Things I Really Drink: Ardmore 13 year old 2009 Old Particular, cask DL16594 for K&L Wine Merchants

A sinus infection kept me out of the whisky appreciation business for two weeks. And now back to our story...

It's no secret the K&L crew enjoy extolling their single cask picks, so when DOG — David O-G — shifted gears, describing an unexpected cask pick as weird (4 times), I took notice. I perked up further because that cask was a refill barrel Ardmore.

I opened my bottle about a month ago, when it was a big hit with friends, and have spent considerable time sorting out its contents. It is indeed not the average Ardmore, nor of a particularly familiar peated style, which has made these studies interesting.

Distillery: Ardmore

Ownership: Beam Suntory

Region: Highlands (Eastern)

Independent Bottler: Douglas Laing

Range: Old Particular

Age: 13 years old (July 2009 - September 2022)

Maturation: Refill Barrel

Cask #: DL16594

Outturn: 257 bottles

Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants

Alcohol by Volume: 56.1%
(from the top half of my bottle)

NEAT

Coal + a dash of dunnage + Old Bottle Effect glass & metals = the nose of an old blend, not a teenage modern Ardmore. The smell of metallic rowboats in summer mixes with mild peat smoke in the background. The dense palate blends grapefruit juice, clover honey, and lightly sooty smoke. With time it gets smokier and more bitter citrus rinds arrive. The finish is full of wood smoke, bitter citrus, and a minty hint.

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

Things get crazy here. The nose goes from star anise to straight-up absinthe. It's chalky and briny, with more on sawdust than smoke. Seaweed creeps in after 15 mins. The palate? Peanut butter and dark chocolate. Sooty smoke and salted lemons. Honey and a hint of Thai chiles. It finishes with honey, peanut butter, and yuzu. The smoke gradually turns woodier.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I don't know what happened to this barrel, but I'm happy with the result. Its volume dropped only 10% in 13 years, but when I do the math I find the alcohol volume dipped 17%, while the non-alcohol volume actually went up 8%. This is assuming the bottling strength was Ardmore-standard 63.5%abv. Perhaps I shouldn't assume. Perhaps none of this matters because the whisky works. For this palate.

The whisky itself hasn't become burdensome to drink as I approach the bottle's mindpoint, which is its own small miracle as my Whisky Attention Deficit Disorder usually kicks in before then. Its lasting pleasure is due to its unique nature. It's a strange whisky for a strange winter.

Availability - Available as of the date of this post
Pricing - $59.99
Rating - 88

Ardmore 9 year old 2010 Duncan Taylor, cask 19803198

This is one of the rare single cask Ardmores to be released in the US. I never saw it arrive on shelves, I never saw it depart. I'm not sure how a nine-year-old sherry-free Ardmore sold out in these states, but congrats to everyone who beat me to it! The whisky looks quite pale, much like the 2009 I just reviewed. May it greet my palate with more grace.

Distillery: Ardmore

Ownership: Beam Suntory

Region: Highlands (Eastern)

Independent Bottler: Duncan Taylor

Range: Dimensions

Age: 9 years old (June 2010 - July 2019)

Maturation: refill American oak?

Cask #: 19803198

Outturn: 234 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 53.0%

(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The young and but approachable nose offers up fabric, ocean, kiln, light blue Mr. Sketch marker, and a whiff of wet dog. It picks up a little bit of stone fruit with time, before it all fades out at the 30-minute mark. The palate arrives simple and honed, with minerals, peat, a squeeze of lime, and a hint of metal. It finishes with metal, stones, and peat.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or < 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The ocean note expands through the nose, while the peaty side turns lighter and brighter. Tart cherries, cherry-flavored medicine, salt, pepper, and mild peat form the palate. It finishes with peat, salt, and pepper.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

A straightforward whisky, neither austere nor zany, this Ardmore feels like it's from a bygone era, all of two decades ago. Could Duncan Taylor have let it age longer? Sure, but the spirit would have likely begun to retreat as the oak advanced. I like the nose better once the whisky is diluted, but prefer the palate neat, while having no gripes about any part of it. It's a simple thing, unlike the final Ardmore in this series...

Availability - Sold out

Pricing - ??
Rating - 83

Ardmore 10 year old 2009 The Whisky Trail, cask 707920

Elixir Distillers, who actually own a distillery (Tormore) now, have more indie whisky ranges than I can count. One of these it The Whisky Trail, which released somewhere between 150-200 whiskies in its first seven years. Before today, I have tried two, a Croftengea and a Ben Nevis, both of which were excellent. So yes, I was quick to join a bottle split of one of their Ardmore casks. The whisky itself possesses my favorite whisky hue — five-beer piss — so I'm geeked about this one.

