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Everything you need to know about Ardmore Distillery
Most popular bottles from the distillery
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Ardmore 11 Year Old Single Malt Whisky 2013 LBD Spirits£81.94 Inc VAT -
Ardmore 10 Year Old Single Malt Whisky 2012 Old Particular£61.99 Inc VAT
A brief History
Ardmore, Highlands Region, Scotland. Founded in 1898.
Smoke on the Highland Line
If you ever wonder what a Highland malt with real backbone tastes like, meet Ardmore. Founded in 1898 by Adam Teacher of the Teacher’s blending family, Ardmore is perched in Kennethmont, Aberdeenshire, with sources of peat, barley, and spring water all around. It was built to supply smoke and malt for blends, but over time the whisky world has drawn more focus to its own single malt expressions.
Ardmore has kept a lot of its old‑school flavour: wood smoke, coal‑fired stills (until the early 2000s), long fermentation, and raisin‑like sweetness balancing the peat. Since 2007 it's had official single malt releases, and today the distillery is owned by Beam Suntory. If you like whisky that gives both smoke and sweetness without sacrificing Highland elegance, Ardmore is one to try.
Flavour Profile:
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 |
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| Oaky / Woody |
Fruity
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Peaty / Smoky |
Ardmore is known for its smoky Highland single malts. Key flavour characteristics include:
• Sweet orchard fruit—apple, pear—with smoky wood smoke underpinning
• Honeyed malt and smooth vanilla notes from good barrel ageing
• Oak spice and woad‑charcoal edges, especially when water is added
• Balanced peat—smoke for those who like it, but not overpowering
Top 4 Flavour Profile Ingredients
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Honey |
 |
Vanilla |
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Apple / Pear |
|
Oak / Wood Spice |
Popular Bottles
Here are some of Ardmore’s single malts that are best known or often praised:
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Ardmore Legacy – The core NAS (no age statement) expression, lightly peated, approachable smoke and sweetness
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Ardmore Tradition / Traditional Cask – Richer peat, oak, and fruit; a more intense experience
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Ardmore Port Wood Finish (12 Year Old) – Matured in port wine casks; extra fruit and richness with that Ardmore smoke
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Ardmore Triple Wood – Maturation across several wood types; spicy, complex, with smoke still in the mix
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Ardmore 25 Year Old – Long‑aged, refined; showing oak depth, mellow smoke, dried fruit
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The Distillery
Name: Armore Distillery
Address: Kennethmont, Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, AB54 4NH
 Open in maps |
 https://www.ardmorewhisky.com/ |
 +4420 8344 0300 |
Visitor Information
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Visitor Centre: As of now, Ardmore does not generally operate a visitor centre or public tours. It remains largely focussed on production rather than visitor experience.
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Private cask room visits
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Whisky shop and tasting bar
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Events and special releases onsite
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The visitor centre is modern and stylish, but still rooted in local character. Expect passionate guides, great drams, and a calm, welcoming setting not far from the coast.
Ownership & History (brief)
Ardmore has been owned by the Teacher family since its founding in 1898. Key moments in its history include expansions in 1955 and 1974, shifting still capacities from two to four then to eight. For many decades it used coal‑fired stills and its own maltings; that changed in the early 2000s when it moved away from coal firing. Since 2007, Ardmore has been releasing official single malt bottlings more regularly, gaining recognition for rather bold smoke and good value.
Distillery Facts
History & Background
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Founded in 1898 by Adam Teacher to supply malt whisky for Teacher's Highland Cream blend.
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Located in Kennethmont, Aberdeenshire, on the eastern edge of the Highlands.
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Named after the Gaelic word Àird Mhòr, meaning “great height.”
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Currently owned by Beam Suntory, a subsidiary of Japanese beverage company Suntory.
Production & Facilities
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One of the few Highland distilleries producing peated whisky as a core style.
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Annual capacity: Approximately 5.5 million litres of alcohol.
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Equipped with eight stills (four wash and four spirit).
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Uses Douglas fir washbacks and long fermentation times (55+ hours).
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Switched from coal-fired stills to steam heating in the early 2000s.
Whisky Style & Character
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Known for a medium-peated style (around 12–14 ppm), offering a balance of smoke and sweetness.
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House character includes notes of wood smoke, honey, vanilla, orchard fruit, and spice.
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Also produces unpeated spirit, bottled under the name Ardlair.
Key Expressions
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Ardmore Legacy: A no-age-statement expression, lightly peated with a touch of sweetness.
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Ardmore Port Wood Finish 12 Year Old: Combines peated malt with fruit-forward port cask influence.
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Ardmore Triple Wood: Matured in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels, quarter casks, and traditional oak.
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Older bottlings: Limited releases of 25, 30, and 32-year-old expressions available occasionally.
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Independent bottlings: Also bottled by companies like Signatory, Gordon & MacPhail, and others.
Additional Facts
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Water source: Natural springs on Knockandy Hill.
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Much of its whisky still goes into blended Scotch, especially Teacher’s.
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Offers good value for peated whisky drinkers looking beyond Islay.
Ardmore Whisky to Buy
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