Things I Really Drink: Ardmore 19 year old 1992 Single Malts of Scotland, cask 9464

It would be inaccurate to say Ardmore made me the man I am today — I can thank genetics, fear and questionable choices for that — but it did help me understand my palate. My first sips of early '90s Ardmore revealed balances of salt-sweet, fruit-smoke, roots, herbs and stones that I'd never had before. It wasn't quite like seeing a new color, rather I saw existing colors more clearly. And I said, "Oh, this is what I like."

That's why I've sprinkled "Ardmore that" and "Ardmore this" throughout the blog. And since our time is limited, and my taste buds aren't getting any smarter, it's time to start dusting off the good stuff. Like, say, Ardmore.

I opened this bottle of '92 Ardmore in January, then promptly caught Covid. THANK YOU ELIXIR DISTILLERS. But seriously folks, it's dumb luck that any whisky remained for this review.

Distillery: Ardmore

Owner: Beam Suntory
Region: Highlands (Eastern)

Independent Bottler: Elixir Distillers
Range: The Single Malts of Scotland

Age: 19 years old (18 June 1992 - 21 June 2011)

Maturation: bourbon barrel
Cask: 9464

Outturn: 207 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 49.3%
(from the bottom third of my bottle)

NOTES

Two fronts slowly merge in the nose. Seaweed + apricot meets lychee, fresh strawberries, coal smoke and palo santo smoke. Hints of black walnuts and orange peels linger behind. The fruits take over after 30 minutes, as in-season nectarines arrive.

The palate begins with lemons, salt, coal smoke and chile oil, followed by smoked black walnuts (if that's a thing) and yellow nectarines. Then it shifts gears as big rooty herbal bitterness and stony minerals arrive. The fruits get tangier and muskier with time.

It finishes with gentle smoke, whiffs of the bitter roots, tart and sweet fruits like pineapple, guava and those nectarines.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This summer, my older daughter, Mathilda, and I happened upon a pile of perfect nectarines. The sweet floral middles (not too juicy) allow just a micron of tartness then whoosh it away. I nearly forget where I am when tucking into sublime nectarines, except when sharing the moment with my daughter. We stand in the kitchen, pigging out and laughing about fruit.

Also, this Ardmore, bottled at the perfect strength, is what I like. See Serge's, Ruben's and Mr. Opinions's reviews as well.

Availability - Sold out years ago, sorry
Pricing - ???
Rating - 90 (maybe higher, I don't know)

Talisker 10 year old: six batches across 20 years

Talisker's early history was a bit bumpy. In the 1820s, the MacAskill brothers bought a piece of land on Skye, then set about booting all of the rural renters off the property, Clearance-style. They built Talisker distillery in 1830, but the poor jerks couldn't figure out the business, filing for bankruptcy in 1848 and turning the distillery over to the bank. Donald MacLennan bought the distillery, then sold it ten years later when he couldn't turn a profit. The new owner, John Anderson, lasted all of twelve years before he went to prison for fraud. Robert Kemp, one of the next co-owners, only stayed on for twelve years as well, choosing instead to buy some distillery called "Macallan". In 1898, Talisker ownership merged with Dailuaine and Imperial. This lasted less than 18 years when the owner died and Distillers Company Limited took over. DCL → UD → Diageo has run Talisker ever since.

Though the distillery's ownership has remained stable for nearly a century, Talisker has seen changes. Triple distillation was discontinued in 1928, the distillery burst into flames in 1960, on-site malting ended in 1972 and in 1988, Talisker 10 year old was born as part of United Distillers' Classic Malts series.

---

This Taste Off has been a long time coming. Talisker 10 and I go back about 18 years. And that's been a long 18 years. But the whisky has survived, and apparently so have I. Over the past eight years I've had a suspicion that the whisky's quality has sunk. Or my palate has shifted dramatically. Or both.

With this same curiosity and concern I compared three bottlings of Talisker 18 year old, back in 2020. Not only did that Taste Off prove my point, but I was able to hypothesize what had happened to the whisky over the years. Three years before that writeup, I compared seven batches of Ardbeg Ten, and I fairly enjoyed that experience. May this Taste Off find the best elements of both of those posts!

Here's the lineup:

1. 1990s Map Label, brown bottle, US release - From a very healthy bottle split.
2. 2001 bottling, Stone Label, L15T03328098 - My bottle, about 1/3 of the way down.
3. 2009 bottling, from the ol' blue box - Bottle split!
4. 2012 bottling, end of the ol' blue box era, L2107CM000 - My bottle, originally reviewed in 2014.
5. 2015 bottling, Made by the Sea era, L5224CM000 - Sample courtesy of one Florin.
6. 2019 bottling, Made by the Sea era, L9023 - My 200mL bottle.

