Ardmore 11 Year (Berry Bros & Rudd)

 

My review hiatus is, for now, ended: I have five or six bottles to work through in the next couple months. 

This one is a single cask Ardmore from Berry Brothers and Rudd. Berry Brothers and Rudd is a wine merchant originating in London, and was founded all the way back in 1698 (!), making them the oldest wine and spirits merchant in the UK. 

Until last week, they had no official presence in the United States, but they just opened their flagship store - and it happens to be here in Washington DC! In fact, steps away from an old office where I used to work. 

Blog pause! Why? Money, of course.

 Well, my employment prospects have been, shall we say, interrupted rudely by certain governmental forces. So my Scotch budget has dwindled to zero - not to mention prices are still crazy considering the value proposition. 

It does seem like the Scotch industry is heading for a reckoning, for sure - what with the random tariffs, the glut of inventory everyone is talking about, the myriad new distilleries trying to rush and claim a seat at the table, the general malaise of drinkers (especially young ones) regarding Scotch, the suspicion with which we now regard all marketing (looking at you, Ardbeg and your endless, meaningless NAS bottlings) ... well, it's a good time to be sitting back and drinking my stocks, let's say that. 

So until further notice, I'm pulling in the shutters and weathering the storm. Maybe if I get a magical new job I'll review the odd SMWS or Single Cask Nation or Blackadder bottling, but that's not in the cards as they are arrayed today. 

Cin cin, my friends. 

Caol Ila 14 Year (Single Cask Nation)

 

TASTING NOTES​

NOSE: Somehow ashy meets rum & raisin ice-cream meets the aromas of hiking through a wet forest meets chocolate cake meets burning sticks and yet, even in concert, it’s all beguiling!

PALATE: Warm and inviting, rich and round but also… chocolate cake baked in a coal fired oven, warm salted caramel poured over oatcakes, and dried cherries stirred into melted coffee ice-cream.

FINISH: Very long and very lasting with abundant notes of raisins, dates, dried cherries, dark chocolate, roasted coffee beans, and coal smoke.   

Here is the official flavor profile: 

Nose: "Rum raisin ice cream" isn't far off, but the "Ashy" is spot on. Lots and lots of ash on the intial pour, followed by burnt bacon, sea salt, oceanic peat, and ... chocolate cake (!). It's a dark and brooding nose filled with charry sweetness and lots of fire/smoke notes. 

With a touch of water, brown sugar comes out, as does more of that "rum" note. 

Mouthfeel: Medium, medium, medium. Middle of the road in terms of heaviness and viscosity. 

Palate: Lovely on the tongue, and more mild to boot: chocolate, coal, grain and ash, vanilla and sand, lemon candy at a bonfire where tea is being smoked (!). Quite nice. 

With some water: Some peppermint or menthol emerges. A bit more chocolatey. 

Finish: Long - smoke, vanilla, lemon, salt dominate for me. 

Verdict: I like it - it's really grown on me. It's rich and extremely ashy, but has a lot of unusual angles that come out the longer you spend time with it. Worthwhile.