Ardmore 2004 66.73 & 1998 66.82 Reviews

Hi everyone,

Picking back up where we left off, I was in Toronto and met up with the awesome people of the Toronto Whisky Society. They proceeded to ply me with a bunch of whiskies, particularly Ledaig.

I think u/Devoz had these two beasts. So, thank you sir.

Ardmore is awesome stuff and we just selected one for one of the r/scotch bottlings. But these two casks I have been very interested in because they are quite unusual. A white wine hogshead and a sherry Gorda. White wine casks are very rarely used for whisky and these SMWS bottlings have been some of the few. The sherry Gordas, on the other hand, have become a little legendary for their huge sulphury and strange flavours.

Ardmore 2004 66.73 SMWS 61.1%

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Really cool. Kinda medicinal, bandages, sulphury fruit, white peach, oily machine parts,some dirty vanilla, more smoke coming out now. Great nose.

Taste: Sweet start, white grape, dry oak, really oily, clean medicinal notes, bandages and funk, some fun sulphur playing around.

Finish: Short/Medium length. Goes quite soft here, losing power but still great mouthfeel. Quite a dry finish.

10yo from a White Wine Hogshead. Very interesting, very delicious. A shame about the short finish, really wanted it to be longer and more powerful.

81/100

 

Ardmore 1998 66.82 SMWS 57.5%

Colour: Dark Amber

Body: Full

Nose: A real fruit bomb and not exactly what I was expecting, loads of stewed plum, very sulphurous smoke in a good way, fruit salad, more meaty as it opens up, sour cherry, black cherry. Nice contrast of light and dark.

Taste: Very soft arrival, building this great sweetness, dry oak backed perfectly by fruit salad and fruit pastilles, oily, very little smoke actually, great development of flavour to this.

Finish: Medium length. More sulphurous here, struck match, brimstone and hellfire.

17yo from a Sherry Gorda. So damn good, these Gordas have a sulphurous reputation but this was a bit lighter and fresher than I was expecting.

85/100

Thanks for reading!

Updated Distillery Rankings

Scotch Review #784-#785

Whisky Network Review #929-#930

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Inchmurrin 2007 Distillery Exclusive Review

Hi everyone,

Loch Lomond Distillery I unashamedly do not understand. But I am in the process of attempting to understand it, landing myself a tour there in November (report to follow I hope).

What I do know is that it could be the most adaptable Scotch whisky distillery, able to make grain and malt whisky of various different styles. Loch Lomond, Inchmurrin, Inchmoan, Inchfad, Old Rosdhu, Croftengea and Craiglodge being some of the different styles. These could be from different stills and different peating levels.

This one is an Inchmurrin, which means that it was distilled in a still with rectifying plates in (which apparently isn’t a Lomond still) and is unpeated. In addition, this one has been fermented with a Chardonnay white wine yeast, you know, because you can…

 

Inchmurrin 2007 Single Cask 57.8%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Lovely creamy marzipan, slightly dirty orange, some perfume, orange chewing gum, marshmallow. Complex nose.

Water: Goes lovelyly chocolatey.

Taste: Creamy and light, delicate then orange, chewy and perfumed, orange peel, some ginger and cardamom spice.

Water: Even softer, better balance and a better build up to a spicier finish.

Finish: Long length. More orange chewy gum, light still but with some mouthfeel.

Distillery exclusive from Loch Lomond. I’ve tried one other Inchmurrin in the past and remember that being good too. Need to try more from these guys. Many thanks to Ibon for the taste and the rest of the bottle, you sir are a gentleman.

78/100

Updated Distillery Rankings

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #671

Whisky Network Review #804

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Tullibardine 225 Review

Hi everyone,

Who doesn’t like Sauternes?

Well, perhaps those who aren’t fans of sweet wines but there shouldn’t really be any of those. Because sweet wines are awesome, particularly Sauternes.

This Tullibardine is finished in Sauternes barrels that are exactly 225 litres, hence the name. This is the one and only Tullibardine I’ve tried so far, so must stand alone. I was curious about this one though because Horst Leuning of Whisky.com fame loved it so much.

 

Tullibardine 225 43%

Colour: Light Gold

Body: Light

Nose: Malty with pastry, spirit driven with apple pie, white grape, menthol, Strudel, cinnamon and sugar.