Distillery: Ardmore

Ownership: Beam Suntory

Region: Highlands (Eastern)

Independent Bottler: Elixir Distillers

Range: The Whisky Trail

Age: 10 years old (1 Dec 2009 - 9 June 2020)

Maturation: refill American oak?

Cask #: 707920

Outturn: ???

Alcohol by Volume: 59.0%

(from a bottle split)

NEAT

Egads, the nose is hot and closed. Took nearly 30 minutes for me to find signs of life. First there's honeydew, simple syrup, and light blue Mr. Sketch marker. Then it slowly shifts towards candy shop and  chemical-ish peat. The palate is intensely ashy, with grassiness and lemon candies in the background. It finishes with blood, ash, and lemon candy.

The whisky and I require hydration...

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose begins with clay, kiln, and flower blossoms, followed by Saltines and Dove bar soap. Some of that candy shop notes remains. Vegetal and earthy, the palate hums with a bitter herbal bite and more pepper than peat. A bit of that blood/iron note runs through the edges. It finishes bitter and peppery, with a squeeze of lemon juice.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This is a fighter, or rather a brawler than needs a few more years of training before it can claim to be a fighter. The whisky reminds me why I'm not thrilled by young steam-coil era Ardmore, as it's quite different than similarly aged direct-fire stuff, less industrial, less fruity, less subtle smoke, and more of a blunt object. Dilution rescues this cask, and the whisky may require more water than I've applied. I'm only realizing now that I shouldn't have been so excited by the whisky's color.

Availability - Probably sold out

Pricing - €60 in 2020
Rating - 81 (diluted only)

Ardmore 11 year old 2012 Cadenhead for Campbeltown Malts Festival 2024

For the past 17 years, the Campbeltown Malts Festival has been held without me in attendance. I intend to brave the onslaught of whiskies from Springbank, Glengyle, Glen Scotia, and Cadenhead at least once during this lifetime. Until then, a bunch of my friends will continue to enjoy the fest annually, reporting back upon their return.

During this year's festivities, two separate friends each purchased today's Ardmore without conferring with each other. That factor, plus the "Ardmore" on the label, leaves me intrigued by this single malt's potential. Cadenhead gave the cask one of the bottler's increasingly-frequent double-maturations, with a Madeira hogshead completing the duties for about six years. I like Madeira, and it often works well with Scotch, depending on the distillery. How about Ardmore distillery?

Distillery: Ardmore

Ownership: Beam Suntory
Region: Highlands (Eastern)

Independent Bottler: Cadenhead

Age: 11 years old (Aug 2012 - May 2024)

Maturation: ~5 years in an unknown hogshead, then ~6 years in a Madeira-seasoned hogshead

Outturn: 252 bottles

Exclusive to: Campbeltown Malts Festival 2024

Alcohol by Volume: 55.8%
(thank you to Apemen Wheat for bringing this bottle to our year-end Scotch Night!)

NEAT

Young mossy peat mixes with apricot jam and orange marmalade in the nose, with jasmine blossoms in the middle, and sweaty socks in the back. And it works, somehow. The palate offers sweetness (nectarines) on top, peatness (kiln) in the middle, and tart (citrus) on the bottom. There's also a Sauternes (not Madeira) note in the background. It finishes with louder smoke and tartness, and a bit of that Sauternes note.

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

Now there's young farmy peat in the nose. Hay, grasses, and grains. Rye bread and a vanilla cream pastry. The palate has gone the wrong direction with lots of wine and woody bitterness. It finishes with bitter ash and sugar syrup.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

When neat, the whisky's elements remain aligned. When diluted, it gets weird, and not Fun Weird. When neat, the whisky and its double maturation make sense, and the Madeira cask seems to have been dumped at the right time. When diluted, the whisky reminds me of the vast majority of wined-up whiskies which never worked right. When neat, it's a very good whisky. When diluted, it's not.

Availability - Probably sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 84 (when neat)

Ardmore 11 year old 2008 Archives, cask 708526

Okay, time to leap forward. These remaining Ardmores were all distilled in 2008 or later, so I'm truly in contemporary whisky territory. Scary. I'll need to fortify my courage with some Ardmore.

Today's single cask was issued by Archives (Whiskybase's indie label), and sold exclusively in The States. That all the bottles appear to have sold out gives me the naïve hope that America sees more Ardmores, after the Trump tariffs are long gone.

