Review by: zSolaris
Image credit to Little Brown Dog
Distillery: Ardmore.
Bottler: Little Brown Dog.
Region: Highland.
Age: 11 Year. Distilled on November 26th of 2009 and bottled on May 3rd of 2022.
ABV: 55.5%. Cask Strength.
Cask Type: Pedro Ximenez Sherry Cask Finish.
Color: 0.6, Old Gold.
This dram is the nineteenth of 2022’s Christmas Countdown! Whiskies from previous years can be found here.
Every year, I look at the advent calendar offerings that pop up across the pond and think that it would be super cool to do something like that (it is actually the inspiration for my review spree in December). Turns out, I wasn’t the only one who wanted to do one so between /u/federalagents, /u/DangerousDoorknob, and I we put our own together! This is the eighteenth dram of the calendar. It was reviewed partially blind as in I know the whiskies in the calendar but not the order.
Nose: There is a faint bit of smoke here. Citrus is the main driver though with lemons in a few different forms. Fresh lemons, honey lemon tea, and lemon drops are what come to mind.
Palate: Smoke is a little more intense here, not by much though. There is a touch of meatiness and a sharp note of roasted herbs. Herb encrusted pork loin is what I am reminded of most, not super heavy in the meaty flavor with the herbs being the main star.
Finish: Medium in length. The smoke is light again here with some earth and damp forestry.
Guess: Scotland. Malt. Highland. 10-14 Year. 55-60% ABV. Little Brown Dog Ardmore 11 Year.
Reveal: Little Brown Dog Ardmore 11 Year PX Sherry Cask Finish (2009).
Conclusion: Ardmore is a distillery that I had early on in my whisky journey and then largely just ignored since. I recently had a fantastic young bottling by La Maison du Whisky and I was hoping for something tasty again with this bottling. While it is a touch simplistic, what Little Brown Dog had bottled is quite tasty. The peat/smoke levels are always dialed in nicely so that they are there but never overpowering. The lemon notes in the nose are nice, the herb encrusted pork loin in the palate is great, and the damp earth notes in the finish are a fun way to wrap things up. Not bad at all!
Final Score: 80.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 
