Ardmore 9 Year (Signatory Vintage Cask Strength)

 

Periodically I peruse the website of what is probably the best scotch retailer in DC that is walkable distance to me - Potomac Wine and Spirits in Georgetown - and do a perfunctory search for my old standbys: Blackadder, Ardmore, Laphroaig, etc etc. 

During my most recent search for Ardmore, this came up: a 9 year independent bottling from Signatory, part of their Vintage Cask Strength Collection. I couldn't resist. 

I've been drinking so much older Ardmore lately that I really like to remind myself of what the bracing young spirit can be like - the bottle of Ardmore that really won me over was a 12 year that was a heady mix of anchovies, smoke, and salty oyster brine. It was intense, but delicious, and I tore through the bottle. I'm sort of hoping for more of that unusually savory profile here. 

Bottled at 60.3% cask strength after 9 years in a "hogshead" (almost certainly ex-bourbon given the intensely pale color). Let's explore: 

Nose: Wow, is this interesting. Oyster brine - and flowers, like lilacs and violets. Surprisingly floral. Tons of salt, some vanilla streaks here and there. Strawberry jam. After some time in the glass, unripe pear comes out. Some malted barley and barley sugar. Surprisingly complex for only 9 years - must have been a great spirit run and an active hogshead. 

Mouthfeel: Heavy and oily. 

Palate: Follows the nose (salt, fish, now-ripened pear, malt sugar, garden flowers, vanilla) but with the distinct additions of oak, chocolate, and smoke. Quite smokey on the tongue, actually. Pretty rich and easily quaffable. 

But this is also where you can really tell it's only 9 years old - the nose is rich, but the palate doesn't quite bring it all together. It's also far saltier than most Ardmores - easily the closest to that first SMWS bottle I had - with that distinct oyster brine note. I suspect those would fade if left for another... 5-6 years? 

Finish: Vague smoke, some oak, some pepper, some salt. 

Verdict: Good young Ardmore, but perhaps not in the highest ranks of 8-12 year olds. Lots of flavor, some unexpected richness (the flowers-and-oysters note on the nose is so surprising!), surprisingly drinkable... even if this doesn't quite cohere 100%. But palpably young, a little wild and brash, and the alcohol is a little too punchy. 

A good cask selected by Signatory, and representative of a certain young, peated Ardmore profile I've encountered a few times before, and worth it for Ardmore fanatics or those who like uncommon Highland styles.