Taste: Light, malty, cherry, a little spirity with apple. Quite a nice arrival but it gets more spirity as it goes on.

Finish: Short/Medium length. Very spirity and quite bitter.

Love the nose on this because I’m a massive Strudel fan. No Strudel on the taste though, and finish definitely doesn’t do it any favours. Just edges into good territory for me.

70/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #583

Whisky Network Review #688

Network Average: 74.7

Best Score: 93

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Longrow 2001 Chardonnay & Littlemill 1992 Cadenhead's Reviews

Hi everyone,

Now were getting to the interesting stuff!

So I’ve been very fortunate to try some awesome whisky recently, mostly in The Haig and the Whiskybase gathering. These are two such whiskies.

First up a heavily peated Springbank, finished in a Chardonnay white wine cask since 2008 (so more like a double maturation really). Quite rare to see single cask Longrow, especially at this age, especially especially from a white wine cask so I was excited for that.

Then my first Littlemill popped up in the form of the guys at Maltstock, who had a stand at The Haig. So good going so far…

Longrow 2001 Cadenhead’s Warehouse Tasting 56.2% Approx.

Colour: Dark Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Nicely sulphury and smoky. Musty white grape, buttery and oily, green grape, very slightly tropical. A meaty note- Steak? and oak, strawberry and raspberry.

Taste: Oily, great mouthfeel, smoky, great development then spices and oak, ginger, chilli oil, orange, black pepper.

Finish: Medium/Long length. Chilli oil and black pepper. Quite spicy at this point.

Actually 16yo, despite the label! Moved into a Chardonnay white wine cask since 2008. A little too spicy mid palate and on the finish. Quite a few of these available on Scotchwhiskyauctions.com at the moment.

81/100

 

Littlemill 1992 Cadenhead’s Cask Ends 52.7%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Nicely light and delicate. Quite dry, light bubblegum, lots of charcoal, dry oak, floral, clean laundry, washing powder, love hearts, a bit of rubber.

Taste: Intense, fizzy, spritzy, really fizzy actually, love hearts, sour green apple and cherry, fizzy sweets, clean laundry, oak and vanilla.

Finish: Long length. Less fizzy now, lemon citrus, some very light spice.

My first Littlemill! And actually, has a very similar style to Rosebank. The taste is great, but the nose isn't as good. Lovely stuff all the same, although the Longrow is more my bag.

80/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Reviews #533-#534

Whisky Network Reviews #628-#629

Network Average: 74.6

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Ledaig 20 Moscatel Finish Distillery Exclusive Review

Hi everyone,

This whisky, really, I want to keep a secret. But then again, I love Ledaig and shouting its (many) virtues from the rooftops.

I want to keep it a secret because its bloody good and I want a bottle. On the other hand, it’s a distillery only bottling, so it’s not likely that many people will be able to get one anyway.

So how did I get to taste it? Well, the people from Tobermory, very graciously, brought some to The Whisky Lounge York and I got to take a 5cl sample away.

 

Ledaig 20 Distillery Exclusive Moscatel Finish 53.1%

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: From two feet away you can smell the floral smoky complexity. Flower petals, floral oak, oily Ledaiggian^TM smoke, lovely meaty gristiness, smoked aged meat, orange and lemon peel, dry floral oak, something slightly rancid but in a good way! More developing with some interesting soap and bubblegum (any other whisky that would be a major off note, but this pulls it off).

Taste: Dry arrival, floral oak, lots of sharp sour lemon juice (in a good way), grapefruit, a little lime, almost a little fizzy, then more oily, gristy, chocolatey, slight meaty note like aged smoked meat, white grape, white florals and some minerality like a good white wine. A little too sour to begin but develops very well.

Finish: Long length. Fucking good! Really very long. Very complex. Oils, lemon peel and a little juice, layered and evolves. Some amazing leather, dark chocolate and roasted coffee but balanced by the lemon and floral oak. There's a little interesting soap note too.

Finished for 2 years. What a whisky, and what a finish. Immediate buy if you happen to be in Mull. Pick me up a bottle or two for me as well would you? Thanks. (Side note: this was my 700th whisky!! Whoo!)

