Whisky: Ardmore 10 Year (2002), SMWS 66.44 "New balls please!"

Country/Region: Scotland/Highland

ABV: 56.9%

Cask: Refill Sherry Butt

Age: 10 Years (Distilled 17 July 2002, Bottled 2013)

Nose: Rubber balls and roasted nuts, dirty and earthy with compost bins and sun-baked turf fields, plasticine, machine oil, mineral oils for treating wood, hints of creosote and a grass fire.

Palate: Medium to full-bodied with new shoe box— how else to describe the confluence of wood, paper, leather, and plasticine, earth with a touch of burnt grass, burnt nuts (oops), struck matches, tennis ball fuzz, tonka beans, and lingering notions of hot plastic funk.

Finish: Medium-length with earth, dried fruit, and new shoes.

Score: 7 (84)

Mental Image: That New Sneaker Smell

Narrative & Notes: The entries and scores on the whisky base paint quite the picture for this whisky— divisive and discordant. SMWS notes that the name of the bottle referenced the experience of opening a tube of new tennis balls. I can absolutely see that with this whisky, even if my initial impression was one of the hard rubber balls you might throw for a dog to fetch or the sweet plastic aroma of a new artificial turf baking in the sun. I can understand why this whisky might be divisive on Whiskybase; it was unique, and those notes are not likely to please everyone.

I enjoyed the dirty and filthy profile, especially as the notes were never muddled or unclear; everything came through cleanly and with a lovely structure. The mouthfeel was nicely balanced with a lovely soft finish that finally turned toward fruits and sweeter notions. I did not mind the heavy plasticine notes—though I have chewed no shortage of plastic pens, so I might have a taste for the stuff.

Overall, funky and fun. I thought this a perfect pairing for rice crackers (senbei, arare, etc.) or roasted seaweed snacks (nori, gim, etc).