Ardmore 17 Years The Chess Malt Collection G7 Single Island Malt Whisky 59,7%

Thirty-two bottles, thirty-two chess pieces. Two kings, two queens, four bishops, four knights, four rooks and sixteen pawns, each one a whisky from a different distillery. This one stands on g7, and behind the piece sits a seventeen year old Ardmore at full cask strength.

The Expert's Description

Ardmore 17 Years Old The Chess Malt Collection G7 is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured entirely in bourbon wood and bottled at 59.7% cask strength. It was distilled in February 2002 and bottled in June 2019, and the cask gave 239 bottles.

The Chess Malt Collection is a series of 32 bottlings from different distilleries across Scotland, where each bottle corresponds to a piece on the chessboard, split evenly between black and white. The series gathers distilleries you rarely see side by side, tied together by a concept rather than by a region or a cask type.

Ardmore is one of the few Highland distilleries with peat smoke as a core style, and after seventeen years in bourbon wood the smoke has grown softer and better integrated. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Tropical fruit first, mango, pineapple and a little melon, which is typical of long maturation in bourbon casks. Beneath sit toasted nuts, vanilla and a light dry smoke closer to cold ash than a fire.

Palate

Full and oily. Tropical fruit and honey open, then nuts, vanilla and a dry smoky edge. The 59.7% is pronounced, but after seventeen years there is roundness enough to carry it. Water draws the fruit further forward.

Finish

Long and dry. Smoke, toasted nuts and oak, with a final sweetness of tropical fruit that lingers.

Specifications

Name: Ardmore 17 Years Old The Chess Malt Collection G7 Single Highland Malt Whisky 59.7%
Distillery: Ardmore
Bottler: The Chess Malt Collection
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 17 years
ABV: 59.7%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon cask
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: February 2002
Bottled: June 2019
Number of bottles: 239
Edition: The Chess Malt Collection G7

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Tropical Fruit · Nutty · Vanilla · Cask Strength · Oaky

Investment Potential

Medium. The series is built to be collected, and a concept of 32 pieces creates demand for the individual bottles long after release. With only 239 bottles from this cask, an age of seventeen years and full cask strength, there are several reasons this one will be hard to find again.

Did You Know?

The series consists of 32 different whiskies, one for each piece on a chessboard: two kings, two queens, four bishops, four knights, four rooks and sixteen pawns, split evenly between black and white. The designation G7 refers to the square on the board, and on a chessboard a pawn stands on g7 at the start of the game.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Ardmore 17 Years Old The Chess Malt Collection G7 Single Highland Malt Whisky 59.7%

What is The Chess Malt Collection?

A series of 32 bottlings from different Scottish distilleries, where each bottle corresponds to a piece on the chessboard. There are two kings, two queens, four bishops, four knights, four rooks and sixteen pawns, split evenly between black and white.

Is a seventeen year old cask strength Ardmore worth the outlay?

The case rests on the age, the outturn and the cask. Seventeen years in bourbon wood gives tropical fruit that younger releases rarely reach, and only 239 bottles exist from this cask. On top of that the bottle belongs to a collector series, which gives it a different kind of demand from a standalone release.

What does G7 mean?

It is the square on the chessboard that the bottle represents. On a chessboard a pawn stands on g7 at the start of the game, so this bottle is one of the series’ sixteen pawns.

How does the smoke change over seventeen years?

It grows softer and better integrated. Young peated whiskies carry a sharp, direct smoke, while after many years in cask it melts into the sweetness of the wood and becomes a dry floor rather than a separate element.

Why do bourbon casks give tropical fruit?

It is an effect that appears particularly with long maturation in refill or active bourbon casks. Esters in the spirit develop over time into notes of mango, pineapple and passion fruit. See more examples in our range of Highland Whisky.

Should the bottle be opened or kept?

If it is part of a collection, there is a strong case for leaving it sealed. If it was bought to be drunk, a seventeen year old Ardmore at cask strength is an obvious occasion. If you have two, the answer is easy.