A technical note: For the purposes of this tasting, I am opening both windows behind me. As with the consumption of Springbank's single malts, the drinking of Talisker goes best with fresh air. And it is raining.

THE NOSES

Whisky	Notes
Map Label (1990s)	Smoked salmon, uncooked uncured bacon and ocean water. Green grapes, honeydew, newspaper print. Hints of toffee pudding and mesquite.
L15T03328098 (2001)	Possibly the smokiest of the group. Smoked almonds, smoky bacon and burnt grass. Ocean water, fresh sage and green bell peppers. With time it develops a combo of dark chocolate and berries.
L9 (2009)	Oh dear. Plastic siding in the summer + mesquite chips + white peaches + mint leaves. Green apples, milk chocolate and a hint of fresh herbs drift through the background.
L2107CM000 (2012)	The loudest nose. Mezcal, apple skins and serrano oil up front. Nutritional yeast and saline in the middle. Lemons and fish in the background.
L5224CM000 (2015)	Bologna (the "meat", not the place) meets heavily charred veg. Mesquite ashes, horseradish and dry soil. It gets ashier with time, while picking up notes of raw cocoa and black walnuts.
L9023 (2019)	Vanilla extract mixes with cinnamon, caramel, fresh sage, mesquite and woody ashes. Floral soap and candy cane notes arrive later.

THE PALATES

Whisky	Notes
Map Label (1990s)	The nose's lox, bacon and mesquite merge flawlessly with yellow plums and lemons. Kelp and cayenne dot the edges.
L15T03328098 (2001)	Milder than the '90s version. Mellow pepper, salt, sweet and smoke. Mint and limes in the middle. Picks up a pleasant fresh berry fruitiness after a half hour.
L9 (2009)	Gloriously peppery, but also full of nectarines, yellow plums and lychees. Minerals and smoke frame it all.
L2107CM000 (2012)	Very smoky. Plenty of cinnamon and (Cajun) blackened seasoning as well. A bit of alcohol heat never lets up. Smoked salt and lemons are waaaaaay in the back.
L5224CM000 (2015)	Hay and salt. Tangy citrus and tangy pepper sauce. Artificial sweetener and a touch of soap.
L9023 (2019)	Bitter and watery at first. It gains mint, pepper and hay after 20 minutes. Some lemon and mezcal later on.

THE FINISHES

Whisky	Notes
Map Label (1990s)	Plums and lemons at the beachside. Gentle earthiness and light sweetness in the background.
L15T03328098 (2001)	Sweet oranges meet pepper sauce and a little bit of minerals.
L9 (2009)	Stone fruit sweetness, green herbs, truffle salt and roasted chiles.
L2107CM000 (2012)	Sweeter and tarter here. Good length. Smoke and chiles in the background.
L5224CM000 (2015)	Sweet, ashy, lightly peppery, with a hint of citron.
L9023 (2019)	Black peppercorns, simple syrup and a squeeze of lemon.

COMMENTARY AND RATINGS

Whisky	Notes	Rating
Map Label (1990s)	A perfectly assembled single malt. I don't think there's anything like this on the market right now, from Talisker or anyone else.	90
L15T03328098 (2001)	I was a little worried about the palate on this one (especially since I have most of a bottle remaining), but once the fruit slipped in I was reassured.	88
L9 (2009)	Fanfuckingtastic. Depth, balance, glory, strobe lights. Even better than I remembered this era of the 10 year old to be.	91
L2107CM000 (2012)	Much rawer than the previous three. My palate had to recalibrate because this was a different whisky. Decent stuff though overall, with plenty of entertainment in the nose.	85
L5224CM000 (2015)	A very unfortunate palate. The nose saves the whole thing from descending into C-grade territory. A strange, but limp, batch of casks perhaps?	82
L9023 (2019)	Another startling shift to a different style, that of the contemporary era. Youth, oak, and thinness. Barely recognizable as Talisker.	80

FINAL THOUGHTS

I wanted to be proven wrong. I was not. To repeat my final note, the 2019 bottling was barely recognizable as Talisker. Unfortunately I have two bottles of it. Fortunately they are both 200mL. But the problems did not start with the 2019, as the 2015 had the most regrettable palate of the group. Though the 2012 survived following the big guns, it revealed the start of a less-balanced approach to the 10 year old. Did the older bottlings have older whisky within?

