Ardmore 13 Year SMWS 66.32 “The Roly-Poly Pudding”
Whisky: Ardmore 13 Year SMWS 66.32 “The Roly-Poly Pudding”
Country/Region: Scotland/Highland
ABV: 58.6%
Cask: Refill Sherry Gorda
Age: 13 Years (Distilled March 1998, Bottled Jan. 2012)
Nose: Charcoal, pine, tar, asphalt, burnt rubber, honey, beef fat, charred meat, burnt gingerbread, industrial.
Palate: Medium-bodied, sweet and acrid, honey, honeycomb, asphalt, industrial, metallic iron, burnt rubber, burning pitch, herbal medicine, honey again at the end with a hint of malty chocolate.
Finish: Long and lingering with honey, ash, and industrial notes.
Score: 4
Mental Image: Mechanical Bees in the Industrial Revolution
Narrative & Notes: Somewhere between an industrial complex and a cozy winter’s eve by the fire, the aroma flirted with burning pine wood, charcoal, asphalt, burnt rubber, and burnt gingerbread house construction materials. Sweet notes of honey pushed in occasionally with meaty caramelized beef fat, burnt ends, and leg of lamb. The palate was medium-bodied with an initial punch in the face as acrid and sweet notes locked into battle. Sweet honey and honeycomb left me imagining Pooh bear digging through honey pots; while waves of fresh asphalt, burnt rubber tires, burning pitch, and iron pushed in a different direction. Industrial and dirty with an herbal medicinal and slightly bitter profile toward the end with hints of malty chocolate candies. Honey reappeared at the last second, lingering for a long finish with ash and acrid industrial notes.
The aroma may have been enjoyable, especially those lovely meaty notes. However, I was not fond of the flavor profile— I found the contrast between sweet honey and dirty industrial notes unpleasant. The whisky was not terribly coherent and constantly seemed at war with itself.
Overall, I thought I would like this but did not care for it. It was still interesting and the use of a Gorda cask— a massive 700-liter barrel that is rarely ever used— made this unique. To get an appreciation for just how big that cask is, a typical hogshead holds about 225, a wine barrique around 300, and a big sherry butt 500 liters. The only casks that come close are port pipes and Madeira drums which clock in at 650 liters.
