Today, I’m looking at two independently bottled Ardmores from very different points in the distillery’s history. The first is a 2009 vintage bottled by The Whisky Agency in 2026 after 16 years in a Port cask, while the second is a 40-year-old 1985 Ardmore from Whiskyland / Decadent Drinks, drawn from a marriage of two refill hogsheads and bottled in 2025. On paper, it looks like an uneven contest: a relatively young, wine-cask-driven Ardmore against a much older whisky shaped by comparatively gentle refill wood. Age alone, however, rarely decides the outcome. The question is whether the younger bottling’s energy and cask influence can match the depth and maturity of the 40-year-old.
Ardmore 2009 The Whisky Agency (2026) Review
We start with a 2009 Ardmore bottled by The Whisky Agency in July 2026. It matured for 16 years in a Ruby Port Barrique, before being bottled at 51.2% ABV, without chill filtration nor added colour. I am not sure I got the right bottle label, as it may be a split between Whiskey Abbey 2026 (the picture depicted below) and Cara de Vinos, which is the info I got on my sample, but I couldn’t find that anywhere. I could find this bottle in one shop in Germany for €117.90.
Colour:
Old oak but darker.
Nose:
Neat: Sweet, earthy peat and smouldering wood meet fresh Ruby Port fruit: strawberry, raspberry, dark cherry and blackberry. Honey, vanilla and caramel soften the smoke, while orange peel, pepper and cinnamon provide brightness and spice. Beneath the sweeter fruit sits a more typical Ardmore layer of damp earth, heather, minerals and slightly medicinal smoke.
With water: A small amount of water brings forward red apples, cranberries, honey and sweeter berry fruit while softening the alcohol and drier smoke.
Palate:
Neat: Full-bodied and warming, opening with berry compote, cherry and red apple before the peat becomes more assertive. Honey, burnt caramel and vanilla sit against charcoal, earthy smoke and pepper, followed by tart cranberry, orange zest and drying wine tannins. The Highland peat remains distinct and does not disappear behind the Port, despite the cask’s influence being strong.
With water: Careful dilution exposes more honey, vanilla and red fruit while pulling the peat toward softer ash and wood smoke, but careful not to be excessive, as it can be come too sweet and almost cloying.
Finish:
The finish is medium long, with lingering peat smoke, dark berries, burnt orange and pepper. Honeyed sweetness gradually gives way to charcoal, tart red-fruit skins and dry oak.
Comments:
Ruby Port is definitely not my favourite type of cask, and can be quite hard to balance, but the distillery’s spirit does resist very well to the Ruby port, and as a result, we get a very tasty Ardmore. Well done, The Whisky Agency, this is honestly very good.
Rating: 7/10
Ardmore 1985 40-year-old Decadent Drinks (2025) Review
Next, we have a 40-year-old Ardmore 1985, Whiskyland Chapter Twenty-Five, a small-batch release from Decadent Drinks. They married two refill hogsheads, and bottled them in 2025 at natural cask strength, and produced 247 bottles. It was bottled at the low cask strength of 42.6% ABV, without chill filtration nor added colour, and retailed at approximately £395. It unfortunately quickly sold out, which was expected, as it was quite a reasonable price for a 40-year-old Ardmore.
Colour:
Deep gold.
Nose:
Neat: Exceptionally elegant and mature, opening with subdued peat, soot, and charcoal. Wet sheep’s wool, soft linen, coastal air, petrichor and old dunnage earth create an old-fashioned farmyard quality. Beeswax, dried honey, condensed milk and creamy porridge add richness, followed by green apple, lemon zest, mint and a light mineral or limestone character. With air it becomes fruitier and nuttier: roasted pineapple and coconut, dried mango, banana chips and papaya appear alongside macadamia, almond paste, dried flowers, gingerbread and black pepper.
Palate:
Neat: Oily, waxy and mouth-coating despite its modest ABV, with honey, olive oil and nut oils supplying a concentrated texture. Macadamia and cashew meet toasted coconut, milky cereal, fresh bread, wholegrain dough, vanilla cream and chocolate-malt biscuits. Behind this creamy core lies Ardmore’s evolved peat: workshop rags, old leather, herbal tea, gravel, mineral oil and a measured amount of earthy dirtiness. Pear, tangerine, papaya, dried mango and crystallised citrus provide restrained fruit, with passion-fruit acidity, peppered honey and a warming pepper note preventing it from becoming too soft.
Finish:
The finish is medium in length, carrying classical smoke, orange peel, peppery medicine and mineral oils, damp wood and dusty books.
Comments:
This very old Ardmore is just magnificent. Despite its low (natural) ABV, it managed to keep a really oily and waxy mouthfeel, and a beautiful intensity of a splendid array of flavours that time can provide on a quality spirit. The peat nicely dissolved over time, the wood stays on the backseat, and those fruits… are just perfect.
Rating: 9/10
Ardmore 2009 sample provided by The Whisky Agency. And thanks Julian for the Whiskyland split!