Ardmore Distillery

Recognition

Ardmore stands out among Highland distilleries for its unique peated malt, known for its complexity and character. Single malt expressions from Ardmore are rare, as 95% of the whisky is used in Teacher’s Blended Scotch, one of the largest-selling whiskies globally.

Ardmore’s potential has been recognized by its owners, Beam Suntory. They released the first distillery bottling in many years in 2007 and continue to invest in the brand with further releases and a new visitor center. Today, Ardmore has a dedicated following and consistently sees increasing prices.

Location and History

Ardmore is nestled in the Garioch’s green, rolling hills in Aberdeenshire. It is the key component of Teacher’s Highland Cream, with very little being bottled as a single malt. Ardmore was established in 1898 by Adam Teacher, William Teacher’s son, solely to produce malt whisky for the family’s blended scotch. Teacher bought the land for the distillery from an old family friend, Col. Leith-Hay. The location was ideal: water was abundant, peat could be extracted from the nearby moorland, and the Garioch’s farmland provided a plentiful barley source. Most importantly, Teacher built Ardmore next to the mainline railway between Aberdeen and Inverness.

Expansion and Modernization

The distillery expanded from two to four stills in 1955, and then to eight in 1974. In 1976, Ardmore was incorporated into Allied Distillers, who modernized the distillery in 2001 by replacing the traditional coal-fired boilers with a modern steam system. However, this change posed a significant problem.

The old roaring coal fires had created unique hotspots on the stills that contributed to Ardmore’s full-bodied palate. Much of the distillery’s character was lost with the modernization. To address this issue, special kinks were bent into the new steam coils to replicate these hotspots. This successful attempt restored Ardmore’s original style.

The Unique Flavour of Ardmore’s Whisky

Ardmore’s dedicated following is partly due to its limited supply as a single malt. However, it is also attributed to its unique flavor. The peat cut in the east of Scotland differs greatly from that cut in the western isles or coastal areas due to the terrain differences. In the west, the peat is earthy and smoky due to the rugged and treeless terrain. In contrast, in the east, much of the land is covered in woodland and forest.

As a result, the Speyside and Aberdeenshire peat imparts a distinctive wood-smoke aroma on the whisky, thanks to the higher proportion of ancient tree roots found in the soil.

Request A Cask Sample

If you are interested in buying an entire cask of whisky or requesting a cask sample for tasting, please register and get in touch with our team in both Hong Kong and London.