Berry Bros. & Rudd Ardmore 2008

Berry Bros. & Rudd has been the British Royal Family’s official liquor supplier since the days of King George III and hold a Royal Warrant from both H.M The Queen Elizabeth II and H.R.H Charles The Prince of Wales. Today it’s recognised as one of the world’s most prestigious luxury brands, sitting at the very pinnacle of the liquor trade.

Founded in 1698 at No. 3 St James’s Street, London, it is the world’s oldest spirits and wine merchant. Today, some 319 years later, the business is still running from the same address, and owned by the same family. Originally a grocery store, Berry Bros. shifted their focus to liquor in the very early 1800s, later joining forces with fellow wine merchant Hugh Rudd to become Berry Bros. & Rudd in 1920.

History and Royal Warrants aside however, Berry Bros. & Rudd is famous for the impeccable quality of their goods. While their range includes all of the biggest names in wine and spirits, it’s their “Own” selection, BBR’s independent label, that’s earned them their place in history. Drawing on centuries of experience and relationships, the Berry Bros. & Rudd team today have access to some of the world’s most extensive inventories and are able to pick and choose only the very best for their own releases. We’re incredibly privileged to be a part of that history this month as our collaboration has afforded us access to their inventory, and the result is a show-stopping Ardmore for the Club’s November release.

Despite Ardmore Distillery’s massive output, the demand for Teacher’s is so large that aside from the occasional independent bottling, there was no official Ardmore single malt until 2007 with the release of Ardmore Traditional, later replaced by Ardmore Legacy, a NAS expression bottled at bottled at 40%. While it’s wonderful that Ardmore single malt is now widely available, it’s a massive shame that this mighty distillery’s potential has been limited to only one standard release.

But where there’s a will there’s a way. Fortunately, Ardmore is open to the occasional independent bottling and over the years a few privileged bottlers have had access to their stores and what’s come out of that has been magic, inspiring a cult following for the last remaining true Highland peated whisky. Having said that, the whisky itself isn’t particularly peaty, officially described as “slightly peated” and much, much lighter than the typically peaty West coast whiskies. The allure however is the unique flavour of the peat; an earthier, delicate, less overpowering, richer flavour to mainstream peat and a truly rewarding drinking experience for both connoisseurs who prefer a bit of peat, and also for those who don’t.

Our collaboration with Berry Bros. & Rudd this month has given the Club access to Ardmore’s exclusive stores and the result is The Whisky Club team’s favourite whisky of the year by far. Following a lengthy and very enjoyable tasting and sampling process with Doug McIvor, the man with the enviable task of Berry Bros. & Rudd spirits selection, we settled on a set of seven sister casks to create a one-off vatting exclusively for the Club. Created to showcase all that is good about Ardmore, this is an imminently quaffable traditional Highland malt whisky fit for a King or Queen. Bottled especially for the Club, our whisky comes from seven American oak casks laid down in 2008 and matured for eight years before re-racking in traditional quarter casks from Laphroaig for a few months prior to bottling. It drinks perfectly at 46%ABV, is non-chillfiltered, natural colour of course and represents the very best of Ardmore, created exclusively for you, our Members.