These great folks on the label should be Satchmo and Ella, no? You say tomato… Now vorsicht, alert and attention, this is a much older Ardmore… Colour: white wine. Nose: rather another planet. Imagine someone would have smoked apples and swiss cheese. I think this is stunning. Meadow flowers, pine smoke, cream cheese (hey Suzy!), sylvaner and weissbeer… Mouth: what time does to malt whisky will always remain one of the deepest mysteries. Extraordinary smokes (including weed, seriously) and all kinds of apples of the creation of this planet in this world. Pine and fern. Finish: long, sourer, more fermentary. A medicinal side in the aftertaste. Comments: it's far from being the most perfect malt whisky ever, but it sure is our utter favourite today. Until now. Love it, and you know, Louis and Ella, you cannot beat them anyway… (I'm about to put Ella in Berlin again on the stereo, what a f***** record!)
Words of Whisky (91)
:
This Ardmore 1988 from Michiel Wigman is a delight and a very refreshing change of pace.
Nose
It's gentle and fresh with just a hint of soot and bandages, but mostly sweet fruits like nectarines, tinned pineapple and lemon. It has a lovely creamy quality with notes of banana custard and honey. Finally a touch of walnuts as well as some faint minerals.
Taste
Great to see it's still very much an Ardmore on the palate, but more soothing than the ones I've tried so far, which have been 20-years-old at the most. Gentle earthy peat smoke with a hint of thyme and touches of pineapple juice as well as cinnamon sprinkled apple parts. Just a pinch of black pepper and menthol as well. Rather fantastic.
Finish
Somewhat herbal and surely more menthol and mint, with just a touch of wood smoke. Impressive.
