After a month that featured no whisky reviews—instead, I reviewed a rum, an Armagnac, a Calvados, and a mezcal—let’s do a month of nothing but whisky reviews. Don’t get too excited now—it’s still just going to be one whisky review a week.

First up, is an Ardmore bottled by Scott’s Selection in 2003. It was distilled in 1977 and so would have been either 25 or 26 years old. Scott’s Selection was always reticent with detail on the label. Though in this case they somewhat unusually specify that the cask type was “sherry wood”. They don’t say it’s a single cask, mind you. In fact, I can’t remember if Scott’s Selection ever released any single casks from this era. Or at least any that they marked as such. There was another 1977-2003 “sherry wood” Ardmore, by the way, that was released in Europe at a different strength; this is the one that was released in the US. 15 odd years ago, you could still find bottles of this—and several other Scott’s Selection releases of whiskies distilled in the 1960s and 1970s—hanging around in whisky stores for prices that now seem like they must have been out of a fantasy. Those days are long gone. But at least I have a bottle of this left and now it’s open.

Ardmore 1977-2003 (57.5%; Scott’s Selection; sherry wood; from my own bottle)

Nose: Austere with mineral peat (hot tarmac, pepper, pine) and lime off the top. On the second sniff there’s some fruit as well: a mix of sour apple and sweeter stone fruit. As it sits there’s more acid and a medicinal sourness (disprin). It takes a while but it eventually softens and a bit of cream emerges. With water the fruit takes the lead: the citrus turns muskier, ending somewhere between citronella and makrut lime; the cream turns to custard.

Palate: Comes in as indicated by the nose with the peat pricklier here and the lime a little bitter; some coal smoke as well. Quite a big bite at full strength; decent texture. The lime expands with every sip and picks up a fair bit of fizz. Never quite softens here. Okay, let’s add some water. Wet coals, wet wool, smoked lime (is that a thing?).

Finish: Long. The austere notes continue as a bit of wet wool joins the party. As on the palate with time and water.

Comments: Oh, this is excellent old-school whisky. And how wonderfully ironic that one of the few whiskies Scott’s Selection identified on the label as begin from sherry casks should have so little sherry influence in the modern sense. I look forward to this opening up further as the bottle sits with some air in it. I will try to remember to report on developments.

Rating: 88 points.