| |
House
Hundreds of tastings,
all of the music,
all of the rambligs
and all of the enjoyable
(hopefully!)
Whiskyfun.com
Assured ad-free
copyright 2002-2022
|
 |
|
| Hello, that is certainly one of our (virtually) day by day tastings. Santé! |
| |
|
| |
| |
|
Mars 19, 2022
|
|
  |
|
|
Angus’s Nook
From our correspondent and
expert taster Angus MacRaild in Scotland |
 |
|
| Six Ardmore |
| As I’ve typically talked about on these pages: I am a fan of Ardmore. It stays a bit mysterious to me why it is not extra well-liked. In spite of everything, it is a characterful make that has largely resisted a extra trendy ‘technological’ profile and stays, at its greatest, fairly a soulful malt. It is also typically fairly inexpensive, which is a rarity these days. |
|
|
However, it may be somewhat undefined and inconsistent at occasions; Serge sometimes describes it as ‘skinny’. So maybe it’s destined to stay someplace within the murky hinterlands of ‘attention-grabbing however missed’. It is also not paid a lot consideration by homeowners Beam-Suntory – both a blessing or a hinderance relying in your viewpoint. What I do know is that it stays the unique ‘peated mainlander’ and is a malt I am all the time pleased to attempt. Certainly, I believe it nonetheless produces a reasonably idiosyncratic and distinctive make whereas many round it have long-since homogenised.
|
|
|
|
 |
Ardmore 9 yo 2011/2021 (57.6%, Watt Whisky, bourbon barrel, 238 bottles) 
Color: white wine. Nostril: mashy, sooty and with fairly a little bit of coal mud, plaster, moist wool and chalk. It is not an instantly peaty one, which many of those ex-Laphroaig matured ones are typically. Total somewhat extra on typical Ardmore farminess. With water: fairly saline with bathtub and mineral salts. Smoked bacon, wooden ashes and extra impressions of oily sheep wool. Mouth: okay, very peaty! Blade like ashes, lemon juice, salt water, olive brine and medical issues like gauze and antiseptic. Nonetheless farmy although. With water: briny, lemony, ashy and peppery. Nodding extra in direction of Islay than Huntly now. End: lengthy, extra lemons – preserved in brine this time – wooden ashes, white pepper and seawater. Feedback: leaving apart this debate about whether or not these ex-Laphroaig batches are technically blended malts or not, I believe the online consequence is definitely glorious whisky. I discover it humorous that these shares aren’t extra well-liked. Hopefully some might be saved till better ages, appears like they are going to be actually excellent round 18-20yo. This one was glorious.
SGP: 465 – 86 factors.
|
|
|
|
 |
Ardmore 11 yo 2009/2021 (57.6%, Woman Of The Glen, refill barrel, 216 bottles)
Color: straw. Nostril: this one is richer and extra buttery. A thicker and creamier smokiness, properly sooty, some honey roast parsnips, mashed turnip with black pepper and even a tiny impression of haggis (appears like there ought to be extra haggis in whisky, talk about…) Will get maltier, smokier and somewhat dustier now. With water: some mustard powder, coal tar cleaning soap and seawater now because it gathered some purity and precision. Mouth: rathe sharp, salty and punchy with frazzled bacon items, peat smoke, plaster, iodine drops and extra of those sheep wool and coal scuttle impressions. Hessian and smoked olive oil as properly. With water: extra of those dusty, smoky, sooty vibes. Like sticking your head within the outdated wood malt bin at Ardbeg. Nonetheless somewhat on hessian and creamy smoke. End: medium in size, these coal smoke and roast root vegetable tones are again. Feedback: excellent, similar feedback as above, though I most popular the definition of the Watt bottling by a notch.
SGP: 555 – 85 factors.
|
|
|
|
 |
Ardmore 11 yo 2008/2019 (59.4%. Hunter Laing ‘The Bookinist’, refill hogshead + 10 month Latour-Martillac end, 216 bottles) 
Chateau Latour-Martillac to not be confused with Chateau Latour. Ardmore + purple wine is a reasonably scary proposition in my e book… Color: rose gold. Nostril: there’s Ardmore in there, threatening to emerge from beneath some prickly purple fruit jams and preserves. Hints of coal smoke, honey-cured ham and maraschino cherry. It is fairly a pleasing nostril however feels somewhat disconcerting… With water: extra pleasurable with water, some good notes of hessian, cod liver oil and mead – feels a bit extra built-in right here. Mouth: not too positive about this one. The wine and the peat parts are too jarring for me. There may be this jammy and barely balsamic side from the wine on one facet however I am afraid I do not discover it notably built-in with the peat, which feels fairly separate and jarring. With water: as on the nostril it turns into a tad extra ‘cohesive’ with these properly leafy notes and a few fir wooden and cherry cough medicines. However nonetheless, this purple wine Vs peat factor is tough work. End: on the shorter facet, getting a tad rubbery, jammy and sooty now. Feedback: As I’ve stated many occasions earlier than: wine finishes aren’t my cup of tea. If they’re your cup of tea I might say you’re protected to fully disregard my notes.
