Ardmore Highland Traditional Cask

Traditional Methods

Founded in 1898 by one of Scotland’s most famous whisky families, we continue to have an unshakable belief in our traditional distilling methods.

We insist that all Ardmore expressions use the aromatic smoke from natural, highland peat fires to dry our barley. We are now the only Highland distillery that insists on fully peating our standard malt and we will never change.

The fermentation vessels we use are crafted from Oregon pine. It is true that they are more labour intensive but they impart a flavour that stainless steel vessels (now widely used) can never give.

Our traditional methods also extend to maturation. Traditional cask is double fermented first in the usual oak casks but then a second time in much smaller hand crafted “Quarter Casks” they were common a hundred years ago but have been largely ignored due to their high cost of construction. This intense secondary maturation gives the deeper smother flavour our whisky is renowned for.

Finally we bottle at the higher strength of 46% ABV (or higher). Ardmore is only barrier rather than mechanically “chill” filtered thus preserving all the natural flavours.

These traditional methods combined create a uniquely complex and rewarding Highland malt that continues to be awarded Gold medals year after year.