Ardmore 22 year old 1997 SMWS 66.168

(Ardmore cluster homepage)

In Tuesday's post, I wrote, "On Thursday, the 23rd of October 1997......at least 20 refill hogsheads were filled with Ardmore distillery's newmake, hogsheads destined for Scotch Malt Whisky Society's warehouses." The first eight of that cask score was released as is, no finishes. But the next 12 were finished in wine or fortified wine casks. Did SMWS get bored? Did SMWS members get bored? Did the casks get bored?

All four of the casks I'm reviewing this week (plus the one I reviewed in 2020) were part of that first group of eight refill hoggies. Though I'm not religiously opposed to those finished whiskies, I'm also not feeling terribly motivated to source samples. I'm more interested in trying the direct-fired spirit after a two decade nap. The spirit's nap, I mean. Though I could really use a two decade nap right about now.

Distillery: Ardmore
Region: Highlands (Eastern)
Independent Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Age: 22 years (23 October 1997 - ???)
Maturation: refill bourbon hogshead
Cask#: 66.168, "Wafts you to heaven"
Outturn: 287 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 51.6%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

Blunt smoke mixing with briny beach air, a good way to start a nose. Dried apricots, honey, and nutritional yeast fill the background. The mineral palate has mild bitter and sweet notes, hints of orange and ginger. Some wood smoke. It gets equally sweeter and bitterer with time. It finishes with a honey and dried apricot sweetness, some ginger zippiness, and a whiff of smoke.

DILUTED to 46%abv, or ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

It smells like it's going to be a real sweetie, full of mangoes, honey, and coconut cream. Reads mossier than smoky. Some molasses in the back. Sure enough, it's a peated sugar cookie on the simple palate. Hints of cigars and dried thyme, here and there. Like the palate, the finish is simpler, with quiet notes of oranges, ginger, and cigars.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

A simple huggable Ardmore, cask 66.168 is tough to criticize and even harder to swoon for. But it does what it needs to do, especially since it was sold in an era when 20+ year old single casks didn't cost 250 quid. An era that was a mere three years ago. Anyway, you've heard that song already. I preferred this whisky neat, though the nose works very well either way.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - around £130 in 2020?
Rating - 86

Ardmore 21 year old 1997 SMWS 66.146

(Ardmore cluster homepage)

This is the second of four single SMWS hogsheads of Ardmore with the same distillation date, 23 October 1997. I tried them all side-by-side, neat and diluted. Each was different, though often sharing a characteristic or two. Yesterday's 1997 worked very nicely with a little bit of dilution. This one is probably a few months older, yet has a much lighter color.

Distillery: Ardmore
Region: Highlands (Eastern)
Independent Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Age: 21 years (23 October 1997 - ????)
Maturation: refill bourbon hogshead
Cask#: 66.146, "Sensational sweet smoky ‘noble rot’"
Outturn: 244 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 51.9%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

Like yesterday's pour, this whisky's nose begins with apples and gunpowder, but then it goes in a different direction. Cheddar cheese and water crackers meet flowers and pears. But the gunpowder note keeps growing and growing. The palate is......a thing. Buttery, bitter, and acidic at first, it's actually kind of unpleasant. But then the sweetness arrives, bringing oranges and lots of caramel, washing away most of the difficult notes, but adding little depth. The acidity stays into the finish, as does the caramel, with hints of black pepper and lemon in the background.

DILUTED to 46%abv, or ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose is like some sort of snickerdoodle-laced newmake, which is not as good as it sounds. Meanwhile, the palate improves a little bit. More smoke and oranges. Cinnamon and dried oregano. But it's also a little bit papery, and the acidity continues to linger. The finish has gotten briefer, but is a pleasant mix of cinnamon, lemons and sugar.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Every Ardmore can't be great. And this one isn't great. Cheese and sulfur don't pair well, and the palate feels a touch off, making me wonder what was going on with the cask. The whisky can probably be better salvaged with more dilution, but I don't see it ever lifting off. Maybe something went wrong with my sample because other people like the whisky quite a bit. That's okay, there's more Ard!