Don't stare too hard, it's out of focus. Or my bifocals aren't working.

Distillery: Ardmore

Ownership: Beam Suntory

Region: Highlands (Eastern)

Independent Bottler: Archives

Range: Butterflies from the USA

Age: 11 years old (17 Dec 2008 - 9 Sep 2020)

Maturation: ex-bourbon barrel

Outturn: 194 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 57.9%

(from a bottle split)

NEAT

Wood smoke-infused apple juice mixes with coconut milk, lemon candy, and kiln ash in the nose. It takes a couple sips before all the ash allows anything else into the palate. That "anything else" turns out to be black peppercorns, chlorine, and semi-sweet chocolate. The finish is also massively ashy, with chlorine and bitter lemon rind in the back. It's a palate wrecker.

DILUTED to ~46%abv or 1½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose simplifies into ocean, chlorine, smoke, and lemon bars. Slightly milder and more navigable now, the palate comes in sweet and fruity, with the peat registering more like moss than cinders. Notes of clementines and blossoms arrive later on. Those clementines and ashy smoke finish it off.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This bruiser punches the drinker right in the teeth. Violent Ardmores aren't my cup of tea, but I take my lumps for the sake of science. I don't think this is one of the ex-Laphroaig Ardmore casks that Beam Suntory let escape into the market, rather the standard Beam barrel goes coy while the spirit stomps around. If you're a sensitive little baby like me, be reassured that dilution is the solution. I hope there are more subtleties and fruits in the next four Ards.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 83 (diluted only)

Ardmore 14 year old 2000 Exclusive Malts for Total Wine & More

I miss wandering back-and-forth through many many Total Wines' scotch whisky aisles, a decade ago. TW's shelves were always stocked with malts from Laings' and Stirk's brands, and several other mystery companies that I've never seen anywhere else. (Today in Ohio, I've nearly memorized OHLQ's entire single malt selection. Though the offerings have grown in the 2020s, Ohio has brought in almost no independent bottlings, and when they have, the stuff doesn't sell.)

The Total Wine shelves usually held a nice lineup of David Stirk's Exclusive Malts, a range that included a Ben Nevis I quite adored. At one point, an Exclusive Ardmore joined the group, and somehow escaped my grasp. Almost ten years later, I was able to get in on a bottle split thanks to Mr. Ricebowl, who'd unearthed his bottle from a whisky closet...

Distillery: Ardmore

Ownership: Beam Suntory
Region: Highlands (Eastern)

Independent Bottler: Creative Whisky Company

Range: Exclusive Malts

Age: 14 years old (May 2000 - 2015)

Maturation: two or three American oak casks

Outturn: 517 bottles

Exclusive to: Total Wine & More

Alcohol by Volume: 51.6%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

Apricots, barley, oats, and leather reach the nose first, followed by fruit cocktail juice, apple peels, and a hint of wood smoke. I find peat-smoked marshmallows on the palate, along with a swig of lime juice, so there's a mix of smoke, sweet, and tart in the foreground. A youthful spirity bite and chewed grass roll through the background. Wow, it's nearly new make on the finish! Eau de vie meets dried apricots meets grass meets wood smoke.

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

Now apples, lemon juice, and moss fill the nose. The palate is crisp and tart, like limes and green apples. It's a bit tingly and effervescent in the back. The subtler finish offers mild notes of dried apples, mint syrup, and smoke.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Firstly, I fibbed about all these Ardmores being from the distillery's Steam Coil Era. Today's 14yo was distilled via the old direct fired stills. It's a sweet, young, and friendly Ardmore bottled at a very good strength. I tried it side-by-side with the Adelphi 2002, and though they possess different styles, their overall qualities match, with this 2000 offered at half the price, albeit five years earlier (2015 vs 2020). Quality-price-ratio + time machines for the win!

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $90-$100?
Rating - 85

Ardmore 18 year old 2002 Adelphi, cask 285

The new year has begun — if you hadn't heard — so it's Ardmore time!

I started this practice in 2023, then continued it the following year. I enjoy doing this because I enjoy Ardmore. Then again, I fell reasonable head over reasonable heels while drinking whisky from the direct-fire-stills years (pre-2002), and even though the distillery has tried to mimic the style with steam coil kinks(!) since then, I'm not convinced the spirit is the same. But that's never stopped me from trying more and more of the new stuff, especially since the malt's peat levels are right in my happy zone (12ppm, think Benromach and Springbank).

This time around, I have seven steam-coil-era indie Ardmores for ya, including one of my own bottles. Two of these whiskies were even bottled this past year. 🤫 Yeah, I know that's crazy talk on this blog.

