Review by: The Muskox

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Distillery: Ardmore.

Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

Region: Highlands.

ABV: 53.1%. Cask strength.

Age: 23. Distilled on October 23rd 1997. Bottled in 2022.

Cask type: Initially matured in ex-bourbon casks, then finished for two years in a refill French oak barrique.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: 1.1, Burnished. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Succulent. Deep fruit flavours of dates and bruised bananas, along with some fresher fruit notes of grapefruit peel and tangerine. Heathery smoke, a little lavender and rosemary. Honey-soaked brioche and toasted coconut. Minerality – rock salt and smashed limestone. Pizza dough coated in olive oil. Dark chocolate. The longer it sits, the stronger the orange flavour.

Palate: Medium-thick texture. Arrives syrupy-sweet with dates, honey, orange peel, ginger, very strong perfume, and just a little matchstick. Deep dark peat and mossy oak on the development. Cool herbs, eucalyptus, tropical greenhouse, spearmint, rooty bitterness, and tobacco. Piercing minerality and acidity right down the middle – climbing chalk, rice vinegar, salty tide pools.

Finish: Medium-length. Very bittersweet – dark coffee, leafy tropical plants, rubbed leather, slightly medicinal. Orangey – Jaffa cakes, orange blossoms, marmalade. More dates and honey coming back, with the flowers and fresh ginger carrying through. Lingering earthiness – parsnips?

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Desert grove hooka festival”

Conclusion: An eye-popping whisky. Very modern-style in its succulence and structure, which stands in stark contrast with many of the other great whiskies I’ve been drinking lately. This whisky proves, though, that some of the modern stuff can hit with the best of them. The whisky has an incredible floral power to it, perfectly balanced with earthy bitterness and gentle peat. Very classically Ardmore, too, between that style of peat and the characteristic mineral “slice” down the middle.

Final Score: 93.

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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.