Ardnamurchan 2yo b.2019 (53.3%, OB Warehouse Release Limited Batch, Oloroso Octaves, B#8, 145b): this is the sample I was given when we toured the distillery in 2019. Nose: delicate, spongy forest floor, with rubbery humus, and clay so bouncy it could be plasticine. Paraffin, wax, and something that falls between vase water and river dredging. It has a soft fruitiness too, plump plums and yellow Gummibärchen. That fruitiness even has hints of the tropics (mango), perhaps too fleeting to be overly excited. Once that has receded, the nose comes up with a pine-needle-scented shaving foam, and lacquered pen cases. The second nose cranks up the fruit, with waxy grapes and smoked nectarines, as well as an oilcloth, after a sunny day on the dining table of the conservatory. Yes, this is waxy-and-two-thirds, with a dash of apple brandy to liven things up a little and stop it becoming too plastic-y. Mouth: mellow at first, it quickly turns into an acidic beast that seems to corrode the enamel of one's teeth. Behind that is a clear, bitter, plant-sap-based broth, in which tulip petals and whole daffodils come bathe. The whole is chewy, borderline chalky. The second sip is a little less stripping, if thinner, and it combines a clearer fruitiness (warmed nectarine slices) with grated chalk or white ash, and the juice of a pressed oroblanco -- unless it is pressed calamansi. Finish: warm, the finish offers an interesting mix of warm, minty custard, a pine-needle paste, and flavoured plasticine. It has an a fruity undertone, a minty freshness, and a layer of earthy flavours to boot. There is an impossible-to-miss heat, radiating from one's core, yet, all in all, it is stupendously balanced -- much more so than many an older whisky bottled at 40%, in fact. The second sip gains some citrus (bergamot, yuzu), and a dusting of chalk. It is not exactly dextrose tablets, but it is somewhat reminiscent. Retro-nasal olfaction has cooking diced swede, which is an interesting addition. The death sees a stronger wood note, mulch and dark-conifer bark, so dark it comes close to earthy. Moist, bouncy, a notch bitter, and, well, woody. This is amazing, especially when one considers the age. 8/10
Ardnamurchan 2015/2020 (59.5%, OB part of the Ardnamurchan first aid kit, ex-Oloroso Hogshead, C#AD/CK.670-16/10/15): one of the bottlings from the tasting sets that were released at the start of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Nose: a much-peatier affair, as advertised on the (barely-legible) label. This has mud, ploughed field, a hint of manure, clay pots ready to be baked in the oven, and some fruits, such as dragon fruit, rambutan, or jackfruit, none too juicy nor fragrant, but discernible nevertheless. The back of the nose has a bacon-y note too, which should please the carnivores, and mud patties on the grill (to please the mud eaters, surely). Later on, the earthy trip continues, augmented with pine-tree bark, dark, fragrant, and elastic. The second nose takes a turn and introduces purple chewy sweets (blueberry jelly tots?), then blueish-purple chocolate from Venice (cioccolato colorato). Blueberry sweets turn into a paste, enticing to say the least, and welcome some berry-bush leaves in the background. Mouth: wow! How different is this? Sunflower seeds coated in dark(ish) chocolate (55% cocoa or thereabout). It is mellow and creamy on the tongue, a bit like a good sip of chocolate milk, and takes a while to grow a certain acidity imparted by pine bark. If pine-nut milk existed in the same way almond milk does, this would be close to it. In addition, we find a gentle, pine-y-citric acidity that keeps things fresh, and remnants of a squishy, clay-like earthiness that only serves as a complexity generator. The second sip sees juicy, fresh blueberries, and the gentle bitterness of the couple of leaves that were left with the fruits. Some bouncy earth subsists, as does a soft mint paste. Not sure what wizardry the folk at Ardnamurchan operate, but the balance on this is impressive. Tickling 60%, it flows like a warm cocoa. Finish: similar characteristics are on display in the finish: earth, chocolate, pine flavours, and gentle citrus (tangerine?) perform a dance of fluid moves for one's pleasure. Chocolate milk just may be the dominant, at this stage, though everything holds together tightly, clad in the thinnest shroud of smoke. That makes it all rustic enough for some to call the whisky farm-y. The second gulp turns up the complexity dial, with vase water, gunpowder, and torched crusted earth, perhaps even charred mussel shells (empty) and cocoa beans. Indeed, it now has an overly-roasted, charry touch that flirts with nigella seeds. That complements the blueberries and the chocolate very well. This is astoundingly good. Pedigree taken into account (you now, four years old, give or take), it is insanely good. Perhaps optimistically, I will score it high, today. 9/10
Ardnamurchan 9yo 2014/2023 (56.2%, Adelphi Limited, 1st Fill Pedro Ximénez Hogshead, C#240, 320b): this is from the Adelphi tasting, last January. Nose: this one is more chocolaty today than then, with melted milk chocolate, torched, and sprinkled with powdered cinnamon. Besides are dried banana slices, bouncy mulch, and fresh citrus peels. Blush orange, maybe? Nah. Mandarines. There is something weird about it too, damp newspapers, perhaps. It reminds me of a certain Glen Scotia (remember the monkey's arse tasting note?), although it is not vile in the slightest, here, and that impression is as fleeting as can be. It is merely a general feeling that I cannot explain. "Dank" is the word, I reckon. However, what presides over this dram is a combination of melted milk chocolate and orange. Not to be mistaken for PiM's, though: the two are side by side, not mixed together. The second nose has a bunch of faded dried flowers, carnations, roses, chrysanthemums -- a faded pink that looks like a dirty white, really. Fruit is also more pronounced, now, rosehip, kumquat, and rambutan. Chocolate milk comes back, of course, supported by ink. Woah! Mouth: the attack is rubbery. At first, that means bouncy, then, quickly, it turns out the texture is close to that of chewy windscreen wipers that have been rubbed clean with acetone. Really chewy, and a tad squeaky on the teeth. Once that dies down, the palate has chocolate too, now augmented with dark-grape juice. We detect a vague woody tone as well, chewy cassia bark, rather than powdered cinnamon, and day-old citrus peels. The second sip is still stripping and chewy, not unlike chewing on that putty dentists use to make a dental impression. Then, it is all gentle citrus: kumquats, tangerines, clementines. Finish: outstanding! Chocolate ganache topped with a blueberry paste. Or a myrtle paste. We find a spoonful of hot marmalade too, which gives a lovely sweet acidity. There is no shortage of wood, yet it is not overpowering at all either. A cup of hot cocoa, served with a cappuccino-style cream crown, and a generous dusting of cinnamon. The second gulp brings back the citrus, acidic, juicy, and plump. More tangerines, clementines, mandarines, and kumquats. Chocolate is now in the rear-view mirror, quickly disappearing from sight, and, if cassia bark is still perceptible, cinnamon powder has also vanished. 8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment