Tag Archives: Pear

Ardmore, Springtime

Exclusive Malts Ardmore Single Cask, 2000, 12yo 56.3% ABV

 

Highland Region – 56.3% ABV – About $100, US market only

ARDMORETrying to get back on the horse here with my whisky reviews.  I really have a lot in the pipeline to cover.  Thankfully I’ll be traveling quite a bit less this month so with hope, luck and a bit of work, I’ll be reviewing more during May.

I had received five Exclusive Malts samples from ImpEx and reviewed the 15yo Clynelish here, the 17yo Mortlach here and the 11yo Bowmore here.

Thanks again to the good folks at ImpEx for the samples!

The last two Exclusive Malt bottlings are a Glenlivet from 1976 and today’s Ardmore from 2000.  A 12yo single cask that I am guessing is from a refill bourbon barrel based on the pale color.

215px-Shyguy_MP9On the nose –  A bit of a shy guy, this one here.  Take deep whiffs with this one.  Don’t worry, it’s not hot to nose at all so you can really breathe it in.

Ardmore-Exclusive-Malts-1Clean smoke meets rusty steel.  This relents quickly to reveal the smell of my Grandpa John’s mostly unused pipe collection – gah, the memories!  That house in Fairfield in the 70’s…  Such great times.

This is all china cabinets and basement crawlway spaces — places you rarely go but when you do, there’s a reason you went.

Hints of wild flowers and drought-stricken grass fields where the electrical wires go on and on and on.  Hike around the woods of Connecticut long enough and you get used to this sort of stuff.

I’m not sure if you can you tell but this whisky is bringing back tons of memories for me.

On the mouth – Much more smokey than the nose lead on to be.  Also, she’s no longer shy.

Ardmore-Exclusive-Malts-2Lots of pear and fruit elements to it.

This make be 12 years old but she drinks like a much younger whisky.  Me?  I sort of like that!

Ardmore-Exclusive-Malts-3
Note: this image is from the Glenfiddich spirit safe, not Ardmore. Try as I might, I oculd not find an image of the Ardmore spirit safe!

The spirit character seems to shine through here as it’s all about the heavy smoke, pears, malt and, very prominent new make-y-ness to this whisky.

It’s not overly complex but enjoyable.

Ardmore-Exclusive-Malts-4Finish – Cheap penny candies but mostly, Fortune Gum gum.

In sum – I am a fan of Teacher’s blend and Ardmore is the obvious smokey element.  This reminds me of why I like Teacher’s.  I am not a fan of the Ardmore Traditional Cask but this I like.

This is a whisky I’d keep in a flask and go on a long hike with.

An everyday dram, Mackmyra, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

Sweden’s Mackmyra “First Edition” Single Malt Whisky

Sweden – 46.1%ABV – $53 for a 1 liter bottle in the US – £41 for a 70cl bottle in the UK (please note that the image shown on the right details the UK packaging.  The US packaging is slightly different).

If you’re a whisky geek like me, you might have been (again, like me) tracking this whisky like Aragorn tracks an Uruk Hai leader.  Our “friend”, the Uruk Hai, is situated to the left.

Non-dorks, please go see or read Lord of the Rings to understand the previous two sentences.

Luckily for me (and other US whisky consumers), Mackmyra is officially here in the states!  While we now have this “First Edition”, many other countries have access to a much broader line that Mackmyra offers.

So, what’s the deal with this particular whisky?  According to Mackmyra:

Swedish Oak & Small Casks

“Cold winters, deep snow. Summer nights when the sun never seems to set. Under these conditions, during more than a century, a fiery spiciness has developed in Swedish oak.  Now it generously adds character to the Mackmyra Whisky.”

“Our use of small casks gives time a new meaning. The whisky matures in a more intense manner, and by using different sizes of casks we get exactly the character we want.  Small cask – great taste.”

Mackmyra whisky is matured in an old mine!

“You might have heard about ’whisky on the rocks’ but Mackmyra Whisky is literally stored in the rock. Deep down in the underground we’ve found the perfect environment for our whisky casks. The abandoned Bodås Mine is now filled with gold in liquid form.”

Time to taste said whisky…

On the nose — A very intense nose (like the whisky equivalent of a close talker.  Step back, son!).

Very peppery & spicy yet honeyed at the same time.

Ok, after a couple of minutes the whisky is much more approachable and delicious smelling yet, still quite bright.

If this whisky were a spice girl, she’d be Delicious Spice.

An exotic mix of fruits such as cherries, lychee and banana (perhaps the skins of banana).

A warm summer’s night with cream soda in one hand and toasted marshmallows in the other.

On the mouth — A bit herbal.

A touch of juniper which quickly disappears and is replaced by blackberry juice and a mass of spice.

As spicy as this is, it’s got a very soft mouth feel.

Some unripened peaches and a little bit of pear.

Finish — Spicy, long and a touch fruity (lychee again) and oddly numbing my uvula…

In sum — A very enjoyable whisky, especially on the nose.  Not as complex in flavor (with it being such a little spice bomb).  But hey, this is a young whisky… part of the thrill is the occasional big ‘ol pepper fight you get from them.

The mouth feel, again, is nice and soft and only adds to the simple pleasantness of the whisky as a whole.  This light-bright-fruity-pepper-fight whisky would be fantastic as a warm summer evening dram.  Tasting notes & flavor nuances aside, is this a good whisky?  Yes – I found it to be dangerously drinkable.

Special thanks goes out to Jonathan Luks for the sample!

Autumn, Cold Winter, Need To Bundle Up, Talisker

Talisker 18yr – Warm peat, a spicy, sweet treat

Islands – 45.8%ABV – 750ml bottle – $59-90 (crazy spread, right?!) | £53 | €62

Ah, another dearly departed dram (from my own liquor cabinet that is)…  Oh well, on with the review — I was first introduced to Talisker through the 10yr at a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse which is now a favorite of mine (not really a steak eater (as some of you in whisky-land may know) but, because of business, I find my self at steakhouses a few times a month).

When I went to buy a bottle I figured that if the 10yr was so good, the 18yr had to be better. As many of you know, with whisky, age doesn’t always matter.  With the Taliskers, I think the extra youth in the peat really adds to the over all experience of the whisky so, this being said, I do prefer the 10yr over the 18yr expression

While I find the 10yr to be a much tastier drop over the 18yr, I’m not going to do a comparative review. I will review the 18yr on it’s own merits. I just thought, for those who like to find a bargain, you can save a good and fair amount of $$ sticking with the 10yr, if you so choose.

Initial whiff — I found myself nosing this for quite some time. So nice and warm, almost savory. Some oak notes here too. Some peat, quite subdued however. Subtle fruits – overripe berries or spiced pear. Quite lovely. Kind of like when you go to the bakery during bake time, you just want to keep sniffing!

On the mouth — Warm & spicy. Toasted coconut, apple cake that has been re-heated in the toaster for too long and became slightly burnt (can’t tell you how many times I’ve done crap like that – I can be such a dumb-dumb at times), kind of peppery, honey glazed baked goods and burnt grass – hello peat!

Finish — Medium long with a bit more smoke. Oily coat. Some of the extra maturation can be tasted here – there’s some nice oakiness which I only noticed on the nose.

In sum — This made me want to bulk up on carbs! A nice baguette with some oil…here I come!