Speaking of which, of course my two favorites were the batches I know the least about. The 1990s version was a sparkling gem, while the 2009 edition somehow topped it. The first trio made Talisker feel like Caol Ila's saucy cousin. So what was responsible for the change in style? Younger ingredients? Or could it have been due to new mash tun and worm tubs installed in 1998?

No matter what, I am reassured that older batches of Talisker 10 are indeed lovely, but I doubt I'll be buying any current versions of Skye's oldest distillery's output any time soon.

Glen Orchy 5 year old blended whisky

There is an actual Orchy glen in Scotland, around northeastern Argyll and Bute, just a short drive east on A85 from Oban. Like Queen Margot 8 year old, reviewed yesterday Glen Orchy 5 year old is sold exclusively at Lidl grocery stores. (Thank you to kallaskander for the Lidl info!) It appears to be going for a similar price as QM8, so yes it's time for another swig of a bottom shelf blend. Sláinte!

Brand: Glen Orchy
Ownership: Clydesdale Scotch Whisky Co.

Type: Scotch Blended Whisky Malt

Age: minimum 5 years
Maturation: ???

Alcohol by Volume: 40%
Chillfiltered? Yes
e150a? Yes
(thank you, Dr. Springbank!)

NOTES

Ah, the young blend stank! Plenty of baby malt and grain whisky on the nose, and lots of vanilla American oak. But the whisky also has notes of limes, oranges, and Caol Ila-ish peat. Yeah, the CI is faint, but it's in there.

The palate is bitter, salty and raw. A touch of smoke. A splash of chlorine.

Sweetness and chemical bitterness build up in the finish.

But wait! It's much better than Queen Margot 8yo when served on the rocks. Better than JW Red, Dewar's White and Cutty's......er, Yellow. No florals, no bitterness. Not too sweet, and not much vanilla. Just very clean. Who knew?!

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Well, I already expended much of my Words Words in the last paragraph, so I'll just use a few more Words here. Don't drink this neatly. Put this on some ice, maybe a splash of club soda, and put your feet up. Or maybe drink something else entirely, really.

Availability - Lidl grocery stores!
Pricing - €10-€15
Rating - 70 (on ice only; it's at least 10 points lower when neat)

Queen Margot 8 year old blended whisky

My friend, Dr. Springbank, and I have both entered aw-what-the-hell mode when it comes to booze. For instance, while he was in Portugal recently he and his wife (also, Dr. Springbank) bought three bottles of scotch. Yes they were three whiskies unavailable in Ohio. No, they were not indie single casks. They were three random blends found in grocery stores. When he offered up samples, I said aw-what-the-hell-absolutely. At least it'd be something different.

Yesterday, I reviewed the first blend, White Heather 15 year old, the real glamour puss of the trio. The second blend of the triad was one Queen Margot 8 year old.

Fully chill-filtered, decorated with e150a, and well-hydrated down to 40%abv, the blend honors Margaret of Valois, maybe. Margie was in the middle of all sorts of shit back in the 16th century. Get ready to keep score..... The daughter of both the de' Medici family and French Hank the Second, Margot married the man who'd become French Hank the Fourth. Her sister, Liz, married Spanish Phil el Segundo. Her brother, Frank Two, would marry Mary, Queen of Scots, and become king for all of 17 months before then becoming quite dead. Another brother, Hank, would become French Hank le Troisième. And another brother was, French Chuck the Ninth, who was crowned king at 10 years old.

So I guess, yeah, name a scotch after her. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Brand: Queen Margot
Ownership: Wallace & Young Distillers Co.

Type: Scotch Blended Whisky

Age: minimum 8 years
Maturation: ???

Alcohol by Volume: 40%
Chillfiltered? Yes
e150a? Yes
(thank you, Dr. Springbank!)

NOTES

Does anyone make pear-scented turpentine? Because that's all I smell, right off the bat. That notes recedes after 15 minutes, replaced by new carpet offgassing, floral perfume, saltines, pizza dough and a hint of peach candy.

It tastes just like Jameson. I even just did a head-to-head with the Irish blend, and the similarity is uncanny. Same floral note, same vodka note, same vanilla note, same pepper note, same bitterness. Maybe a little less heat.

It finishes sweet and bitter, with a good dose of black pepper and a dash of florals.

On the rocks, it's all perfume, vanilla and sugar.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Named after a French-Italian lady, this Scotch whisky tastes like an Irish whiskey. Were I certain other whisky reviewer I would say, "something something European Union, something something Boris Johnson."

