Whisky : Ardmore 14 Year SMWS 66.176 “Je suis bûcheron et je vais bien”

Country/Region : Scotland/Highland

ABV : 60.1%

Cask : Ex-Bourbon (12Y), 2nd Fill Red Wine Barrique (2Y)

Age : 14 Year (Distilled 9 Mar. 2006)

Nose : Fruity, meaty, and spicy.  The initial introduction was full of pan-frying apple wood smoked bacon before fruitier notes of apples and pears sautéed in butter took over.  From frying up breakfast, the dram moved toward a custard tart with buttery-creamy notes of cinnamon cloves, vanilla extract, and a hint of dark chocolate.

Palate : Medium bodied and mouth coating with sweet fruits, subtle char, and a mild nuttiness.  Charred and slightly burnt pastry came first before an oily ghee note carried the dram toward pears, pomegranates, cinnamon, and a light nuttiness. A few drops of water dropped the sweetness a bit and accentuated Turkish delight and a mild wood smoke.

Finish : Lingering almonds and dark, slightly bitter, chocolate.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Un gâteau aux amandes perdu au four.

Notes :  A French name by way of Monty Python, so a French mental image— an almond cake lost in the oven.  I picture myself clumsily knocking a little almond tart over in the oven, spilling its contents across the metal racks and onto the heating coil at the bottom.  The smell goes from sweet caramelizing almond sugars to acrid burnt sugars in mere moments.  I am not saying I have done exactly that before… but I have some experience with related baking accidents.

This was an interesting dram as the mild red wine finish accentuated some of the exotic fruits of the spirit.  While the smoke and char on this were generally in the background, a few drops of water brought them to the fore and improved the experience.  The red wine cask imparted some slightly bitter dark chocolate notes that were not entirely to my taste, though they provided a nice contrast to the sweeter orchard fruits.

Overall, this was interesting, though I think I prefer my Ardmore in a simple ex-bourbon cask as I have not scored any of the recent wine/sherry matured/finished ones quite as high lately.