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - maybe £95?
Rating - 78

Ardmore 20 year old 1997 SMWS 66.138

(Ardmore cluster homepage)

On Thursday, the 23rd of October 1997, tornadoes wrecked Southeastern Texas, Starship Troopers asked filmgoers if they'd like to know more, Luther George Simjian (inventor of the teleprompter) shuffled off this mortal coil, and at least 20 refill hogsheads were filled with Ardmore distillery's newmake, hogsheads destined for Scotch Malt Whisky Society's warehouses.

I have tried one of those 20 SMWS hogsheads. Now I am going to sample four more side-by-side.

First up, a 20 year old.

Distillery: Ardmore
Region: Highlands (Eastern)
Independent Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Age: 20 years (23 October 1997 - 2018)
Maturation: refill bourbon hogshead
Cask#: 66.138, "Deep, rich and burnt fruit"
Outturn: 265 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 52.4%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

Apple chips, gunpowder, and stones on the nose, followed by milder notes of manure and burning hay. Reads like a rustic calvados. The palate starts of smoky, peppery and mineral(ly), with a hint of tangy citrus. That citrus note grows, getting sweeter and slightly metallic with time. It finishes with pepper, cocoa, and apples, growing sweeter with successive sips.

DILUTED to 46%abv, or > ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose is maltier and fruitier now with green grapes and in-season pears. More mossy than smoky. Good dose of cinnamon and sugar. Mossy, woody smoke mixes with gingery molasses chews, stones, and salt on the palate. The finish matches the palate, and adds a lime.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This youngest of the quartet was also by far the darkest in color. Thankfully that didn't equate to an oaky pour. The neat nose's sulfured calvados style was a bit odd, but the slight dilution turned it into something very nice. Water also changed the palate into something I'd be happy to drink again and again. To recap: neat = curious and awkward; diluted = brighter and cuddlier.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - around £110 in 2018
Rating - 88 (diluted only)

Ardmore 21 year old 1998 Single Malts of Scotland, cask 750753

(Ardmore cluster homepage)

Because today's whisky (from a non-sherried cask, this time) is one of the rare Ardmores to have made it across the Atlantic, I made a concerted to try it. I liked it, but took no notes. And if an experience was not detailed online, then it never happened. Thus I was happy to have scored a sample of it via a bottle split last year. So now a thing will happen.

Distillery: Ardmore
Region: Highlands (Eastern)

Independent Bottler: Elixir Drinks
Series: Single Malts of Scotland

Age: 21 years old (27 May 1998 - 1 November 2019)

Maturation: Hogshead
Cask #: 750753

Outturn: 247 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 50.2%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

A very naked Ardmore. L'eau de vie de l'océan (I probably did that wrong), concrete, seaweed, and lox fill the nose. Peaches in syrup, raspberry jam, and hints of roses linger in the background. The palate reads like good new make with the edges trimmed off. It's mostly bitter herbs, sea salt, lemongrass, and a hint of peach. Some Caol Ila-ish peat floats around in there too. Its finish is a bit of a palate-shaver, like a raw baby whisky. Very salty and seaweedy, with a hint of lemon. Stronger than the ABV leads on.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or ½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Ah there it is, on the nose, the snuffed beach bonfire. *sigh* Some rotting kelp in the midground, flowers and lemons in the back. The palate has become bitterer, harsher, very edgy. There's a touch of sweetness to it, but also a hint of soap. It finishes bitter and salty.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

With its very youthful style, this Ardmore should have batted leadoff. Because of the whisky's rawness, one's nose is welcomed while one's palate is battered. The two senses diverge further after the whisky has been diluted. It's a fighter, though certainly a crisp winter pour, and I'd still choose it over my bottle of 6 year old Ardlair that I'll never finish. It's still available in The States, but the price keeps me away, despite the wonderful sniffer.