QM8's similarity to Jameson isn't such a mystery. An ultra-high grain whisky content (and maybe some Lowland malt) can be the likely culprit. That an 8 year old whisky tastes like a 3 year old whiskey. which in turn tastes similar to Canadian Club, points to a disappointing collapsing of styles, which I hope is not a trend. BUT, once QM8 ditches its case of The Turps early, the nose lifts it up out of Whisky Fail territory. A small victory.

Availability - Lidl grocery stores!
Pricing - €10-€15
Rating - 68

White Heather 15 year old blended whisky

Nearly 40 years after the White Heather brand was discontinued, Billy Walker resurrected the name for his own range of blended whiskies. Why? I'm not sure. The packaging and website make no mention of the brand's previous (and respected) life, while the former White Heather's main malt of Aberlour has now been abandoned for Walker's own Glenallachie. But like any proper fluid, New White Heather has a Philosophy!

Walker was masterful during his own previous whisky life as the Master of Everything at the Benriach and Glendronach distilleries, but I remain unsold on his Glenallachie creations. New White Heather 15yo bears the same approach as the New Glenallachie releases: a cask salad with lots of dressing. Whisky from bourbon barrels, hogsheads and Spanish sherry butts are mixed and finished in PX and Oloroso puncheons and charred new American oak casks. I'm not even sure where to put the commas there.

On a positive note, there's (allegedly) a lot of malt in this 46%abv blend that has been bottled with neither coloration nor chill-filtration.

The box looks a little jet lagged
after its flight back from Portugal

Brand: White Heather
Ownership: Billy Walker's Imaginarium

Type: Scotch Blended Whisky
Mix: 47/53 malt/grain (allegedly)
Maturation: Bourbon barrels + Hoggies + Spanish sherry butts --then-- PX puncheons + Oloroso puncheons + charred new US oak

Age: minimum 15 years

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? No
e150a? No
(thank you, Dr. Springbank!)

NOTES

Starting off fun and weird, the nose offers up leather, almond butter, cheese danish and a hint of farminess. But with time it shifts to cream soda, orange peel, pencil shavings and more and More and MORE OAK.

The palate has a surprisingly hot bite and lots of vanilla, caramel, mixed nuts, pencil shavings and Mt. Gay rum. Toasted oak gradually takes over.

More pencil shavings loom over the hot, peppery finish, followed by vanilla and caramel.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Islay and Highland malts are also supposed to live within this blend, but almost all I get here is cask juice, so it doesn't matter what its ingredients were. All that oak also negates the blending skill that the whisky world knows Billy Walker possesses. It results in a so-so drink that seems a year or two away from being wrecked by tannins. So I'll skip the 21 year old, thanks.

Availability - Specialty retailers in Europe
Pricing - $65 - $95
Rating - 79

Killing Whisky History, Episode 41: Four bottles of Johnnie Walker Gold Label 18 year old

Watch me sample these four versions of JW 18...

1. The first iteration from the mid- to late-1990s

2. A bottle from the mid-Aughts

3. JW Gold 18 from its final year, 2012

4. The current Ultimate 18

...if you dare (or are just chillin').

Glenlivet 16 year old 1997 van Wees The Ultimate, cask 157418

One last Glenlivet sherry cask. This one (likely from Signatory's warehouse) was bottled by the Dutch van Wees folks at 46%abv, a strength I've had some luck with this week. I've also found the van Wees whiskies to be very reliable — as long as they're not 6 years old — so I'm looking forward to this one.

Distillery: Glenlivet
Ownership: Pernod Ricard
Independent Bottler: van Wees
Series: The Ultimate
Age: 16 years (6 Nov 1997 - 13 Jan 2014)
Maturation: first fill sherry butt
Cask#: 157418
Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? No
e150a? No

(from a purchased sample)

NOTES

The nose begins with pineapple juice, wet stones and green bananas. Honey, peaches, burlap and cream soda arrive next, soon to be overtaken by walnuts in toffee. A bit zany but fun.

Dark chocolate and almond butter rule the palate at the start, with smaller notes of Chambord and graphite in the background. The almond note grows with time, as dried berries and oversteeped black tea appear around the edges.

Almonds and graphite appear in the finish after the first sips, bitterness and dried berries show up later.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This unusual sherry cask results in a bit of a mess, but......I like it. Must be the dark chocolate + almonds + Chambord in the palate, along with the peaches and walnuts in the nose. With all the parts bouncing off of each other, never merging, this single malt feels like an oddly mixed blended malt. But again, it's entertaining, and I would almost be tempted to buy a bottle, especially at its old price.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - was below €80 eight years ago
Rating - 86