Going somewhat backwards, oldest to newest, I'm starting this septet with an 18 year old Adelphi that isn't dark as coffee, thanks to its refill bourbon cask maturation.

Distillery: Ardmore

Ownership: Beam Suntory
Region: Highlands (Eastern)

Independent Bottler: Adelphi

Age: 18 years old (2002 - 2020)

Maturation: refill bourbon cask
Cask #: 285

Outturn: 228 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 55.8%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose starts off with wet concrete, mossy peat, cocoa powder, and cheap plastic toys, which sounds like the beginning of a sad childhood tale. It brightens up later with notes of dates, honey, and honeydew. The palate reads peatier than the usual Ardmore, bold and punchy, bitter and peppery. Some grapefruit pith here, chlorophyl there, a dab of vanilla in between. It finishes smoky and tangy, growing both sweeter and bitterer with time.

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

Adding water brings out the sunlight here. Now the nose is full of florals, confectioner's sugar, cinnamon, and dates, with hints of metallic smoke and shredded wheat. The milder palate remains peaty, but also has become sweeter, as the nose's shredded wheat gets frosted. It finishes with gently sweet citrus smoke.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Solid, though unremarkable, this 18yo is a more of a winter warmer than the usual Ardmore at its age. I wouldn't have been able to pick this one out as an Ardmore had I tasted it blindly. That's not a bad thing, as long as the whisky is good. As noted above, dilution does soften it up, but I think I enjoy this one heavier. Thank you to Adelphi for not suffocating this spirit with a soaked sherry hoggie. As a result there's some actual whisky in this whisky.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - was £180 in 2020
Rating - 85

Ardmore 23 year old 1997 SMWS 66.198

There was one more Ardmore sibling cask (66.199) after this one but, for only the third time out of nearly 2000 tastings, my glass's contents wound up in the carpet. Please shed no tears over this, as that whisky's quality did not match today's pour.

I've grumped aplenty about SMWS bothering these direct-fired-era Ardmore sibling casks with aggressive finishes. BUT But but, if one was to apply a two-year second maturation then one could do much worse than refill French oak. So let me introduce Ardmore 23 year old 1997 SMWS 66.198.

Distillery: Ardmore

Region: Highlands (Eastern)
Independent Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Age: 23 years (23 October 1997 - ???)
Maturation: 21 years in a hoggie, then two years in a refill French oak barrique
Cask#: 66.198, "Serene sunset satisfaction"
Outturn: 235 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 53.1%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

At first sniff, it's almost like a Highland Park, with rippling heather and Orkney peat. Then there's apple cider, oranges, roses, and (yes) mango, which all works flawlessly with the smoky undercurrent. Also, somehow, barley appears, sticks around, then leads the palate. Yes, barley, peaches, clementines, grapefruits, chile oil, and gentle beachy smoke. After 30 minutes it gets slightly sweeter (toffee) and bitterer (horseradish). The grapefruits and peaches remain in the finish, framed well with a mix of bonfire and cigarette smoke.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or < 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose doesn't change much. It's still all apple cider, barley, mango, and roses, with subtle wood smoke. That smoke drifts away in the palate, leaving behind peaches, apricots, limes, and chile oil. The juicy finish matches the palate.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I must offer rare props to SMWS for the whisky's name, "Serene sunset satisfaction", as I wouldn't mind sharing a bottle of this at the beach while watching the sunset. The cask keeps the good parts of youth, while disposing of all the less palatable elements. It also offers the lovely balance of smoke and fruit that I seek in many distilleries, but especially Ardmore. Only the slow chemistry of gentle casks produces a whisky like this. If I never have another one of these Ardmore sibling casks, I'd be happy to end with 66.198.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 90

Ardmore 23 year old 1997 SMWS 66.195

To be honest, after trying Wednesday's whisky I was feeling ambivalent about drinking one more direct-fired-era Ardmore ruined by SMWS's cask fuckery. Writing bitter reviews can be energizing, but drinking disappointing Ardmore is not.

Then last night I looked at the details for the next two scheduled casks, and saw promising glimmers in their caskwork. So I tried them side-by-side. And I was not disappointed.

