Sometimes shipping alcohol from state to state here in the United States can be prohibitively expensive - between 25% and 33% of the cost of a single bottle, oftentimes. Thus, when placing orders with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), I usually find it best to buy at least two bottles to distribute the cost a little better. More than once, I have bought a whole bundle that contained a bottle or two I wanted, just to maximize my booze-against-shipping rates.
This 12 year Ardmore was one such "plus one" bottle, bought to accompany the peated Glenfarclas I couldn't resist. And I have been a longterm fan of Ardmore for a long while now, so this was an easy pick.
A peated offering, bottled at 59.9% ABV, here are the official tasting notes from SMWS:
The nose combined sweet, savoury and smoky aromas – toasted marshmallows, toffee, golden syrup on buttered toast, honey-cured bacon in a cast-iron skillet and a smouldering autumnal bonfire (including burning eucalyptus). The palate discovered Turkish delight and chocolate sweetness, Twiglets and salted pistachios and again that garden bonfire; then soot, tobacco, chilli and charred twigs to finish. The reduced nose found Fisherman's Friends in an oilskin pocket, waxed leather, Arbroath smokies, chimneys, rock-pools and beef dripping melting on an Aga. The palate got agave syrup and olives in brine, smoked sausage dipped in honey, ashtrays and Hoegaarden beer – ‘magnificently manky!’ someone said.
This bottle is nicknamed "Magnificently Manky!" ... I looked up manky, apparently it means dirty or filthy. Combined with tasting notes like toasted marshmallows, honeyed bacon, chocolate, tobacco, twigs (!), and smoked sausage ... how could I resist? Let's dig in:
Nose: Butter, rotten hay left in the field, malted barley, bacon, chocolate, and smoking marshmallows. What a wild nose! This is all over the place. The smoke grows over time.
With water: Mostly the same. Perhaps an added note of lightly salted wax? But doesn't change much on the nose with water, for me.
Mouthfeel: Medium, middle-of-the-road.
Palate: Like used motor oil, at first - it does have a weirdly "dirty" flavor to it. Industrial coal smoke, perhaps. Chocolate. Smoke. More ham or bacon. Hot peppers. Not particularly sweet, this one, but has a weird syrupy texture that reminds me of when you pour maple syrup on crispy bacon: salty, complex sweetness.
With water: Honey does, indeed, come through in spades. A much more integrated, pleasant dram with water added. Ash. I don't get the Hoegaarden, though - sad, that.
Finish: Peat, smoke, honey... in turns, slowly fading. Quite a decent finish. Medium length.
Verdict: Another fascinating Ardmore. If anyone from Ardmore ever reads this, please sponsor me - I am your biggest fan, ha! This is, indeed, "dirty" on a fresh pour, but with water it becomes a much nicer playmate, similar to Bowmore in its notes of honey and ash, but with an addition of ham/bacon, and some faint but delightful chocolate. A win for Ardmore. This was the January 2022 Bottle of the Month for the SMWS - and deservedly so. Complex for a 12 year old, worth your time.
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