SMWS Ardmore 13/14 2006 Side by Side, 66.162 "A true harmony of flavours" & 66.176 "Je suis bûcheron et je vais bien"

With how much I enjoyed doing a side by side review of sister casks to mark review #200, I decided to do the same for every milestone review. Based on the amount of sister casks pairs I have from the SMWS, I settled on doing that for every 25th review (with a more significant one for 250) except when one of those milestones would happen to fall during an Advent calendar. So here for #225 are a pair of Ardmores with similar maturations, but one for an additional year with a specification of the previous contents of the finishing cask.

Ardmore 13, 2006 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 66.162, Highland Single Malt, 60.8% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on March 9, 2006 and matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead for 12 years before transfer to a 2nd fill French oak barrique for the duration yielding 286 bottles. This is part of the Lightly Peated flavor profile named “A true harmony of flavours”. This was released to celebrate the highlands as part of their digital regional festivals of 2020 (or at least tagged as such while not actually featuring the festival label). Enjoyed neat in a glencairn side by side with its sister cask 66.176.

Color: Old gold amber, 0.6.5.

Nose: Smoke, putty, grass/hay.

Taste: Fruit, spice and banana, smoked meats.

Finish: Funky smoke, custard. Medium.

This is quite nice. Something interesting noted particularly during this review of these two whiskies is how different of an experience it is when sitting down and focusing on a review versus any of the drams enjoyed prior to the actual review. It’s hard to say which I like more, actually. I did not take specific notes about water. I did not care for it and do not feel this needs or benefits from it at all.

Score: 81

Musical Evocation: Iron Maiden – “Dream of Mirrors”

Ardmore 14, 2006 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 66.176, Highland Single Malt, 60.1% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on March 9, 2006 and matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead for 12 years before transfer to a 2nd fill red wine barrique for the duration yielding 264 bottles. This is part of the Lightly Peated flavor profile named “Je suis bûcheron et je vais bien”, a French name which in English means “I am a lumberjack and I am fine”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn with its sister cask 66.162.

Color: Old gold amber, 0.6.5.

Nose: Industrial, beachy smoke. Dried stone fruit. Buttered popcorn on a later visit to the nose, and in a big way.

Taste: Molasses, light spice. Earthy.

Finish: Very similar to the taste, with the molasses being a bit more caramely and the spice feeling more like spiced red fruit.

Another good one, and a bit more interesting. Time in the glass works well for this one, it seems. As with the other, I did not take specific notes with water as I felt it didn’t add at all and I prefer it without on all counts.

Score: 81

Musical Evocation Iron Maiden – “Brave New World”

They got the same score, and it makes sense as I can’t really tell which I like more despite them being quite different yet broadly very similar. Anyway, this was an interesting foray into non-Islay/island peat, the only other Ardmore before these being the one bottled for r/Scotch a couple years ago.

Game of Thrones - Talisker Select Reserve House Greyjoy

I liked the show enough, and as a collector, I ended up wanting a bottle from the distilleries I enjoy from which an expression was made despite initially being disinterested. I was skeptical with most expressions being unique to the line (except one, I believe) and figured it might have been better to slap some imagery on a standard release than come up with a bunch of new, temporary expressions. I ended up trying the Cardhu one at a friend’s and was not exactly thrilled, particularly with the bland expression being represented by a dragon. I had to hold onto hope the distilleries I know make good stuff could release something serviceable.

Talisker Select Reserve Game of Thrones House Greyjoy, Island (Skye) Single Malt, 45.8% ABV

Minutia: Same lack of information, but less, somehow. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Tawny, 1.4.

Nose: Caramel/molasses, or honey. I don’t get much smoke or any brine as I’d expect, but it’s malty. Leather.

Taste: Fruity sweetness at the get go into spicy and woody. Bit of smoke there, too. 

Finish: Wood more with smoke. Tobacco. Leather. Lingering spice. That malt from the nose. Medium.

I ashamed to say my OCD caused me to pay second market prices for this before Diageo released a tsunami more of these bottles with indications at the time being a European release would follow and then that would be it. Live and learn. Worth nowhere near what I paid, but a good deal for the MSRP or any sales to unload old inventory. I’d put in in league with or just above the NAS releases from Talisker I’ve had (Skye and Storm, I think).

Score: 85

Musical Evocation: Seven Kingdoms – “After the Fall”

Talisker Distillers Edition

Talisker Distillers Edition, Island (Skye) Single Malt, 45.8% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in 2002, matured in ex-Bourbon casks and finished in Amoroso casks, and bottled in 2013. Batch number TD-S: 5PB. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn with the Caol Ila and Lagavulin Distillers Editions.

Color: Tawny, 1.4.

Nose: Fruity, slight smoke, salted caramel.

