Martin's Blended Scotch: Five whiskies bottled between 1945 and 1977

Photo by Mr. PT

James Martin, boxer and whisky merchant, created his own blended whiskies and exported them beyond Scotland in the late 1800s. Macdonald & Muir Ltd bought his brands in 1912, and started delivering Martin's VVO to the US the following year. Macdonald & Muir then scooped up Glenmorangie Distillery a few years later, so they had their own malt source for their blends. In 1996 the company changed its name to Glenmorangie PLC, and was then sold to LVMH eight years later.

(A fun bit of whisky trivia: Alexander Mackendrick's 1949 film, Whisky Galore, was based on an actual whisky-bearing cargo ship crash. In 1941, the SS Politician smacked into the Hebridean Isle of Eriskay, releasing 22,000 cases of scotch, including 10,000 cases of Martin's. Locals relieved the wreck of its whisky for quite some time, until customs agents broke up the fun.)

The Martin's expressions included the VVO 8-year-old, De Luxe 12-year-old, and Fine and Rare 20-year-old, as well as the occasional 25yo and 30yo. Most of these whiskies did not survive into the late 20th century, and the entire range ended once LVMH took over in 2004.

I'm a dusty blend guy, but I haven't seen many Martin'ses in the primary or secondary wild, so when the generous Mr. PT announced he was splitting up FIVE of his bottles I was quickly on board. Fifteen months later, I'm sitting down with this quintet:

• Martin's Gold Bar VVO, NAS (likely ~8 years old), S111 tax stamp, bottled 1945-1960, 43.4%abv
• Martin's 8 year old VVO, S112 tax stamp, bottled 1961-1977, 43.4%abv
• Martin's 12 year old DeLuxe, S111 tax stamp, bottled 1953-1960, 43.4%abv
• Martin's 12 year old DeLuxe, S112 tax stamp, bottled 1961-1977, 43.4%abv
• Martin's 20 year old Fine & Rare, S111 tax stamp, bottled 1953-1960, 43.4%abv

The 12yo and 20yo didn't make it to the US until 1953, but both likely (or in the 20's case, definitely) contain pre-WWII distillate. The dustier VVO might have a good deal of that element as well. But no matter what, olden blends are the source of my geekiest excitement, so this is thrilling! And all hail the 43.4%abv (76 UK Proof) strength!

(Sources: here, here, and here)

Here they are, broken up by expression, along with a new(!) type of grade...

V.V.O.

Martin's Gold Bar VVO, NAS (likely ~8yo) S111 tax stamp, bottled 1945-1960 43.4%abv	Martin's VVO 8yo S112 tax stamp, bottled 1961-1977 43.4%abv
The nose is LOUD, full of stewed fruits, dried orange slices, cinnamon, and lemon candy. Meaty and dunnage notes give it some more angles.	It's an OBE bomb on the nose. Very dusty, metallic, and soapy. It gets soapier with time, but beneath that noise are mild touches of dried apple slices, dried mango, and cloves.
The palate arrives bitterer and smokier than expected. It's intensely ashy, tart (citrus), and metallic, getting smokier with time.	Though also very dusty, the palate is more approachable with considerably less soap. Tangy oranges, simple syrup, cologne, and glass. Yes, it's like licking glass.
It finishes with super tart citrus and ash, with a hint of sweetness, and very good length.	The finish reveals layers of peppercorns, tart oranges, and talcum powder.
Comments: Despite being in the bottle of 65-80 years, this whisky hasn't lost a microgram of oomph. This was by far the smokiest of the five, and one of the most vivid in style. It's a muscular youngster after all this time.	Comments: This one spent less time cooped up in the bottle, but the OBE nearly kills it. There are fruity, floral, peppery aspects locked up in the background. Thankfully, they sneak forward when one fashions a highball.
Old Bottle Effect: 3 out of 10 gray hairs	Old Bottle Effect: 8 out of 10 gray hairs
Rating: 84	Rating: 78

DE LUXE

Martin's DeLuxe 12 year old S111 tax stamp, bottled 1953-1960 43.4%abv	Martin's DeLuxe 12 year old S112 tax stamp, bottled 1961-1977 43.4%abv
Pineapple, crystalized ginger, apple sauce, and Mr. Sketch light blue marker lead the nose, with ocean hints in the background. While it does take on a little bit of soap with time, the fruits stay on top.	The nose feels a bit faded, as it starts out with quiet notes of dust and antique glass. But it picks up steam within 30 minutes, as golden raisins, dried cranberries, cherry pie filling, honey buns, and plum sauce appear.
The palate balances tart, sweet, and floral perfectly. It's also very malty. Limes, oranges, and citrus blossoms lead the way. Very-little-to-no smoke here.	The surprisingly bitter palate shows no signs of decrepitude. In fact, it reads rather modern, with its vanilla, drying tannins, and agave nectar. Lemons and chile oil give it a slight boost.
The finish is saltier and warmer than the palate, with lots of oranges and a hint of burlap.	It finishes more tannic and sweeter, with an mix of chile oil and talcum power (again).
Comments: My second favorite of the group, this whisky offers a style that some Speyside distilleries would probably love to mimic. Yes, this blend reads more like a single malt than some contemporary single malts. I would absolutely buy a bottle of this were it made today.	Comments: The nose, once it wakes up is the best element by far. Had the palate matched it, I'd be raving about the whisky like the older De Luxe. Instead it's a bit odd, both old and new fashioned at the same time. I wonder if the two S112 bottlings were stored differently than the S111s.
Old Bottle Effect: 4 out of 10 gray hairs	Old Bottle Effect: 5 out of 10 gray hairs
Rating: 87	Rating: 81

Fine & Rare

Martin's Fine & Rare 20 year old S111 tax stamp, bottled 1953-1960 43.4%abv
Ohhhh, the nose: White nectarines, apricots, incense, plum sauce, black walnuts, hint of mesquite, hint of fish market, and a lot of molasses.
Here comes another list for the palate: Lychees, guavas, peaches, fresh ginger, sea salt, wood smoke, umami, and a lovely tartness.
The peaches dominate the finish, with lychees and lemons in the middle, salt and umami in the background.
Comments: An absolute fucking home run.
Old Bottle Effect: 3 out of 10 gray hairs
Rating: 91

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Yes, the 20 year old earned its own table. Was its 65-70 glass years responsible for this? I have no idea. I'm so distracted by the 20's quality that I'm having trouble focusing on the bigger picture. Here, I'll start a new paragraph.

The S111 tax stamp Martin'ses dominate the S112s, though I'm not sure if that's due to where the bottles lived for 2-3 generations, or simply the blends' original quality. Four out of five of the noses were great-to-excellent, so the palates marked the whiskies' differences. The S111 12yo and 20yo palates were gloriously fruity, while the S111 VVO delivered an Islay-style peaty punch. The S112 palates freshened up when applied to highballs, but felt quite off when neat. The company did start selling Glenmorangie as a single malt in 1959, so perhaps fewer of the better and older casks were available to the Martin's blenders after that. Or perhaps OBE is the culprit.

No matter what, I'm sending virtual hugs and kisses to the people who protected the 20yo Fine & Rare bottle for 65+ years!

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