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.

r/Scotch Ardmore 11

Like the Wardhead, I was super happy to have gotten this. Rather than a sample, for this one I went for a whole bottle. It’s neat to have a cask that was selected by a group of people from reddit intended for us, it feels quite special, and I’m happy to drink it and share with some of my own circle. But just what is it that I’m sharing with them?

Ardmore 11, 2008 Vintage, Highland Single Malt, 57% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on June 19, 2008, aged 11 years in an ex-Bourbon barrel, bottled on October 7, 2019 by Morrison & MacKay, Ltd. for r/Scotch, sold by Fine Drams. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: White wine.

Nose: Medicinal, decaying peat. Seaweed.

Taste: Smoky peat, pepper.

Finish: Long. Pepper and smoke, barbecue spice.

It’s nice to have had a non-Islay peated well like this. My favorite element is that barbecue spice in the finish, it’s like a traditional barbecue sauce flavor, but if it was dry like a rub. The strength makes this a dram you can only savor slowly, and the flavors offered make it one you only want to enjoy that way. Between the two r/Scotch bottles, I made the right call for my flavor preference in which to get as a bottle given I couldn’t swing both of them. This is a home run for the price.

Score: 86

Compass Box The Peat Monster (Brown Label)

You had me at “hello.” As much as I’ve found I love peat, to hear there was a whisky with this name had me hooked right away. I’ve been disappointed in the past by things calling themselves peaty in the name, but Compass Box has a good enough reputation I was confident this wouldn’t disappoint. Loving three of the four primary malts, I felt I was in for a treat.

Compass Box The Peat Monster (Brown Label), Scotland Blend, 46% ABV

Minutia: Rested about 15 minutes, in a glencairn. The blend of this is 34% Laphroaig, 54% Caol Ila, 5% Ardmore (all refill hogsheads), 6% Ledaig (refill barrel), and 1% of their custom Highland blend (Clynelish, Teanininch, Dailuaine; from a custom, heavy toast cask). 

Color: White wine.

Nose: Smoke, earth, flowers, medicinal. After being in the glass a good deal a Ledaig funk comes out.

Taste: Salt, smoke, spice.

Finish: Medium-long. The salt turns savory and ends up somewhere like a cured meat, smoke fades out a bit earlier than the rest of the finish persists.

This wasn’t quite the “monster” that was promised, but it still delivered. Like a handful of peaty whiskies, the people at your table (and possibly adjacent ones) will smell this. While this is perfectly good on its own, it does absolute wonders as an additive. As a big peat fan, if I’m not particularly feeling a whisky, a bit of this in it can carry it right up to enjoyability.

Score: 86