SGP: 554 – 75 factors.
|
|
|
|
 |
Ardmore 19 yo 2002/2021 (55.2%, Caora, cask #319, refill barrel, 141 bottles) 
Color: gold. Nostril: that is extra prefer it, pure Ardmore. All on gentle farmyard earthiness, coal smoke, mud, sheep wool, aged mead, heather honey and gentle medicinal embrocations. I’ve a gentle spot for this profile of subtly peated distillate. With water: somewhat mustardy, heathery and waxy now – harking back to some Seventies Banffs in some methods. Mouth: properly peppery assault on arrival. Extra coal, extra honeys, heather beers, rye bread unfold with salty butter and touches of aniseed and liquorice. Lots happening to take pleasure in right here. With water: completely balanced between aniseed, wee wooden spices, heather smoke, coal embers and honeys. End: good size, extra heather, honey, sweetish beers, breads and natural medicines. Feedback: I do know Ardmore is not for everybody, however I am very a lot a fan. It stays a reasonably old fashioned and idiosyncratic make. This one is prime class!
SGP: 564 – 88 factors.
|
|
|
|
Ardmore 23 yo (55.1%, Elixir Distillers ‘The Single Malts Of Scotland’, cask #901281) 
I can not discover a picture or another data for this one on-line, so I think it is probably not ‘out’ but. Color: gold. Nostril: related profile to the Caora however solely extra honeyed, medicinal, concentrated and with this sense of ‘syrupy’ peat. Natural cough medicines, hessian and smoked olive oil, additionally with this barely umami and earthy streak – actually a mode unto itself is Ardmore. With water: extra on hessian, dried heather flowers, a contact of carbolic acidity and these typical Ardmore sooty vibes. Mouth: fairly peaty really! A number of herbal-tinged smoke, wooden smoke, bonfire embers, coal tar cleaning soap, lanolin and a somewhat dry waxiness. Honeyed as properly with impressions of heather honey and aged mead. Nonetheless this syrupy textural impression concerning the mouthfeel as properly. With water: beautiful mouth-coating weight and texture, great honeyed sweetness, olive oil, gorse flower and somewhat eucalyptus. End: lengthy, evenly mentholated, medicinal, some natural teas and ointments. Feedback: these late Nineteen Nineties batches are actually displaying fantastically now. Quietly soulful whisky that is distinctive and completely charming. The other of recent, technological kinds.
SGP: 654 – 90 factors.
|
|
|
|
 |
Ardmore 23 yo 1985/2009 (51.1%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #66.29 ‘Kippers and Kabanos in a Kennethmont Kiln’, refill hogshead, 221 bottles)
Another casks on this batch of 1985s by the SMWS have been glorious in my opinion, I imagine this was one of many final ones they did from this lot… Color: shiny straw. Nostril: totally different once more. We’re actually going again to a extra purely farmyard and earthy model of Ardmore. A number of coal tar smoke, moist sheep wool, linens, chalk, plaster and anthracite embers. Ardmore actually appears to be the one whisky that expresses coal and peat in whole equilibrium generally. Additionally hessian, bouillon and root greens slathered in olive oil. It is in all probability a mode that is fairly divisive, however I find it irresistible! With water: vase water, hand lotion, motor oils, brake fluid, cigarette papers and wooden embers. Charismatic however somewhat a mish-mash of influences. Mouth: a stunning mixture of oils, plaster, chalk, gentle however thick peat smoke, mechanical oils, toolbox rags, waxed canvass and a few somewhat greasy medicinal impressions. Funky stuff! With water: beautiful texture now! Oily, honeyed, waxy, medical and completely peaty and thick! End: lengthy, getting extra deeply smoky, tarry, medicinal and natural with peppery heat and mineral oils. Feedback: extraordinarily left-field, fairly old fashioned and undeniably kooky and funky whisky. In all probability pointless and tough to attain as some would go means larger than me, whereas others would in all probability don’t have any time for this in any respect. Because it’s my beginning 12 months, and I actually prefer it, to illustrate an enormous, fats…
SGP: 574 – 89 factors.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
