
August 1, 2019

Little duos, today two different Ardmore

Shall we find some peat? Soot? Peaches? What’s sure is that these won’t be your average Ardmores – given that Ardmore’s never totally average anyway.

Ardmore 10 yo 2008/2018 (56.1%, Sansibar for Liquor Library, Helvetica Bar, Whisky & Alement and The Oak Barrel)

Careful, this baby was matured in an ex-Laphroaig barrel, so more peatiness is to be expected. Colour: white wine. Nose: there is this feeling of sweet peat indeed, which is very Ardmore-y (smoked peaches and melons) but also an unusual coastalness indeed, but I wouldn’t have said Laphroaig. Who would? Not a very profound nose. With water: it’s almost as if the Laphroaig was even younger than this little Ardmore. Raw malt, kiln, wet fabric… Mouth (neat): funny and unusual. It is very sweet, and you would almost believe it’s Ardless (Ardlair, a.k.a. unpeated Ardmore) blended with a heavy peater such as, indeed, Laphroaig. Loses you a wee tad. With water: a tad two-dimensional. Fruits and smoke. Finish: medium, sootier, ashier. It’s still a smoked Speysider, with this lightness that you wouldn’t find on, say, Islay. Comments: a little difficult to pin down. We’re in similar territories as those of peated Benriach, for example.
SGP:545 - 82 points.

Ardmore 20 yo 1998/2019 (51.6%, The Single Malts of Scotland, cask # 750790, 280 bottles)

They called this one ‘Aird Mhor’, a little quirk of theirs, I suppose. Because they can. Colour: white wine. Nose: this is very subtle, rather on mashed carrots and potatoes, asparagus, peelings, balsa wood, with touches of blood oranges, and very, very little peat. If any. A very elegant nose. With water: smoked almonds, new fabric, sourdough, porridge, hints of hair spray. Mouth (neat): wonderful creamy and citrusy palate, tart and yet deep, totally full of citrus, with a few notes of crystallised angelica. Lime, grapefruit, pomelos, citrons… With water: please do not add too much water! As a matter of fact, it does not like water at all, we could call it a ‘cat-malt’. Gets very cardboardy once reduced, whichever the number of drops you would add. Or the kind of water. Finish: medium tense, grassy and citrusy, with a few balsamic notes, maybe from some peat. Comments: different and very good. Gets smokier by the minute, without ever getting ‘a peater’. Some kind of coitus interruptus that does not end badly, in other words.
SGP:553 – 87 points.

Check the index of all Ardmore we've tasted so far

July 2019

Serge's favourite recent bottling this month:
Springbank 24 yo 1994/2019 (47.7%, Douglas Laing, Xtra Old Particular, The Black Series, sherry hogshead, 148 bottles) - WF 93

Serge's favourite older bottling this month: Springbank 12 yo (Proof, Cadenhead, +/-1965)
- WF 96

Serge's favourite bang for your buck this month:
As we get it (66.1%, Ian McLeod, Highland, +/-2018) - WF 89

Serge's favourite malternative this month:
Grande Champagne Lot N°25 (42.1%, Jean Grosperrin, 204 litres, 2019) - WF 92

Serge's Lemon Prize this month:
Dzama 6 yo (45%, OB, Madagascar, +/-2017) - WF 65