Ardmore 9 Year (SMWS 66.228 "Damp Blue Peat Smoke")

 

I almost never compare one independent bottler against another, but as a self-confessed Ardmore aficionado, I feel empowered to note: this is an excellent bottle from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") that stacks up against any other independent of Ardmore I've had. 

I have two open bottles from Blackadder that are wonderful, and I've had many others from a plethora of different bottlers... but this is a seriously good cask. Here are the official notes:

At first nosing we detected seawater, sharp medicines, grapefruit and green olives in pickling brine, plus some heady freshness of ozone, along with metal polish, wood ashes and lime juice. Powerfully coastal in many ways, reminiscent of Islay whiskies. Reduction brought crab sticks, pasta water, langoustines on a BBQ grill, oily mechanical rags, frying pancetta and hot chimichurri. The palate was initially superbly tarry with layers of farmyard funk and a few notes of bicycle inner tube betraying the rum influence. Clouds of damp blue peat smoke, burning wood embers, anchovy paste, soot and carbolic acidity. Huge whisky! With water the smoke took on a sharper edge and notes of pure seawater, smoked barley wine, capers and sardines doused in smoked olive oil and lemon juice all presented themselves. Matured in a bourbon barrel for seven years before being transferred to a refill ex-Trinidad rum barrel. 

Well, I am onboard for all of this: salt, citrus, savory, metal, wood, seafood, etc. etc. 

Bottled at a rousing 62.2% after that two year rum finish. Let's see how it does:

Nose: Surprisingly sweet! Must be the rum. I get a ton of honey, vanilla, and chocolate... followed strongly by industrial smoke, cigarette ash, and an avalanche of salt. Like making brownies while smoking, drizzling the brownies with honey, and using kosher salt in the recipe. 

With a lot of time in the glass, it stays quite richly sweet, but adds savory elements - lime cordial, grapefruit soda, and hints of iodine (but only hints). 

Mouthfeel: Very thick and chewy. 

Palate: Wonderful stuff - tastes like the older, more subtle Ardmore I've had, but amped up considerably. Big chocolate, chili peppers, vanilla cookies (Nilla wafers, specifically), salty sea peat, oysters cooked in ash pits, scorched mango, and small fish (fried kippers?). Really rich, really nice. 

Finish: Medium-long. Chocolate, ash, wood, and something like steaming rum funk (dunder). 

Verdict: A surprisingly excellent rum-finished Ardmore that is sweet yet smokey with savory hints strewn throughout. The rum contributes what seems to be several layers of sweetness (honey, chocolate, vanilla), but the essential "industrial floral fruit" essence of Ardmore is here too. This is a quintessential example of a cask finish perfecting a whisky, rather than filling in missing pieces. 

I am particularly impressed by how complicated this is at only nine years old. It tastes older, and only the rather strong alcohol hit on the palate (which I didn't expressly note, but it's present and you feel it) hints at the young age. It's rich, and interesting. It reminds me the most of, say 15-year Bunnahabhain in terms of mature, complex, power-packed fruit-and-smoke bombs. Very impressive, and highly recommended.