ARDMORE 8yo Charity Bottling for “A Dram A Day”

As many people out there will know there is a guy ( Ben) that was doing a dram a day in order to raise money for a fantastic cause.. The Children’s  Heart Surgery Fund.  For anyone who thinks this might be easy believe me there is a twist ! Not only did Ben have a dram every day for 366 days he recorded himself doing this and also gave out loads of facts about the distillery and whisky he was drinking, this turned out to be an incredible feat !  This was all done to raise money for a great charity,which at the end Ben held a charity night combined with an auction in order to get himself over the line..Not only did he get over the line he smashed his target and announced he would carry on !! Maybe not every night though, as he does deserves  a couple of nights off !   The target was set at £5000 and so far he has £6500.. Them In steps Adrian from Claxton’s Independent bottlers based in Ripon near York. Adrian was very generous in offering to bottle 55 bottles exclusively for Bens charity ( Children’s Heart Surgery ) and The Jesica Hope Foundation and these bottles would only be sold exclusively through Gauntly’s of Nottingham ..  https://whisky.gauntleys.com/uk/search/?gq=Claxtons .

The charity bottle is a very interesting bottle indeed, an Ardmore 8yo matured exclusively in an Ex Laphroig cask.. bottled at 55.1% abv, and this is of course NCF and natural colour as all Claxtons bottles are …

Nose.. The Islay style is certainly there with the distinct peaty smoke but it’s quite friendly and balanced out with lots of wood spices, fresh fruits and citrus notes..The smoke is reminiscent of those dying embers you get hours after the fire has withdrawn.. A sweetness draws in with vanilla, caramel and Manuka honey,  hints of lemon, almonds and burnt sugar can be found lurking in the background.

Palate.. A instant hit of wood spices coats the mouth before that drying peaty , smoke infused Islay hit dominates.. After you get passed the peat again you uncover a sweet floral style with fresh fruits and spices galore..

Finish..Spiced oak with a twist of smoke.

Thoughts.. It does not really matter if this is good or not, the whole point is to help raise money for Ben’s charity and The Jessica Hope Foundation.. it just helps that this happens to be a little corker !!  Yes it’s only 8yo but it is really full flavoured and it has been bottled at just the right age.. it does not need any longer, it’s unique, bold and a wonderful evening dram..  Go on support this charity and bag yourself a great dram at the same time !!

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCwrOQt1UGpiOeDW8n7ggDbg

http://www.thejessicahopefoundation.org.uk

 

https://whisky.gauntleys.com/uk/search/?gq=Claxtons