Whisky: Ardmore 22 Year (2000), WhiskySponge No. 69

Country/Region: Scotland/Highland

ABV: 54.2%

Cask: Refill Hogshead, First Fill Sherry Finish (2Y)

Age: 22 Years (Distilled 2000, Bottled 2022)

Nose: Barbecue smoke and caramelization, meaty pork, slightly medicinal herbs, earth, hints of dissolved minerals and swimming pool chemicals, underlying notions of fruity syrups and caramelized sugars— the holy Maillard reaction at work!

Palate: Medium-bodied, oily and oilier over time, sugary fruits, slightly acrid charcoal, dried grass and earth, mild herbs and tobacco, earthier toward the end.

Finish: Medium-length with earth, dirty grill grates, and hints of fruit.

Score: 6-

Mental Image: Dr. Maillard and the Grill of Destiny

Narrative & Notes: The aroma spoke to backyard barbecues and swimming pools with rich sweet barbecue smoke off pork ribs, caramelized brown sugar and tomato paste, and slightly medicinal herbs— the Maillard reaction was hard at work as heat, protein, and sugar collided. Traipsing by the rosemary bush and across a dry patch of earth and grass, cannonballs splashed down as the sweet scent of dry earth and swimming pool mingled with hints of dissolved minerals. Underlying hints of sugary fruits— almost more like frozen popsicles, purple if I had to pick a flavor— developed in the background. Medium-bodied and a touch oily, the flavor profile reprised similar themes with more fruit upfront, followed by a slightly acrid charcoal grill, dried grass and earth, and mild herbs. Lemonade and fruity frozen popsicles led quickly toward the slightly acrid smoke of a freshly lit charcoal grill; hints of something meaty hung in the background while herbal notions of rosemary and tobacco pushed forward. Earth and dried grass mixed with herbal notions and a slightly bitter oak toward the end. The finish was medium-length with earth, dirty grill grates, and hints of fruit.

The rich and varied aroma left me with memories of summertime pool parties and sugary popsicles. The palate fell a bit flat after such an inviting aroma as the flavors felt slightly muted— the first time I tried this, I had to run and try another dram to see if my palate was just off. While the mouthfeel was nice, becoming oilier, almost waxy, over time, my impression was one of a whisky that lacked some essential vibrancy. The cask seemed to amplify earthier aspects of the malt, thereby creating a dryness or lack of sweetness that felt strangely unbalanced.

I do not know if this sat in the cask a bit too long or if perhaps it needed to be combined with some similar vintage Ardmore to round out some of its edges— it does sound like it was a couple of hogsheads put into a butt to be finished. The sherry cask finish did endow the whisky with some nice fruitiness, but otherwise only fed into my suspicion about older malts with aggressive finishes— what are they hiding? Honestly, I have had enough outstanding ones that I do not worry about it that much. For all I know, having not tasted the whisky before the finish, this saved what was an otherwise dour malt.

Overall, not bad and certainly on the upper tier of what I would consider ‘average,’ but that is about it.

Image Credit: Decadent Drinks