Ardmore – 14 2011/2026 Blackadder Raw Cask Ex-Laphroaig Hogshead

This is a 14-year-old Ardmore, distilled in 2011 and bottled in 2026 by Blackadder as part of its Raw Cask range. It is a single cask whisky, matured in a hogshead that previously held Laphroaig. The former Laphroaig cask is central to its character: smoke runs through the whisky, but it is described as drier and more ashy than the medicinal style typical of Islay. On the nose there is intense, earthy smoke with toasted malt, dark honey and lemon peel, and over time old wood, tar and a salty breeze. The palate pairs dense peat smoke with spicy oak and an oily texture, with caramel and malt sugar, black pepper, leather and a little iodine behind.