the Highlands region has many peaks, the highest of which is Ben Nevis at around 4400 feet. A lot of old distilleries are in low valleys as back in the day they needed to be hidden from the authorities
No Nonsense Whisky well, what I don't understand is that Greenland is attached to NA, Gulf of Mexico and Mediterranean are inland seas and there's no Persian Gulf or Red Sea, no Caspian Sea - like the ocean levels are much lower. And there's apparently a land bridge from Asia to NA. That's what I'm curious about :)
Ah ok I'm with you. So the gold colour you see is a foil that needs to be scratched off. I think the makers just slapped it on over all the features you describe so if I ever get to scratch off those parts of the world, the proper geography will be revealed
You seem to have marked India! Namaste 🙏 What did you try there?? Being from India I can think of only two brands John Paul and Amrit. Did you try anything special apart from these two? Also isn't Indian whiskey Flavoured Rum rum technically?
Not impressed at first. Was like some weak too sharp fake Islay. Drank a third of a bottle neat and with a half a teaspoon of water full teaspoon of water not to impressed but okish. Next day ... much better mouth feel. Day after I get a blast of orange and then orange peel and an even better mothfeel. First day dissapointed second day improement third day I'll be buying this again.
I think my favorite non-Islay peated whisky would probably be Springbank or Highland Park. I am a fan of the Ardmore Legacy, though. Your live-stream with the Scotch Test Dummies was good, by the way. I watched it on the replay.
Tried this a few years ago and thought it was decent for the money. However having bought a bottle last night (and yes still £20 in supermarket) i would say it's not as nice as before. Would sooner put my £20 towards a decent bottle. Avoid unless you need a malt to use as a mixer i'd say
Very much like this. Light, honeyed, mild smoke, a little pears and vanilla. Just as Chivas 12 is my quality floor for a decent blend, this is my floor for a single malt - both give something to appreciate on the nose, palate and in the finish. Oh, and they can both be had for a score. I would recommend them to people but nobody ever asks! Good review, Vin.
When it's on deal, it's one of those 'itd be rude not to' drams
@@NoNonsenseWhisky I just brought home a bottle of Teacher's and, after a couple of hefty drams, refilled with this (Ardmore being, of course, Teachers' core malt). Wow! I highly recommend this experiment!
How's is this compared to Chivas 12
@@siddeshbandekar1913 Haven't had Ardmore in a good while now and Chivas has dropped off in quality imo. Given the choice, I would take the Ardmore.
@@pokeround not to mention Chivas price has significantly increased I haven't tried Ardmore but I love teachers less than Chivas though
Favourite non-Islay plated - Ledaig 10 for me. It's the most Islay like whisky not from Islay!
1) Ledaig 10
2) BenRiach Curiositas
3) anCnoc Cutter
4) Benromach peated
5) Paul John Peated Select Cask
6) Longrow NAS
Rider: i don't actually consider Talisker, HP, Springbank to be peated whiskies such is my palate. Edit: I will put Compass Box in as Islay given the make up of it.
No Nonsense Whisky and the first 4 all in what I would call affordable or 'no nonsense' whiskies Vin. Even the PJ wouldn't be a premium price in UK. And is a real bruiser of a peated world whisky.
Despite my age I don't recall the Traditional.
Bang on with your review of the Legacy..
Cheaper but drinkable single malt, Not a killer but not bad at all.
For the price, I found the Ardmore Legacy to be a decent whisky but the 40 % ABV does make it a little light tasting for me. I definitely prefer the old Ardmore Traditional Cask version over the Legacy version. For non-Islay peated whisky, my 3 favorites are Talisker 10, Longrow Peated and GlenDronach Peated.
Can I just say that I thought this is an excellent review are you are absolutely ‘spot on’ on your taste notes. Now (especially being a Scot) some will reach for their crucifixes and brandish me to everlasting hell but I am more of a ‘gin man’. Occasionally, I get the desire for whisky. Took a while for me to appreciate Laphroaig but it is an acquired taste worth having. Also love GlenDronach. Picked this up for £20 and honestly did not expect much from it but I am really pleasantly surprised. Nice combination of peat and charcoal tastes. Well worth £20 IMO.
Thanks for the kind words! I think it's important to diversify tastes so theres absolutely no problem in enjoying your gin! Im just getting into brandy.