Distillery: Ardmore

Region: Highlands (Eastern)
Independent Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Age: 23 years (23 October 1997 - ???)
Maturation: 21 years on a hoggie, then two years in a first-fill Oloroso barrique
Cask#: 66.195, "If these walls could talk!"
Outturn: 275 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 48.7%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

A gorgeous forest-like peat note stands above everything else in the nose; think earth, dead leaves, and mushrooms. Next: a damp dunnage floor. Mellow notes of dates and dried currants. A bit of mesquite smoke appears later on. Similar foresty peat notes appear in the palate, perhaps a bit smokier. But then there's some black coffee, a mild cigar, and bitter chocolate. Sweet oranges and raspberries highlight the background. Tobacco, mild wood smoke, oranges, and dried blueberries fill the finish.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or >¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Pulled pork, dried apricots, orange peels, and mild florals now fill the nose. The palate: blacker bitterer coffee, sweet berries, and a dunnage hint. It finishes with bitter coffee, bitter chocolate, and tangy citrus.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This one is okay with me. In fact, the nose is excellent. Despite what the sample bottle label shows in the picture above, this was not an STR cask. And it wasn't a sopping gooey first-fill sherry vessel either. The cask does show up more in the palate, but not tragically so. I'm not sure why so many Ardmore casks drop below 50%abv even before their 20th birthday, but most of them are disarmingly drinkable as a result. This one is no exception. Whew.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 88

Ardmore 23 year old 1997 SMWS 66.191

It's time to continue my exploration into the 20+ SMWS Ardmore sibling casks that were all distilled on the 23rd of October 1997. As I've progressed through these casks, the SMWS numbers and ages have increased. The four I'll review this week are all 23 years old, and have been finished in aggressive-sounding casks. I like the former, not too sure about the latter. First up, an Ardmore with a rejuvenated-cask finish.

Distillery: Ardmore

Region: Highlands (Eastern)
Independent Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Age: 23 years (23 October 1997 - ???)
Maturation: hogshead first, then an STR Oloroso barrique finish
Cask#: 66.191, "Smoky dark cajun roux"
Outturn: 240 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 49.2%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose starts with a gentle nuttiness (hazels and brazils), followed by almond extract and dates. Mushrooms in the middle, peat waaaaaay in the back. Small notes of peach candy and carob show up after 30+ minutes. The palate begins with a mix of vanilla, bitter cocoa, dates, and dried apricots. More peppery than peaty, it also gets sweeter with time. It finishes very sweetly, almost like a mix of ginger ale and cream soda. Lime and wood smoke wait in the background.

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

The nose becomes more sugary: milk chocolate, toffee, cream soda, and ginger candy. Toasted oak fills the middle, black walnuts wait in the back. The palate is as sweet as expected. Caramel and oak spice up front, ginger and lime behind. It finishes with lime, oak spice, and sugar.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I do not understand why anyone would do this to Ardmore single malt. While this whisky is approachable and palatable, especially for a sweet-tooth, it's also generic. The finishing cask neutered whatever was poured into it. It's just X whisky in an STR oloroso cask. What's the point of that? Was the first maturation that bad? Or was SMWS worried that the lean mean Highland machine known as Ardmore wouldn't be loud enough for their customers' palates? This does not fill me with confidence about the other three this week...

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 81 (neat only, in the low-to-mid 70s when diluted)

Ardmore 21 year old 1979 Old Malt Cask, cask DL 266

The new year started with snowfall. So yes, 2024, Ice to see you too. It's as good of a time as any to warm up with a week of Ardmore! I have another four SMWSes distilled on 23/10/1997, so by the end of this week I'll have tried nine of the 20-ish sibling hoggies from that date. Yay for me! But before that, let's start off in the 1970s, please.

pic source

Distillery: Ardmore
Region: Highlands (Eastern)
Independent Bottler: Douglas Laing
Range: Old Malt Cask
Age: 21 years (Nov 1979 - Mar 2001)
Maturation: 30th-fill butt?
Cask #: DL 266
Outturn: 648 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

It's been 203 days since I used the A-word (and 734 days since I applied it to an Ardmore), so I'm allowed to fish it out now. The austere nose offers up only oats, yeast, horseradish, and slivovitz for the first 30 minutes. Then there's a little bit of lemon, metal, and new carpet. It picks up a nice farmy note around 45 minutes in. Meanwhile, the palate is sweet and lemony, slightly tarry and minty, with some fresh herbs in the background. It gets more oily and industrial with time. Honey, lemons, and oranges appear in the finish, where the whisky is more oily and salty than peaty.

