Scotland, Speyside. Distillery operational. Owner: Beam - Suntory

Somewhat unusually for the Scotch whisky industry, the Ardmore distillery was built entirely by the William Teachers & Son blending company in 1897 in order to create a supply of malt for its blended scotches, including Teacher's Highland Cream, which was released in 1884. Ardmore remained in the family fold until 1976, when it was bought by the Allied Breweries Group, and then Allied Domecq. Founded on this unusual heritage, the distillery continued to maintain its singularity for some time. It produced a partly peated malt (10-15 ppm) and used direct-fired stills until 2001 (a method abandoned by almost all distilleries in the 60s and 70s). These distinctive traits helped build its unique character and would grant it a special place in the family of Speyside malts. Ardmore owes its renown, however, not just to its individuality but also to independent bottlers who, from an early stage, took the malt in hand and introduced it to enthusiasts. With distillery versions almost non-existent, two versions of Ardmore are particularly prized, the Ardmore 16 Year Old Pure Malt Whisky (70s) and the Ardmore 15 Year Old Pure Malt Whisky (80s).

A single cask Ardmore (#7631) distilled in 1977 and bottled in 2003. Rightly considered one of the most important bottlers of his era, Silvano Samaroli is above all a spirits lover and pioneer. He began his career in the late 1960s, initially as an importer in Italy, where he distributed the Linkwood single malt and numerous blends. His bottling activities only began in the following decade with a cask strength bottling of Bruichladdich 10 Year Old 1965. At a time when single malts where far less popular than blends, Samaroli embarked on a meticulous selection and bottling project in close contact with distilleries and, more importantly, Scottish independent bottlers. A champion of single casks bottled at cask strength, he was also fascinated by ageing in bottle. A visionary in many respects, many of his bottlings, such as Bowmore Bouquet 1996 and the 1948 West Indies Rum, are today some of the most legendary spirits ever bottled. More than just a player in the bottling industry, Silvano Samaroli was one of its founding icons. A limited edition of 738 bottles for the company’’s 35th anniversary.