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The Whisky Exchange Zodiac: Gemini, Ardmore 2009 16 Year Old Review

Can a whisky truly capture the duality of Gemini? This 16-year-old Ardmore balances bright citrus and gentle smoke with a composure that feels personal.

OVERALL RATING

8
$108
  • Greg Dillon is the founder of GreatDrams.com, an award-winning independent bottler. A whisky writer and author of The GreatDrams of Scotland, his work focuses on authenticity, production, and whisky as something to be shared.
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Tasting Notes

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The Whisky Exchange Zodiac series leans on concept, but this Ardmore stands on its own as a well chosen cask. Selected for Gemini, it plays directly into the idea of duality, and as a Gemini myself, that tension between two sides feels familiar, with bright citrus and gentle smoke sitting together without conflict, shaped over sixteen years into something calm and composed.
Appearance:
Golden amber with good clarity, showing a steady oiliness as it coats the glass and forms slow, even legs.
Nose:
Lemon zest and green apple lead, followed by a soft thread of peat smoke that feels measured rather than assertive, while a biscuity malt note and light oak sit underneath, giving structure without pulling focus.
Palate:
The texture is steady and composed, with citrus arriving first before soft smoke builds through the mid palate, supported by clean malt and restrained oak; the whisky moves between these elements with ease, never settling too heavily on one side, which is where the duality really comes through.
Finish:
Long and clean, with light peat smoke and malt sweetness lingering together, tapering slowly without drying out.
Comments:
This is not a whisky that shouts, and it does not need to; the balance between fruit and smoke is handled with control, allowing both sides to show without competing, which makes it feel complete and resolved and for anyone who recognises that push and pull in their own character, it lands with a bit more meaning.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Greg Dillon

Greg Dillon is the founder of GreatDrams,.com an award-winning independent bottler recognised for its cask-led releases and multiple international gold medals. A respected whisky writer and commentator, Greg has spent years covering Scotch, Irish, and global whisky with a sharp focus on production, people, and place. He is the author of The GreatDrams of Scotland and a regular contributor to leading whisky publications. Known for blending commercial insight with deep liquid knowledge, his work centres on authenticity, long-term thinking, and whisky as something to be shared, not merely collected.

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