Review #787 - SMWS 66.198 'Serene Sunset Satisfaction' - Ardmore 23 Year
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has bottled quite a bit of 20+ year whisky from Ardmore distillery; this is one of their most-bottled distilleries in general, with over 250 single casks released at the time of writing. Here's a 23 year old single cask which is named 'Serene Sunset Satisfaction,' and it falls into the Society's 'Lightly Peated' flavor profile.
The bulk of the maturation for this cask took place in an ex-bourbon hogshead; however, for the last 2 years, SMWS moved this spirit into a refill French oak barrique, which has the potential to add a bit more wood influence due to the oak species used, despite it being a refill cask.
SMWS 66.198 'Serene Sunset Satisfaction' - Ardmore 23 Year
Scotland/Highland - Single Malt
Price: USD 260 (2021)
Age Statement: 23 Years
Strength: 53.1% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon hogshead, finished in a refill French oak barrique
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled October 23, 1997; 235 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times (once blind) over 14 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Herbal, soft bright peat smoke, ginger, and buttery Chardonnay - quite bright overall. Hot honey, floral notes, and malt come next, along with eucalyptus and lemon. There's a hint of a vegetal side to the malt - almost pumpkin - and it leans dry.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick. Light to medium peat smoke, a bit spicy and hot, with a lot of oak and some tannins. Lavender, linen, and perfume add a soft light side, and we get black pepper and toasted oak for more spice. Wood smoke and dry cocoa are accents.
Finish: Lots of charcoal and wood smoke, but a floral side is equally strong. Malt, some oak tannins, orange, and a buttery note build. Oily texture lingers, but it's quite dry, borderline bitter; it's a medium-long finish.
Final Note: The long maturation and the French oak influence definitely shows in this whisky: quite oaky, a lot of wood smoke, a little bitter at times. We found this to be a somewhat challenging dram, and while we enjoy dry whiskies, this one was pushing that boundary. The malty spirit notes were a nice touch, though - we were glad we could still taste those after the maturation time, and it's quite floral and herbal, too. Overall, it wasn't our favorite Ardmore... not a bad whisky, but we've enjoyed other versions of this single malt more.
Value is poor due to both the mediocre score (in the realm of SMWS whiskies) and the high price, which was over $250 at the time of release. Ardmore is a distillery that we like quite a bit, but we might explore less oak-forward versions of it after this.
Our Rating: 6.6 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 4.15
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Ardmore reviews:
Review #786 - SMWS 66.228 'Damp Blue Peat Smoke' - Ardmore 9 Year
Review #594 - SMWS 66.229 'Tarred and Re-Feathered' - Ardmore 15 Year