Availability - It can be found
Pricing - $200-$230

Rating - 85

Ardmore 24 year old 1996 Gordon & MacPhail, cask 3515

(Ardmore cluster homepage)

The youngest member of this cluster needed a sparring partner, and one presented itself. The oldest member of the cluster. Both were bottled by indie grandpa Gordon & MacPhail after the spirits had been encased in refill sherry hogsheads.

This 1996 is indeed darker than the 2003, though it was also distilled in direct coal fired stills. Early '90s Ardmore is consistently gorgeous, so I'm itching to find out how this '96 holds up.

Distillery: Ardmore
Region: Highlands (Eastern)

Independent Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail
Series: Connoisseurs Choice

Age: 24 years old (27 June 1996 - 29 March 2021)

Maturation: refill sherry hogshead
Cask #: 3515

Batch #: 21/077

Outturn: 219 bottles

Exclusive to: Spiritual Home, Scotland

Alcohol by Volume: 52.0%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

Dunnage notes frame orange peels, dried raspberries, dried blueberries, and dark chocolate in the nose. Menthol notes arrive later, followed by that snuffed beach bonfire note that I love so. The palate is very earthy, with a moderate smoke level. Key lime pie and orange creamsicles, dark chocolate and mocha in the back. Walnuts and mint in the middle. The "looooong" finish holds oranges up front, earth, walnuts and mint in the midground, smoke and industry in the background.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Oooh, it got even better. Ocean, toffee, mixed nuts, lots of lemon, and a pitch perfect mix of industry and farm in the nose. The palate "feels old school". It's boldly mineral, earthy and herbal, with Rainier cherries, walnuts and toffee in the background. The finish doesn't lose its length. It's mostly that wonderful mix of earth, stones and herbs, with a hint of those fresh cherries in the back.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

My gawd. Normally, I'm a 100% bourbon oak Ardmore fellow, but this whisky is excellent. I can't think of a sherry cask Ardmore I've enjoyed more. Beach, farm, industry, soil, rocks, fruits, dunnage, yeah. If you think I'm crazy(er), please see this review from Monsieur Angus who compares it to 1960s Springbank. There seems to be an art to sherry cask maturation that has nearly been lost. Nearly.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???

Rating - 91 (maybe more)

Ardmore 17 year old 2003 Gordon & MacPhail, cask 598 for K&L

(Ardmore cluster homepage)

This Ardmore cluster begins with the baby of the bunch, a 17 year old refill sherry hoggie bottled for California retailer, K&L Wine Merchants. This is the only one of the dozen cluster members that was distilled after Ardmore switched from direct coal fired stills to indirect steam heated stills. I tend to prefer the older process (of course), but I'm always rooting for this distillery so I'll try the newer stuff.

Six years ago, G&M released a 2002 sherried beast of an Ardmore, a bottle I enjoyed only at full strength. Let's see if this 2003 works...

Distillery: Ardmore
Region: Highlands (Eastern)

Independent Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail
Series: Connoisseurs Choice

Age: 17 years old (2003 - 20 August 2021)

Maturation: Refill sherry hogshead
Cask #: 598

Batch #: 21/178

Outturn: 196 bottles

Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants

Alcohol by Volume: 54.9%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

An entertaining mix of coffee, tar, eucalyptus, and moss starts off the nose. Some cloves and cranberry juice appear next. There's also something reminiscent of the cask heavy armagnacs from L'Encantada. The bold palate is all cigarettes and Chambord at first. There's some salty bacon and good brisk bitterness in the middle. Hints of lemon in the back. The long finish is full of salt, berries, grass smoke and citrus.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or < 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose has gotten a little funkier and nuttier; notes of dried apricots, raw almonds, smoke, and stones mostly, with an industrial hint in there. The palate gets smokier, with herbs and grasses in the midground, lime and salt in the background. It finishes with herbal smoke and a touch of dried fruit sweetness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This was better than I had expected. Possibly better than my bottle of the 2002 G&M. Its contemporary approach to Ardmore, with lots of smoke and cask influence, probably makes it a good place to start this cluster. Good news: The sherry cask + peat combo worked. Not-exactly-good-news-on-Diving-for-Pearls: This whisky could have come from any one of 20+ other distilleries. So I can say it was well-produced, and I may have considered a bottle at a lower price.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $140