The price was right, seemed tame at first but as I tried it in later weeks I liked it more. The light peat comes out more with a bit of water.
It's definitely one of those good value whiskies that still provides a good drinking experience
00:22- MY personal non-Islay "peated" so far is Ardmore Tradition Peated; NCF and 46%.
(but I think it's very lightly coloured cause that was the only "connoisseurs' checkmark no-no" which wasn't written not on the box).
But; it's so well rounded, and a wonderfully balanced easy-drinking dram (Not harsh like an Ardbeg). A few drops of water brought out more of the lemony/citrusy notes from the ex-bourbons. For a 1-litre bottle (unfortunately it's at duty-frees only), I think it was still very fairly priced.
The legacy is the only Ardmore I've tried but that sounds ace. I'll have to see if I can find it
My favorite non-Islay peated is Ledaig 10
Really good whisky
Talisker or Ballechin (on a Day i want to go PEAT!) for the non Islay.
The Ardmore Legacy is great. Had it on new Years with the Family of my Girlfriend. It was gone in about an hour. Even the Grandma joined us in drinking it and liked it.
I am also a Fan of the Blend made from it: Teachers Highland Cream. Both real bang for the buck Whiskys!
I think the only non-Islay peate malts that I’ve had are Ledaig 10 and Highland Park 12. I like them both for sure !
Want to try this one. Just found out my ancestors lived in Aberdeenshire. Living in Alexandria, Louisiana there aren’t many options for Scotch. Cheers!
It's a shame you have limited options. The State system makes it weird. I went to Texas a few years back and I could get Scotch that I couldn't even get here in the UK!
@@NoNonsenseWhisky It’s money and legal bull. Texas produces a few brands I’d like to try. If you ever come back you’ll have to visit and try some of our Louisiana food.
Very pleasant for what it is. Could easily finish a bottle in one sitting.
I reckon I could as well. Incredibly easy drinking
Non Islay peated single malts - Glen Scotia 10, Longrow, Glenglassaugh Torfa, and HP. In that order, all lightly peated
VERY good choices
Like you I'll pick it up for £20.00 on sale and keep it as a good go to with Jonnie walker double black as another option..
Funny you should say that, I just bought the double black today
Hope you like it!
I'm sure I will. I quite like the standard black
Just bought a bottle on offer at Tesco for 18 quid. I like it to be fair, but it could do with being 43-46%
Can't argue with that. The land is littered with whisky that would be amazing at 43%.
Still though, for the price, the Legacy ticks most of the other boxes for me
@@NoNonsenseWhisky it is always so sad to see such greed as so that distilleries bottle at 40%. Here locally I can get better presented whiskies for nearly the same price as of now (or even cheaper in some cases)
I have a bottle of this going since September 20, and there's still 1/3 of a bottle left. That means it's not moving particularly fast... i never got the chance to try the Traditional Cask... Maybe I'll pour a dram of this Ardmore Legacy now for the hell of it...
Meh. There are so many better whiskies on my bar... It's going in the camping box.
My favourite non Islay peated is Talisker 10 or Talisker Skye (can’t decide between the two)
I like also Ledaig 10
Love a Ledaig!
Favorite non-Islay Peated Malt? That's easy; It's either Ledaig 10 or GlenDronach Peated
Good review. I like the Glendronach peated for a non Islay. Gentle peat, not medicinal. Nice way to get to Islay.
Nice price - looking forward to the review of the port finish ;)
On the question I would have to go with Talisker.
Fav non Islay peated…… Talisker 10
Then again I haven’t tried Ledaig
talisker! the port ruighe is sublime... and the 175th anniversary is delicious too!
Jeez, I completely forgot about Talisker. That makes me rethink my answer, now. Thanks for the reminder!
Toughie, but I'll go with springbank/longrow. Ardmore traditional was something special for the cost.
The obvious Talisker 10yr or Port Ruighe and the not so obvious Edradour Ballechin 10yr or Connemara Turf Mór, keep up the good work, cheers, Kev
Awesome video Vin! I still need to try an Ardmore although this dram doesn't sound like something that would excite me. My fav. non islay peated single malt is probably anything from Springbank. I know.. I know...shocker right? :)
Great review, keep them coming Vin. Springbank no doubt for non Islay peated
Ooh interesting question, mine is anCnoc Rascan, delicious stuff.