DILUTED to 43%abv, or 1 tsp of water per 30ml whisky

Silvovitz and citronella move to the front of the nose, with coconut, honey, and ground cloves in the middle. A little bit of seaweed slips in later. The palate remains sweet and lemony, now with golden raisins, honey, and a whiff of wood smoke in the back. It finishes with honey, salt, and cayenne pepper.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This wasn't what I expected, though I probably should have due to the Ardmore's very light color. The nose is quite lean and raw at times, but in a good way. It certainly isn't a contemporary style. Going a different direction, the palate is sweetie pie with only a suggestion of complexity in the background. This would be a interesting bottle to sit with and mull over for a year or two, but because it was bottled almost 23 years ago, I'm just going to have to fantasize about that.

Availability - Secondary market?
Pricing - ???
Rating - 86

Concluding the Ardmore Cluster

(Ardmore cluster homepage)

I'm pretty sure I am the only one who benefitted from this cluster. Here are the things I "learned":

1. Ardmore is a very very very good single malt.
2. When matured in hogsheads it can be too young, too oaky, or fabulous.
3. When matured, even partially, in sherry casks it can be amazing or not.

We all knew this, yes?

The intent behind this cluster really wasn't to glean any deep understanding of the Great and Powerful Ard. Rather, I wanted to greet 2023 with a dozen pours of decently aged malt from this Kennethmont distillery as a way to convince the universe that this January didn't need to be the 37th month of 2020; like a prayer to appease the Whisky Kami, Whisky Buddhas, and Whisky Ganesha. And with all that heresy, I've probably doomed us all. At least the whisky was good.

The cluster did bring the blog its first and second 90+ point non-1992 Ardmores, including my Whisky Doris bottle, and possibly the best sherry cask Ardmore I've ever had. In fact, the cluster members were so good overall that I forgot there was one semi-stinker. But the most satisfying result was the proof that there isn't just one magical Ardmore vintage (aka 1992), rather the distillery's direct fired stills produced excellent stuff right up until the end. As for the steam-coil heated stills......that's a tale for another day.

Ardmore 22 year old 2000 WhiskySponge, edition 69

(Ardmore cluster homepage)

It's time to finish up this cluster with its second dark sherry cask Ardmore. As I'd mentioned in the G&M cask review, I tend to prefer bourbon cask Ardmores, but that sherried hoggie was awesome. Today's whisky had a different life. It spent its final two years in a sherry butt, and the first 20 in at least two refill hogsheads. Thus, it's a single cask that really isn't. But is it good?

Distillery: Ardmore
Region: Highlands (Eastern)
Independent Bottler: WhiskySponge
Age: 22 years (1997 - 2022)
Maturation: 20 years in hogshead, two years in a first fill sherry butt
Outturn: 541 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 54.2%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose arrives with an oaky California pinot noir note. Once the red wine slips away, the cask remains. Butter, raspberry jam, almond butter and a hint of pipe tobacco fill the front and middle; cinnamon, brown sugar and a touch of tar in the back. There's less sweetness on the palate than expected, more walnuts and roots (a good thing IMHO). Dark chocolate, almond butter and metal develop with time. It becomes earthier and bitterer too. Lots of dark chocolate, mint leaves and roots in the finish. A little bit of smoke and oranges as well.

DILUTED to 46%abv, or 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Nuts, butter, orange peel and toffee in the nose. The palate has become almost all bitter roots and earth, with a touch of berry sweetness in the background. The finish is more dusty than smoky, with smaller notes of bitterness and mint candy.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Though it's far from matching the aforementioned Gordon & MacPhail cask, this Ardmore works well in its own way. The palate has its act together, as opposed to the.....extremely contemporary-styled nose. There aren't many reviews of these two WhiskySponge Ardmores online — the Whiskybase folks have barely touched it and Whiskyfun hasn't said anything — so I'll reference Good Sir Opinions again. As he noted, the finishing cask seems to have covered up most/all of the Ardmore element of this Ardmore. Luckily the result is nutty and earthy. Thus this is an Ardmore for sherry cask fans rather than Ardmore fans.

Availability - Still available as of the date of this post

Pricing - £235

Rating - 86

Ardmore 24 year old 1997 WhiskySponge, edition 76

(Ardmore cluster homepage)

The final two members of this Ardmore cluster were bottled by Mr. WhiskySponge himself. I'm not sure why I saved them for last, but pre-tasting nosings tell me they're different than the other ten in this series. Starting with the Sponge's refill hoggie, the oldest non-sherry cask of the group...

Distillery: Ardmore
Region: Highlands (Eastern)
Independent Bottler: WhiskySponge
Age: 24 years (1997 - 2022)
Maturation: refill hogshead
Outturn: 250 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 52.4%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose arrives intensely piney, with crushed lemongrass and pickle brine (MGP-style) in the background. Notes of lox and lemon candy develop after a 20+ minutes. Oh my ganja, the palate. Wow. Uh okay, yeah, "hops" and dried oregano, grapefruit, pineapple, and some of the nose's pine. Then mezcal and metal and a whiff of peppery smoke. It finishes mostly peppery and metallic with some pineapple and IPA in the back.

