More peat with 7 Ardbegs

Ardbeg seems to have become a bit style over substance, or matter, lately. With Gallileos, Alligators and such, telling us little or no more than the alcohol level in the spirit. Let's try two of these newer bottlings against some other young, more informative Ardbegs.




Ardbeg 12yo 1998-2010 46% Taste Still Selection cask#1796

This one is known as "Smells Like Teen spirit". A small tribute to Nirvana greatest hit, but also a hardly precise description of the drink itself. Same strength as the current 10yo OB. There are far between the "watered down" single casked Ardbegs these days as CS seems to be the trend. The color is golden. It smells sweet, nutty, gin, wax, styling gel, rubbery, plastic, a bit perfumy and salty. Hay, brine, some seaweed, becomes more coastal as air works its magic. The taste is peaty, sweet, nectarine, pineapple, pepper, oyster, cod liver, pea stew, lamb grease, cointreau. The finish ends on some red onions and carraway.

Perfect "almost teen" spirit: 8


Ardbeg 13yo 1991-2004 50% Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask cask#1565

From a refill hogshead. Pale golden color. It smells rich, mustard, curry, coriander, a lot of good spices. Musty and rustic. Turkish kitchen? The taste is sweet, caramel, onions, cinnamon, cardamum, stout, grape seeds, rum, chili, peppery. No peat? No Islay character? I've had one other Ardbeg from 1991, an I remember that as well being a bit of a categoric misfit, but I see nothing wrong with that as long as its still good whisky.

One to try if you get the chance: 7


Ardbeg NAS 2011 51.2% OB Alligator Committee Reserve

There is an Ardbeg Committee for which they bottle some very limited bottlings. A hardcore fan base if you like. I know Springbank has a similar thing going on. The color is deep golden. It smells light, mustard, herbal, boiled cauliflower, vegetable stock, wool, leather, ginger, lotus. More peat and dried fish after a while. Nice one, but a bit more mellow than the SLTS and OMC. The taste is sweet, honey, peppery, briny, peaty, vanilla, banana, pecan nuts. The finish is short and peppery.

Quite a bland Ardbeg to be honest: 5


Ardbeg 12yo 1998-2011 55.4% Nectar of the Daily Dram

The same vintage as the excellent SLTS. And from an IB that usually knows their stuff. The color is golden. It smells of cigars, mustard, herbal, grassy, peppery, peat, ioly, rubber, cinnamon, dried fruits, smoked mackerel. The taste is creamy, bisquits, acidic, salty, rhubarb, jello, orange juice, strawberry jam, another un-typical Ardbeg.

But nevertheless a good one: 6


Ardbeg 10yo 1998-2008 55.9% OB Renaissance

The renaissance was the final producct after 10 years of distillation after re-openingthe distillery. The also had younger versions along the way named "Very Young", "Still Young", "Almost There", all leading up to this renaissance. The color is light golden. It smells peaty, peppery, honey, minty, toffee, peppery, nuts, cream, almonds, butter, rich Ardbeg. The taste is spicy, fruity, orange zest, grape fruit, lime, coco-nut juice, banana leaves, tarragon, a bit drying, vanilla, kumquats, kiwi, very fruity for a young CS Ardbeg.

Maybe the modern Ardbegs will be of more fruity than coastal kind: 6


Ardbeg NAS 2012 56.7% OB Ardbeg Day Committee Bottling

Another one for our friends in the committee. 12,000 bottles this time. Must be quite a committee then. I have not yet celebrated the Ardbeg Day, but if it turns out to be a lasting annual celebration, I guess I'll be traveling to Islay soon enough. The color is golden. It smells wheat, peat, tarry, briny, iodine, fish stock, lemon rind, sweet lemon, like sprite or even some mojito. The taste is lemony, peppery, mint, cloves, hay, peat, sea salt, wheat brew, conditioned ale. The finish is warming and spicy.

A good reason to celebrate Ardbeg Day: 7


Ardbeg 10yo 1999-2010 58.6% OB cask#1924

This one comes from a bourbon barrel, The "FF" on the handwritten sample label I have no idea what stands for. The color is golden. It smells peaty, burnt chocolate, grainy, warming, sauna air, ocean breeze, coastal, sea salt, briny, leather, dates, figs, oaky, very nice the best nose so far. The taste is of mango chutney, black pepper, tarragon, peat, very short, some nutty aroma and lemon, but all in all this was a slight disappointment after many good whiskies in this session.

The nose was great though: 4.5



Next tasting: Laphroaig Distillery