December 2, 2020 - I’ll be reviewing this soon so I’m comparing notes. It’s not an amazing whisky but I like it. Recently had the anCnoc Peatheart- fantastic! Have a Merry Christmas!
It definitely serves its purpose. Good value and guilt free sipping. It's so cheap!
Bring back the Traditional. I would need to flip a coin between BenRiach, Longrow and Talisker
Auchentoshan and Laphroaig are my two favorite malts. The yen and yang of single malt scotch whisky.
Interesting to hear your thoughts Vin, cheers. My vote for the best entry level peated non-Islay malt would be Talisker 10. Cheers, Ed
Ledaig and Longrow. I really liked the Ardmore Traditional but I think that is gone.
Talisker has my vote.
Another one of my regulars. I get it when I can't afford Laphroaig
Definitely good enough for a regular sippet
I've recently discovered "The Ardmore" here in the Japan Alps. Retails for 2,750 yen a 70cl bottle, that's just over 3,000 yen with tax. Carton claims "single malt", however talks of "a marriage of peat and unpeated" which surely makes it a blended malt. In any event, a really good drink that feels like 12-year-old, so an exceptionally good deal for the money.
As an aside, the carton shows a map with contour lines up 400 - feet or metres? In either case, "Highland" even at 400 metres, gimme a break.
Jack the Japan Alps Brit, 1000 metres in the valleys
Glad you got to try it! The single in single malt relates to a single distillery rather than one malt. All single malts are essentially blends of many casks, apart from Single Cask bottlings of course.
Ardmore sits at around 600ft above sea level, so not high in itself but the Highlands region has many peaks, the highest of which is Ben Nevis at around 4400 feet. A lot of old distilleries are in low valleys as back in the day they needed to be hidden from the authorities
It's not a blended malt pal. And it is the Highlands pal. And it doesn't taste like a 12 year old. Have your break
What type of map is that behind you?
It's a scratch map 😊 I'm scratching it off slowly as I cover whiskies from those countries
No Nonsense Whisky well, what I don't understand is that Greenland is attached to NA, Gulf of Mexico and Mediterranean are inland seas and there's no Persian Gulf or Red Sea, no Caspian Sea - like the ocean levels are much lower. And there's apparently a land bridge from Asia to NA. That's what I'm curious about :)
Ah ok I'm with you. So the gold colour you see is a foil that needs to be scratched off. I think the makers just slapped it on over all the features you describe so if I ever get to scratch off those parts of the world, the proper geography will be revealed
You seem to have marked India! Namaste 🙏 What did you try there?? Being from India I can think of only two brands John Paul and Amrit. Did you try anything special apart from these two? Also isn't Indian whiskey Flavoured Rum rum technically?
Ledaig 10 for the best non Islay peated Scotch.
I like Ardmore Legacy. It reminds me of Lagavulin 8 - not as crisp as the Lagavulin but a similar palate for half the price.
benromach peat smoke yumm
Non-Islay: Talisker 10, ro DE, or 18YO... alternatively, Benromach 10
Cragganmore with it's 2 ppm :-)
Non Islay peated? Definitely the Ballechin 10
I got to try that recently. Really good!
Traditional was great. This one blows.
BENRIACH BIRNIE MOSS INTENSELY PEATED
Talisker 10
Longrow heavily peated.
Amazing bottle!
Not impressed at first. Was like some weak too sharp fake Islay.
Drank a third of a bottle neat and with a half a teaspoon of water full teaspoon of water not to impressed but okish.
Next day ... much better mouth feel.
Day after I get a blast of orange and then orange peel and an even better mothfeel.
First day dissapointed second day improement third day I'll be buying this again.
JWB
Connemara
like Ardmore, hints of superstition... peaty outside of isler.....ledaig (mull)
and longrow
First!
I think my favorite non-Islay peated whisky would probably be Springbank or Highland Park. I am a fan of the Ardmore Legacy, though. Your live-stream with the Scotch Test Dummies was good, by the way. I watched it on the replay.
Thirst!
Tried this a few years ago and thought it was decent for the money. However having bought a bottle last night (and yes still £20 in supermarket) i would say it's not as nice as before. Would sooner put my £20 towards a decent bottle. Avoid unless you need a malt to use as a mixer i'd say
My favorite non-islay peated malt is Connemara 12