Which, really should just be called a Creative Whiskey Co (Exclusive Malts) / David Stirk tasting. The majority of the bottles from that night were Creative Whisky picks which was both hilarious and surprising when revealed. Hilarious because it was unexpected and surprising because we've never done this many expressions, from a single producer, in one night.
Here we got to experience the depth and breadth from a single distillery told through the lens of a single, for the most part, indie bottler. This was Ardmore according to David Stirk. It was the distillery as he presented it to the world.
- Malt Nuts: Ardmore Tasting Round 1 - 8 Years and under Ardmore
- Malt Nuts: Ardmore Tasting Round 2 - 8 and 9 Years Ardmore
- Malt Nuts: Ardmore Tasting Round 3 - 8 and 12 Years Ardmore
Since the majority came from Mr. Stirk the night ended up being organized in an interesting way. Not really by age, though kinda, not really by oak type, though kinda, and not by proof, though kinda. It was organized by color. Starting with lighter colored and moving to darker as the night went on. It was an exploration from less active to more active casks.
Events like this are why I continue to love what the Malt Nuts do. Even something like taking a run at a bunch of Ardmore releases from the same IB was turned into an exploration of more than just the malt at hand. A sensory exploration of spirit through various qualities and types of wood. Reading through my Ardmore tasting notes after the event was interesting and educational. Those notes are shared below.
Malt Nuts: Ardmore Tasting Round 1 - 8 Years and under Ardmore
1A: Creative Whisky Co Ardmore 8 years (cask: 007): 50%
1B: Creative Whisky Co Ardmore 8 years (cask: 082): 50%
1C: Creative Whisky Co Ardmore 8 years (cask: 010): 50%
1D: Battlehill Ardmore 6 years: 58%
1E: Creative Whisky Co Ardmore 8 years (cask: 003): 50%
1F: Creative Whisky Co Ardmore 8 years (cask: 018): 50%
Maybe I was a bit off this night, or maybe these early Ardmore's were really just so-so to not-good, but by this point I was feeling rather... non-plussed with the whisky. The group was fun as usual, but the whisky had me frowning and thinking that maybe I'd just been lucky with the Ardmores I'd tasted before now.
However, there was a feeling of optimism springing from a source that went by the name of "hard to believe it can get worse than this". It was riding shotgun to the grey cloud of "or it could just be more of the same". Together the three of us entered the next round with an eye towards what-comes-next.
Malt Nuts: Ardmore Tasting Round 2 - 8 and 9 Years Ardmore
2A: Mossburn Ardmore 9 years (08-17): 46%
2B: Single Cask Nation Ardmore 8 years (08-16): 56.9% - ex-Bourbon
After this round, I ditched the grey cloud and drove on with optimism. This was more like the tasty Ardmores I'd had before and I was feeling better about the sensory part of the evening. I pushed these two whiskies up with the group from the first round, leaving them to continue to open, and setup glasses for the next round.
Malt Nuts: Ardmore Tasting Round 3 - 8 and 12 Years Ardmore
3A: Creative Whisky Co Ardmore 8 years (cask: 002): 50%
3B: Creative Whisky Co Ardmore 8 years (cask: 011): 50%
3C: Creative Whisky Co Ardmore 8 years (cask: 017): 50%
3D: Scotch Malt Whisky Society 66.133 "Farm Salad" Ardmore 12 years (06-18): 57.6% - Refill Hogshead / ex-Bourbon
After round three I pushed the glasses up with the rest that had accumulated over the night. Then separated the first round and set them in front to go over again and see how they opened. At any tasting, I like to taste everything right after being poured, add a bit of water if it's above 50% (or all of them when done blind) and set them aside to come back to.
I always "pencil in" notes and scores to keep track and then come back and finalize after I've gone down the line of what we're tasting. I like to give every whisky the benefit of some time and air, and often water, to fully express themselves and see what they expand into. Fantastic notes can emerge as the night goes on.
All-in-all, it was another fantastic Malt Nuts and the last round fully came back to the kind of Ardmore profile I was familiar with. Since the rounds were more structured by color, since cask type wasn't fully known, the end-of-night learning seemed to be that Ardmore benefits greatly from active casks. The lighter, possibly 2nd or 3rd fill casks, didn't seem to do the trick. Something to think about when picking single cask bottles of Ardmore.
Thanks for reading, till the next one. Cheers!