An undisclosed 22yo understood to be Ardmore bottled by The Whisky Exchange for 2020's Black Friday. I drammed it at a local bar.

Distillery: Undisclosed (Ardmore)

Region: Highland

Price: $13/30ml

Cask Type: Ex-bourbon?

ABV: 50.5%

Chill-filtered: No

Color: 0.3, pale gold (natural colour).

Rested for ~10 minutes, before drunk neat in a glencairn.

Nose: Stewed apples, vanilla, eucalyptus, candied yuzu

Palate: Incredibly smooth and velvety but with weight. Apples, orange drops, butterscotch

Finish: Mineral, apricot, wheatgrass. Retronasal gives the most uncanny note of the freshest soft pillowy garlic brioche you can imagine.

Conclusion: A very quaffable 22yo that grows on you. Palate is muted compared to nose and finish and hence it falls short of greatness. But these are sins of omission - better that than flawed whiskies that shout at your face. I keep on thinking about the garlic bread note. I hadn't eaten anything in hours so I assure you its not from what I ate.

If it were named by the SMWS: Brioche Bounty

Score: 87

Scotch Review #37, Whiskey Network Review #38

H.Y.