Rating - 87

Welcome 2023! Here's an Ardmore Cluster!

Having been a refuge for the coronavirus on the third week of the year......and then again on the third-to-last week of the year, then burying my last grandparent, and being involuntarily moved to the most difficult job of my life, I am happy to see 2022 in the rearview mirror. But the year wasn't a total bust. I started dating. Yeah, watch out, ladies. Ladies?

**crickets wanking**

Oh yeah, I don't have any non-male readers anymore. It's a veritable snausage festival up in here, so I'm just gonna manspread while I type the rest of this.

Back in August, I tweeted this:

On this, my 44th birthday, I would like to thank the Scotch whisky industry for convincing me to get back to buying American whisky again. Thank you. 🫶

— kravitz underscore hubris (@kravitz_hubris) August 24, 2022

As a result I'm going to bring sexy Bourbon and Rye Day Friday back in March.

I've gotten requests for more Killing Whisky History videos (yes, really), so I'm going to try to do a few this new year.

And clusters? Here's one!

It's about damned time I had some Ardmore, so I'm going to start the year with a month of 'em. Each of the 12, except the first, will be from the direct-fired stills-era (specifically 1996-2000 in this case) and bottled at 20 or more years of age. If you don't already know, I adore this distillery, but I've never lined up multiple Ardmores side-by-side. I may even open up one of my own bottles. Yes, you read that correctly.

Will Ardmore and I still have warm feelings for each other at the end of this cluster? Or will 2023 begin with whisky heartbeak? Stay tuned!

(For more on Ardmore's history, please see this mini three-part series. Part One. Part Two. Part Three.)

ARDMORE ROLL CALL:

1. Ardmore 17 year old 2003 Gordon & MacPhail, cask 598 for K&L - "...contemporary approach to Ardmore, with lots of smoke and cask influence..."

2. Ardmore 24 year old 1996 Gordon & MacPhail, cask 3515 - "Beach, farm, industry, soil, rocks, fruits, dunnage, yeah."

3. Ardmore 21 year old 1998 Single Malts of Scotland, cask 750753 - "A very naked Ardmore."

4. Ardmore 20 year old 1997 SMWS 66.138 - "To recap: neat = curious and awkward; diluted = brighter and cuddlier."

5. Ardmore 21 year old 1997 SMWS 66.146 - "Every Ardmore can't be great. And this one..."

6. Ardmore 22 year old 1997 SMWS 66.168 - "A simple huggable Ardmore...it does what it needs to do..."

7. Ardmore 22 year old 1997 SMWS 66.174 - "...the neat palate hits that earth + citrus style I always enjoy."

8. Ardmore 20 year old 1996 Old Malt Cask, cask HL13770 - "...a clean, lean 20 year old single malt with just a touch of oak influence."

9. Ardmore 21 year old 1998 Thompson Brothers - "...more of a brawler...a relative of Caol Ila..."

10. Ardmore 21 year old 1997 Whisky-Doris, cask 901456 - "It's kinda perfect."

11. Ardmore 24 year old 1997 WhiskySponge, edition 76 - "...reads younger than its age...feels like it wasn't done cooking when it was bottled."

12. Ardmore 22 year old 2000 WhiskySponge, edition 69 - "...an Ardmore for sherry cask fans rather than Ardmore fans."
Cluster Conclusion