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

The nose is a little more Ardmoreish now, with more beach and stones, rather than pine. Some rock candy in there as well. The palate indeed turns more towards hops than "hops". A bit more vibrant overall, sweeter and rootier, but still quite metallic. Its finish lingers sugar-free, plenty bitter and metallic.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

My Annoying Opinions reviewed his part of the bottle split two weeks ago. We found different notes and he seems to have liked it better than I, but we both were disappointed with this whisky that reads younger than its age. Devoid of the charm and grace found in the cluster's other 24 year old, this malt feels like it wasn't done cooking when it was bottled. May I dare suggest that a second maturation — like Sponge's other Ardmore — could have helped a little? Yes, this is me that's tut-tutting a spirit-forward whisky. I'll shut up now.

Availability - Still available as of the date of this post

Pricing - £230

Rating - 84

Things I Really Drink: Ardmore 21 year old 1997 Whisky-Doris, cask 901456

(Ardmore cluster homepage)

Whisky-Doris's white label Ardmore masterpieces were pivotal to my palate's development. It's as if I needed them to show me what I actually like. Ten years ago, I was into BIG flavors. Overwhelming peat, thick sherry influence, or ryes of considerable size. Hyperbolic whiskies led to hyperbolic reviews. But Whisky-Doris's monochrome bottles held '92 Ardmore single malt that dialed the smoke down to 4, citrus up to 6, salt to 5, sweetness to 3......

I just looked back at my last Ardmore TIRD, and discovered I wrote essentially the same thing. It's not that I'm getting old, it's that I tell the same stories over and over. But this habit surely won't worsen with age.

Back to this tale. I bought today's 1997 whisky because Ardmore + Whisky-Doris. It cost 60% more than the '92s did eight years earlier, but I was happy to make questionable monetary decisions during the those early pandemic months because I was depressed AF. Anyway, Ardmore!

Distillery: Ardmore
Region: Highlands (Eastern)
Independent Bottler: Whisky-Doris
Age: 21 years (November 1997 - June 2019)
Maturation: hogshead
Cask #: 901456
Outturn: 180 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 49.4%  ← there's that low abv again!
(from the upper third of my bottle)

NEAT

The nose starts with peaches, mangoes, and orange peels. Wood smoke, marzipan, and milk chocolate fill in the open spaces. The fruit gradually smothers it all. The palate arrives "totally in tune" (per my notes). Salt + savory + smoke + sweet citrus. "It's kinda perfect." As if more was needed, dried herbal and tart lemon notes grow with time. Ah, the multi-gear finish. First gear: brine, grapefruits, oranges, and a subtle sweetness. Second gear: savory smoke. Third gear: bitter herbs and grapefruit (again).

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

The nose is all wet stones and peaches and bacon and yes. The palate is fruitier, mintier. Plenty of salt and savory remain, but less smoke. The mangoes in the background carry over into the finish, along with ultra-tart citrus and salt.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I treasure this run of excellent TIRD bottles (see here and here and here, and yes I'm ignoring less than excellent bottles, but that's not the point, and this shouldn't be within the parenthetical anyway). As noted above and in a previous post, many '90s Ardmores have curiously low ABVs, no matter who bottles the casks. And it works. I'm also happy to say that this one can take a little bit of water as well. One question remains, will I open my next Ardmore in 2024, or will I be unable to wait that long? Answer: I'll enjoy this one in the moment.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - €160 w/VAT in 2020
Rating - 90

Ardmore 21 year old 1998 Thompson Brothers

(Ardmore cluster homepage)

The brothers Thompson from Dornoch got themselves into the indie bottling business six and a half years ago, wisely getting their hooks into at least six casks of Ardmore, two of which held spirit distilled in 1998. Today's cask duked it out with this week's other two Ardmores. Who won the day (other than me)?

Distillery: Ardmore
Region: Highlands (Eastern)
Independent Bottler: Phil and Simon Thompson
Age: 21 years (1998 - 2019)
Maturation: refill hogshead
Outturn: 256 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 51.5%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

A Caol Ila-style peat envelops apricots, citrons, roses and jasmine in the nose. An early toasty note slowly develops into a beach style similar to yesterday's '96. The palate begins very smoky and peppery, reading almost Islay-like at the start. Sea salt, tart citrus, and green bell pepper highlight the mid- and backgrounds. Not much sweetness going on. It all gets very peppery with time. More salt and bitterness in the finish. Lemons and citrons as well. Smoke residue and hot sauce linger longest.