Taste: Dry but sweet, into wood, smoke, and spices.

Finish: Long. Briny smoke with dry spice. Bit like coffee but not that flavor.

Quite nice, a sweet version of the 10 with the edge taken down, not necessarily in a bad way. Worth the premium if it's not much more than the 10.

Score: 88

Lagavulin Distillers Edition

Lagavulin Distillers Edition, Islay Single Malt, 43% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in 2001, matured in ex-Bourbon casks and finished in Pedro Ximénez casks, and bottled in 2017. Batch number lgv. 4/506. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn with the Caol Ila and Talisker Distillers Editions.

Color: Old oak, 1.8.

Nose: Big, smoke, wood, burnty stuff, very much like ham.

Taste: Woody at first, leather, bitter. Sometimes an unbelievably savory meat that really improves it.

Finish: Molasses, pepper, tobacco, oaky. Long.

I feel like on my scale the range for this is mid-high seventies to mid nineties. When it interacts with my palate in the meaty way I almost spit it out because my mouth wants to react with a flood of drool it’s so damn good. I really wish it were more consistent, it ranges from almost mediocre to absolutely stellar depending on the glass. It does, however, remain above mediocre at its worst and squarely a fine dram. Where the price isn’t a bunch more, I’d say it's worth the premium.

Score: 89

SMWS 107.16 Glenallachie 7 2011 "Truly a fairy tale"

The last one from this tasting pack for now (holding off on the Ardbeg, the main reason I was interested in the pack, for a bit later in the summer). This is the first of the bunch with a finish, but also the youngest of them. A couple of these weren’t exactly my cup of tea, so I’m hoping this finishes these 4 on a more positive note.

Glenallachie 7, 2011 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 107.16, Speyside Single Malt, 67% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on April 4, 2011 and matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead for 5 before being transferred into a 2nd fill toasted butt for the duration of its maturation yielding 524 bottles. This is part of the Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits flavor profile named “Truly a fairy tale”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Burnished, 1.1.

Nose: Sweet, like a dry bourbon. Caramel. Something else in there, a bit non-specific but like Sherry.

Taste: Butterscotch, spice.

Finish: Malt, nuts. Slightly hot. Medium.

I enjoyed this well enough without peat. The proof gave it enough oomph to compensate for the lack of peat I prefer, and I really liked the butteriness of the palate.

Score: 74

SMWS 64.108 Mannochmore 10 2008 "Something for the weekend..."

 

A third sample from the package I bought, another from a distillery I haven’t tried and likely wouldn’t have were it not for this package.

Mannochmore 10, 2008 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 64.108, Speyside Single Malt, 61% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on March 5, 2008 and matured in a refill ex-bourbon barrel for 10 years yielding 218 bottles. This is part of the Light & Delicate flavor profile named “Something for the weekend…”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Pale gold, 0.3.

Nose: Grassy, malty, putty.

Taste: Fruit, some spices.

Finish: Putty, sweet flowers.

This didn’t have all that much going on with what I tend to like, mostly smoke and peat-associated flavors and aromas. I did find it interesting how it played with my palate when I returned to it a bit after having a rocket pop, though, so that was kind of neat.

Score: 69

SMWS 44.99 Craigellachie 14 2004 "A real cracker"

The second from the pack of samples I picked up letting me dip my toe outside my normal peat pool.

Craigellachie 14, 2004 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 44.99, Speyside Single Malt, 55.9% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on June 9, 2004 and matured in a refill ex-bourbon barrel for 14 years yielding 188 bottles. This is part of the Spicy & Dry flavor profile named “A real cracker”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Pale gold, 0.3.

Nose: Malt, yellow apple. Light nuts.

Taste: Sweet into dry, buttery.

Finish: Olive oil-dipped bread. Floral, apple. Medium.

Another one that didn’t quite hit the notes I like most, but did work for me a bit. I suspect those who aren’t very big on peat would enjoy this a good deal.

Score: 73

SMWS 35.239 Glen Moray 23 1995 "Sweet seduction"

I nabbed this sample pack at an auction because it featured the Ardbeg with a name I found really enjoyable, plus it gave me 4 other samples from distilleries I’d otherwise have been unlikely to try. Here’s the first of them.

Glen Moray 23, 1995 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 35.239, Speyside Single Malt, 52.9% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on October 27, 1995 and matured in a 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel for 23 years yielding 202 bottles. This is part of the Old & Dignified flavor profile named “Sweet seduction”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Deep gold, 0.8.

Nose: Honey, vanilla, coconut.

Taste: Honey, spice, malt, wood.

Finish: Malty honey, vanilla, coffee bean. Coconut. Medium-short.

This is alright, it doesn’t hit the smoky notes I prefer, but I like it well enough. Has me looking forward to a bottle I took a chance on a few months ago.

Score: 75