Ardmore 10 Years Old 2004 66.76 Guilty pleasure (61%, SMWS, White Wine HH, 274 Bottles, 2015)

Whisky Review

• Category:  Highland single malt scotch whisky
• Origin:  Ardmore Distillery
• Bottling: Scotch Malt Whisky Society Cask 66.76 Guilty pleasure
• ABV: 61.0%
• Cost: £47.00
• Score: 86/100

What they say:

66.76 Guilty pleasure

Cask No. 66.76

Aromas immediately jumped out of the glass, macerated blueberries, strawberries and raspberries with muscovado sugar, lemon and orange liquor as well as rum soaked cherries, honey roasted walnuts and treacle French toast. A real sucker punch on the palate; ‘out of left field’ and ‘weird but wonderful’ – ham hock served with piquant lentils, meat pie with mushy peas and an oxtail stew. Water released freshly ground coffee, warm cinnamon apple, toasted Brazil nuts and orange caramels, but in the background, a beef and gravy casserole. Slightly less intense flavours but still an oily deep texture and an ever-changing balance of sweet and savoury.

Drinking tip: Curtains drawn, door locked – Enjoy!

Date Distilled: 5 October 2004 Colour: Deep ‘Jurassic’ amber Age: 10 years Flavour : Deep, rich & dried fruits Cask Type: First fill ex-white wine hogshead Whisky Region: Highland Eastern Outturn: 274 bottles

What I say:

Sampled at the SMWS Big November Outturn preview tasting on 10th November 2015

Colour:

Rich amber gold (7/20)

Nose:

Rich fruity and sugary/honey sweetness, a little like a liquour, fruity peach and apricot, white port, nutty walnut but associated with it a little cheese mature and blue rather then young and lactic and also a touch of white wine vinegar – both strangely pleasant

Taste:

Initially spicy and prickly heat, cayenne chilli pepper flakes, rubbery bicycle inner tubes soft, quite malty cereal barley, slightly peaty and earthen, with water a lovely mixture of moist ryebread and spiced gingerbread with walnuts and honey flood out, all with a delicate touch of sweetness like soft pears poached in white wine, a touch of liquorice and bitterness creeps into the peaty nature

Finish:

Medium-long gently spiced and sweet with rich buttery and savoury nut loaf

Overall:

This one had a lot of fans at the tasting and it is easy to see why, a good example of sweet and peat though a slightly diverse collection of Ardmore peat and white wine influenced sweetness. There was something rich and chewy about this one throughout. Delicious!