Another great Ardmore from years gone by, found on the shelf at the Jack Rose Saloon, this hails from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), was distilled in 2001 and bottled in 2012. Numbered 66.33, I've only had a couple Ardmore bottles distilled prior to this one.
Here are the official notes:
Highland, Eastern
Scottish Heidi
floral note of Edelweiss, whilst in the background fresh tar being laid on a road. On the
palate smoky Swiss cheese with digestive biscuits then becoming sweeter, brownies and
dark mint chocolates with a trace of teasing lavender smoke. Adding water, dry and dusty
then turning fresh like a Ricola Lemon mint followed by a nougat note of dark Toblerone.
The taste with water is of pork sausages, water biscuits with peppered cream cheese
and a dry volcanic ashy note to finish. This distillery is believed to be named after a peninsula between Cardross and Helensburgh.
Cask: Refill barrel
Age: 10 years
Alcohol: 58.0%
Date distilled: November 2001
Drinking tip:
After skiing with a Cheese Fondue
No, I didn't make up that last bit - it's really in the official notes. Here are my own impressions:
Nose: Vintage Ardmore - apples and motor oil, pears and cigarettes, floral notes over tar, some herbal character but not overpowering.
Mouthfeel: Rich and oily. Silky.
Palate: Big burst of orchard fruit, underpinned by industrial oils, light peat presence, more herbs. After a few minutes, a bouquet of lemons and elderflower emerges - lovely.
Finish: I get tea, lemons, cigarettes, and elderflower liqueur. Lovely.
Verdict: Well, I hardly need to say it, do I? I loved it. Ardmore can hardly do wrong in my book, and this is no exception - for only ten years this is wonderfully rich and well-developed. Full of flavor from start to finish, and a quintessential Highland profile: lightly smoky, fruit and herbs, and that wonderful industrial funk that offsets the rest and keeps it grounded.
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