Ardmore 23 Year (SMWS 66.198 "Serene Sunset Satisfaction")

 

This is the second of the two 23-year Ardmores from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") I've had recently - sister casks, each featuring a different finish. The first bottle, numbered 66.197 and called "Let The World Fall Apart" and was finished in a sherry cask; this bottle, numbered 66.198 is called "Serene Sunset Satisfaction" and was finished in a wine barrique (presumably red wine?). 

As the picture above will alert you, I have been desiring this for some time as a huge Ardmore fanatic, but only could afford it when Black Friday rolled around and SMWS had a sale. It was worth the wait. In fact, the word of mouth on this bottle was so strong that it completely sold out during the Black Friday sale. I am very hopeful the success of these older Ardmores will convince SMWS to continue experiments like this. 

Here are the official notes:

We nosed clean, tantalising wood smoke and honey, ice-cream in a garden and paella or Sunday roast savouriness. The palate found hickory chip barbecued pork ribs, golden syrup, treacle and chalky sweets; leaving long-lingering impressions of clove, cinnamon, sandalwood and leather. The reduced nose evoked a dinner party for one panellist (paté, melba toast, honey-glazed ham) while another was smoke-puffing his beehive by the sea-shore. The reduced palate oozed sophisticated maturity – ruby port and sweet tingling cigar smoke; smooth and satisfying as the sunset on an unruffled sea. This went into a refill French oak barrique after 21 years in bourbon wood.

Ooooooh. Well, I've already sampled a bit of this, and can confirm some of these notes (although not all, interestingly). Bottled at 53.1% ABV, let's immediately explore this Ardmore: 

Nose: A really lovely Highland nose on this - smoke, honey, old wood, ripe golden fruit, barbecue, toffee, and salt. Honey and smoked sea salt are predominant for me, with the barbecue sauce and fruit following. There is also a very pungent fragrance of spices - the official note of clove, cinnamon, sandalwood, and leather is pretty close to what I'm scenting here. 

With a touch of water: the industrial component gets added to the mix - metal, ocean air, chalk, and coal. That second panelist was right on the money. 

Mouthfeel: Medium, oily. 

Palate: A lovely set of flavors, clearly impacted by the red wine barrique: dry red wine tannins, old wood, leather, barbecue, honey, peanut brittle, salt, smoke, tobacco leaf, and at the end of the development a very rich apple and pear note. Just lovely. 

With a splash of water: Sea salt, brine, astringent port wine, tobacco, metal, and tarry smoke are added to the rest. The brine note - an Ardmore signature - is very welcome when paired with the honey. Almost like sweet and sour sauce. 

Finish: Smoke, leather, wood, apple, cloves, smoked paprika, and honey all mix and linger on what is a great finish. 

Verdict: I like this even more than the sherry-finished Ardmore. The red wine really brings out a ton of dryness - spice, wood, leather - to go with the honey and fruit and smoke. Very rich, very rewarding, there are many layers here. One of the better SMWS bottles I've come across. I'm a little heartbroken they sold out of this. As an Ardmore fan, I can say this is the best bottle I've come across from that distillery.