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

Much of the nose's peat has been replaced by broken stones, vegetable skins, and citrons, with a hint of fennel seed in the back. The palate gains a great herbal bitterness and mineral smoke, with a sweet orange float on top. It finishes with peppery smoke and the sweet citrus.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This one is more of a brawler than yesterday's Ardmore, smokier and pepperier. I might even like it better, especially once it's diluted. It also illustrates my silly opinion that Ardmore can read like a relative of Caol Ila, with a little less (though similar) peat and more fruit once it gets into its twenties. This time though, the phenolics remain high, while the fruit rests mostly in the nose, all merging well with minerals and pepper.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - €140-ish?
Rating - 88

Ardmore 20 year old 1996 Old Malt Cask, cask HL13770

(Ardmore cluster homepage)

I'm fascinated by how many 18-22 year '90s Ardmores are bottled at ~49%abv. It's not just the quick alcohol drop that interests me, it's the consistency. The parcel of '92 indie Ardmores that knocked me out of my boots were all 48-49%abv, and the majority of this cluster's casks are 49-51%. For instance, today's Ardie is part of the Old Malt Cask range that normally bottles its whiskies at a reduced 50%abv, going higher only for exclusive releases. But this one was bottled at 49.3%abv, cask strength. I'm not complaining here. 48-49%abv tends to be the money spot for my palate. Maybe Ardmore and I were meant to be together.

Oops, the sample was completed and the bottle recycled before I took a pic!

Distillery: Ardmore
Region: Highlands (Eastern)
Independent Bottler: Hunter Laing
Range: Old Malt Cask
Age: 20 years (Oct 1996 - Apr 2017)
Maturation: refill hogshead
Cask #: HL 13770
Outturn: 278 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 49.3%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

It's a beachy Ardmore, as its nose lifts off with brine and distant rotting kelp. A little bit of mesquite smoke as well. Flowers, bananas, pineapple and yuzu slowly fill it out. The palate is very toasty (nuts and grains) and salty. Shortbread, limes and a mild sweetness in the midground, savoriness and wood smoke in the back. It finishes with limes, shortbread and wood smoke, as well as subtler notes sugar and salt.

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

The nose holds onto its beach note, but picks up some cherries and more smoke. Leaner now, the palate is mostly minerals and cracked pepper. Tarter limes and less sweetness. The finish is all ginger candy and peppercorns.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This is an example of a clean, lean 20 year old single malt with just a touch of oak influence. The palate somehow tops the very good nose. Had the finish more oomph, this could have pushed the 90-point mark. Instead it's merely great. And I'm satisfied with that.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 87

Ardmore 22 year old 1997 SMWS 66.174

(Ardmore cluster homepage)

This, the oldest of this week's four SMWS 23/10/1997s, had the lightest color, while the youngest was the darkest. Yet, once again, the hues had no bearing on the whiskies' qualities. Still, I like me some five-beer piss(-colored whisky). And the liquid inside this sample bottle looks the part.

Distillery: Ardmore
Region: Highlands (Eastern)
Independent Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Age: 22 years (23 October 1997 - ???)
Maturation: refill bourbon hogshead
Cask#: 66.174, "A vintage dinner suit"
Outturn: 259 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 56.1%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

All kinds of textures in the nose! First there's pork loin with a citrus sauce. Apples, lemons, brown sugar and wood smoke in the middle. Guava and incense in the back. The palate is very earthy, with moderate mineral and smoke notes behind it. Limes and oranges mix with a hint of wood spice. Bits of bitterness, salt and honey float through the background. Earth, lemons and honey in the finish's front with a rooty bitterness in the distance.

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

The nose is very smoky and porky, with a strong whiff of hot concrete. Notes of basil, orange liqueur, and snickerdoodles stay mild throughout. The palate simplifies. Malt, herbal bitterness, and roasted nuts up front. Savoriness and Amrut-ish ginger in the back. The finish matches the palate while adding a squeeze of grapefruit.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

It's close race, but this one wins the week for me. The neat nose's variety lines up well, while the neat palate hits that earth + citrus style I always enjoy. It can swim too, but I prefer it at full strength. This week's Ardmore quartet shares some notes, like honey, cinnamon, apples, and minerals, but are each their own individual single malt, demonstrating the little-bit-of-alchemy-and-a-whole-lotta-chemistry pleasure of aged spirits.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 88

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