Ardmore Coopers Choice Peat & Fruit Single Highland Malt Whisky 56,5%

Pineau des Charentes is neither wine nor cognac but something in between: grape must blended with young cognac and rested in cask. Putting peated Highland malt into a cask like that is an idea few would have had, and the name on the bottle says exactly what came out of it.

The Expert's Description

Ardmore Coopers Choice Peat & Fruit is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky finished in a Pineau des Charentes cask and bottled at 56.5% cask strength. Cask 9522 gave 340 bottles.

Pineau des Charentes is made in the cognac region by blending fresh grape must with young cognac, which stops the fermentation and keeps the sweetness. The cask therefore leaves both fruit sweetness and a light brandy character, a combination that meets Ardmore’s peat smoke in a very different way from sherry or bourbon.

The result is right there in the name: smoke and fruit side by side rather than one on top of the other. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured, and it is bottled at cask strength.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Peat smoke and sweet grape fruit at the same time. There is apricot, grape and a light honey note, and beneath it the dry earthy smoke Ardmore always carries. At 56.5% the alcohol is obvious, so let the glass sit a moment.

Palate

Sweet opening with grape fruit, apricot and caramel, then the smoke arrives from the side and tightens things along with a dry peppery note. The two elements work against each other in a way that keeps the mouth awake. The texture is full and lightly syrupy.

Finish

Long. Fruit sweetness and smoke let go at roughly the same time, with a dry oak note and a final trace of grape must.

Specifications

Name: Ardmore Coopers Choice Peat & Fruit Single Highland Malt Whisky 56.5%
Distillery: Ardmore
Bottler: The Coopers Choice
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 56.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Finished in a Pineau des Charentes cask, cask no. 9522
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Number of bottles: 340
Edition: Peat & Fruit

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Fruity · Sweet · Vinous · Cask Strength · Spiced

Did You Know?

Pineau des Charentes is said to have come about by accident in the sixteenth century, when a winemaker mistakenly poured grape must into a cask that still held cognac. Decades later he discovered the contents had turned into something else entirely, and far better than he had expected. It is not often a cask type has such a specific origin story.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Ardmore Coopers Choice Peat & Fruit Single Highland Malt Whisky 56.5%

What is Pineau des Charentes?

A French fortified wine from the cognac region, made by blending fresh grape must with young cognac. The alcohol halts the fermentation, so the sweetness of the grape is preserved. The casks are rarely used for whisky, which is exactly why this release stands out.

How do smoke and fruit work together?

They pull in different directions, and that is the point. Ardmore’s peat smoke is dry and earthy, while the Pineau cask gives grape sweetness and apricot. Instead of merging they stand beside each other, and the whisky is livelier for it.

Is 56.5% too strong?

It is cask strength, meaning undiluted. Taste it neat first, then add water one drop at a time. At this strength water often opens the fruit markedly and rounds out the smoke.

What does finishing mean?

That after its main maturation the whisky is moved to a second cask for a shorter spell, typically months rather than years. The aim is to lay a layer over the existing profile, not to take it over.

Who is behind The Coopers Choice?

The Vintage Malt Whisky Co., an independent house founded in 1992 and based in Milngavie north of Glasgow. The series is known for exactly this kind of unusual cask choice. See our full range of Highland Whisky.

Does it work with dessert?

It does, in fact. The fruit sweetness and the smoke work well against dark chocolate or a stone fruit tart. It is one of the few peated whiskies where a dessert pairing does not feel contrived.