89/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #495

Whisky Network Review #571

Network Average: 74.6

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Glenfiddich 21 Winter Storm Review [From Paris with Love]

Hi everyone,

hypehypehypehypehypehypehype

That’s been the message coming from Glenfiddich at the moment about a certain ‘experimental’ release, finished in Canadian Ice Wine casks.

Go to any other whisky blog for the whole press release.

Glenfiddich 21 Winter Storm 43%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Sweet fruit, green apple, white grape, powdered sugar, toffee apple.

Taste: Sweet, green apple, soft, lacking power but pleasant, toffee apple, white grape, icing sugar, some ginger and dry oak.

Finish: Medium length. Intensifies, with oak and sour green apple.

Seems almost the same as the 21 to me... which is really disappointing. Ice Wine finished whisky is a cool idea, but it hasn’t seemed to have added anything here.

74/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #473

Whisky Network Review #540

Network Average: 74.3

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Bruichladdich Black Art 5.1, Port Charlotte 10, Octomore 10, Octomore 7.3: TWE Show Report

Hello everybody!

The Bruichladdich stand was really good at the show. Like really, really good.
You've got something like 800 whiskies in the building, a tonne of brands and distilleries. It takes something special to keep pulling you back to one in particular.

The whiskies were incredibly impressive. The lady on the stand was really nice and it was great to chat while tasting some of these.
I have to say I’m really impressed with Adam Hannett, he had big shoes to fill and he is doing it in style. Maybe more white wine casks in the mix than before but I love it.

Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2009 50%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Meaty red fruit, a lot more wine influence than I remember, some light citrus, toffee, fudge.

Taste: Fresh at first, then meaty red fruit, intense mineral/stony notes, wine-y.

Finish: Medium length. Mineral, oaky, unbalanced.

Last time I tasted this it was all young citrus, light toffee and fudge. They’ve really dialled up the wine cask influence these days.

74/100

Bruichladdich Black Art 5.1 24yo 48.4%

Colour: Amber

Body: Medium/Full

Nose: Dark, rich and complex. Really quite decadent with fig, clove, red berry, earthy, plum and red grape.

Taste: Lovely. Very fruity, red berry, blackberry, blackcurrant, complex spice, more oak then builds.

Finish: Long length. Plum and red grape fruitiness.

Pre-release sample. I found this much better balanced than the 4.1, which I found a little thin a times with a short finish. This however, is great.

86/100

Port Charlotte 10 2016 Ed. 50%

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Lovely Sherry/Bourbon sweetness, red berry, cinnamon cake, white grape, musty sweetness. Not much smoke to be found here but the musty white grape notes are lovely.

Taste: Lovely, peat/sweetness combo, great balance, great power, red berry and desert wine sweetness.

Finish: Long length. More peaty now with white wine.

I am just starting to get into my wines, which helps. This has a great level of everything, balance, complexity, sweetness, peatyness. Really has been expertly blended. 60% Bourbon, 20% Sherry, 10% French Red Wine, 10% Fortified French White Wine. A must buy!

86/100

Octomore 10 2016 Ed. 167ppm 57.3%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium/Full

Nose: A mineral Octomore, meaty peat with elegant sweetness.

Taste: Soft and light (Yes, I know. An Octomore, Light?!). White wine sweetness, then peat and berry notes build up, red grapes, mineral and phenolic.

Finish: Long length. Red grape, meaty with peat.

I was expecting more from this after the 2005 Octomore I had at Bruichladdich. 50% Bourbon, 50% White Wine casks.

84/100

Let’s try another Octomore to test it against.

Octomore 7.3 169ppm 5yo 63%

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Rubbery, meaty peat, white wine sweetness, musty white grape. Great balance and power here.

Taste: Bam! White grape, musty, meaty red berry, wow, mineral peat, great. Water brings out an interesting impossibility- Heavy and yet light.

Finish: Long! length. Great balance and sweetness continues.

Better without the water actually and really blows the new 10 year old away. Islay barley, finished in Moscatel wine casks. How do they make this good whisky at 5 years old?!

86/100

Some very high scores here for the Laddie, the PC I was tempted to go higher but these are fantastic. The PC is the buy for me as I think the Oct and Black Art will be twice the price.

Reviews #205-#209

Network Average: 75.4

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 44

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent