Boy, do I love me some Ardmore. They seem capable of creating all kinds of great flavors in their spirit. Although they used to have a great distillery bottling called The Traditional Cask, it was discontinued a few years back; now, their website lists four options: "Legacy," "Tradition," "Port Wood Finish," and "Triple Wood."
However, I haven't seen any of these in shops near me in Washington DC, nor are they available online anywhere that I can find. Maybe a UK-forward rebranding that is just getting off the ground? Crossing my fingers...
Either way, Ardmore is something of an independent bottler's darling, and I've seen it all over the place, from bottlers like Signatory, Blackadder, Cadenhead, Douglas Laing, and, of course, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), where this bottle hails from.
Aged 11 years in a refill ex-bourbon barrel, heavily peated, and bottled at 58.1%. Nicknamed "Bivouac Breakfast," which certainly hints at the flavors within. Let's investigate that veritable chameleon of distilleries:
Nose: Wow, OK. This is very heavily peated, and pouring with smoke. A room-filler, like Ardbeg or Laphroaig. I also get bacon in hot grease, herring/kippers, very sharp and briny oysters on the half shell, peanut shells (yes, the shells), and coastal scents like oyster brine and salt and seaweed: interesting, from an Eastern Highland distillery. Comes across very much like an Islay.
With water, as the official SMWS notes reflect, a distinct "impure dimension" comes forward: thinned motor oil, stained leather, bloody au jus (!). Also like an Ardbeg or a Laphroaig, the deeper into the bottle you go, the softer it becomes; less smoke and peat on the nose, more sweetness. That neck pour will fill the room, but later pourings will embrace you.
After the bottle was mostly empty, the bacon note dissipated, but was replaced by a surprisingly floral note, similar to some Bowmore I've had. Nice.
Mouthfeel: Medium, chewy.
Palate: This tastes identical to many an Islay that I've had: more oyster brine, iodine, peat, smoke, rock salt and pools of salt water, band-aids, some alcohol burn, more bacon fat, some peanut meat. Almost entirely savory, like a seafood cookout at a bonfire. Some fruit blooms on the end of the development: impossible to tell exactly what, the peat and smoke are so strong, even deeper into the bottle. With water, it sweetens a bit: malt barley and rounded vanilla become tangible amid the smoke and iodine. Quite potent.
Finish: Long, runaway smoke sits on the tongue while light vanilla, peach, and oak mix in the background. Oddly, this is the sweetest part of the dram.
Verdict: If this were mass produced, this would be a pretty decent competitor for Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength. It has some of the same savory cookout flavors, minus the citrus and adding some extra smoke and seafood notes. Definitely worth it for smokeheads and Islay fanatics, this will certainly scratch that itch.
It reminds me somewhat of an Ardmore 12 Year (SMWS 66.165 "Mesmerizing and Entertaining") in the very strong and salty oyster/brine flavors; it also reminds me, curiously, of the Islay blend Big Peat, but more rounded and developed. Absolutely fascinating; if this doesn't sell out, I may actually buy a second bottle.
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