
April 17, 2023

Another trio of ageless Ardbeg

Casks in the yard (WF Archive)

It's time to revisit some old Ardbeg classics that we haven't tasted in recent versions, such as Corryvreckan and Uigeadail. We'll take the opportunity to taste the little 'Scorch' that our tulip glasses have never had the pleasure of meeting, all while keeping in mind the recent 'Ten', which we believe simply reigns over the Ardbeg Olympus. Well, you know what I mean. Let's start with the Scorch...

Ardbeg 'Scorch' (46%, OB, Feis Ile, fiercely charred bourbon, 2021)

Some ex-heavily charred wood Ardbeg, so Ardbeg's 'Offerman' as I understand it. I remain highly skeptical and greatly mistrustful of any vanillaed papayas, perhaps that's why this expression has never made it onto my tasting desk...until now. I just saw that people with low self-esteem are currently trying to sell these humble NAS bottles for 800 euros. Yeah, right. Colour: gold. Nose: geranium and barbecue, charcoal indeed, soot, curry, linseed oil, Artichoke and eggplant, Barbour grease, tomato leaves, a bowl of lentils... It's quite odd on the nose, but not unpleasant, it's more like a cordial. Mouth: honestly, it's funny, quite 'lab', indeed a bit sweet, but with a strong smokiness, something other than peat, around rubber, vegetables on the barbecue (eggplants again) and a bit of salt. Well, I find it quite humorous and rather the work of a very friendly mad scientist, like in a Tim Burton film. Finish: quite long, still with this very rubbery smokiness, and hints of grapefruit in the background. Sweet vegetables in the aftertaste. Comments: there's not much that's normal about this juice, but I really like it, even if it's a far cry from the fantastic 'Ten'. And, hopefully, from its successors within this wee session...
SGP:577 - 85 points.

Ardbeg 'Corryvreckan' (57.1%, OB, +/- 2022)

The last time we tried the Corry that was in 2016 (WF 75, rather a disaster, way too much sawdust for my taste). Colour: pale gold. Nose: very subtle, with mainly ashes and charcoal. It clearly needs water to wake up, so let's add some... With water: no improvement, unfortunately. Some white chocolate, which is quite odd in this context, let's admit it. Mouth (neat): it's good, it's woody, it's powerful, but it's far from the elegance and purity of the Ten. The wood is really dominant, and these few notes of olives and capers won't change much about that. With water: it's not bad, but in the woody style, I prefer the very eccentric Scorch. The spirit has a hard time breaking through, I find. There's a lot of ash, with the feeling of having swallowed an ashtray. Finish: long, very dry, with lots of ash. Comments: I loved the first versions of Corryvreckan, and even the story, the whirlpool that can be heard from Islay on some evenings, and all that, but the recent versions seem to be going through the motions without much conviction. However, it could be that I'm just feeling nostalgic... It's improving, but starting from a low point, it must be said (or from a very high point if you consider the late 2000s).
SGP:347 - 79 points.

Ardbeg 'Uigeadail' (54.2%, OB, +/-2022):

Ardbeg 'Uigeadail' (54.2%, OB, +/-2022)

My God, the first Uigeadail, it was so good back then! But we were in 2004 and we tasted it with Stuart Thompson on site (while smoking cigarettes in the warehouses, different times, different customs. No, just cigarettes). The last Uigeadail we tasted, a 'circa 2017', was still very good (WF 85), but far from the early batches which tended to surf around 92 points. Colour: gold. Nose: it's good, effective, very peaty of course, again with barbecue and ash notes, a sherry influence more discreet than in the past (green walnuts), and some broken branches. Some sap, in short. With water: very, very good, maritime, with very nice notes of barbecue on the beach, when we grill both fresh fish and marshmallows. Not together mind you! Mouth (neat): it's very good, very powerful, with much more substance than in the Corryvreckan. It almost tastes like smoked walnut oil, just like there's smoked sesame oil. In fact, we can find a bit of that too in this Uigeadail. Also some touches of canned peach, which always works. With water: milk chocolate and roasted peanuts. What wouldn't I do for some roasted peanuts!? Finish: long and a bit more drying which is really not unusual. Very nice final finish on oysters and candied citron, plus a bit of walnut oil and chocolate. Comments: oh yes, it talks! Very nice balance in this recent batch, the flame is alive and glowing.
SGP: 457 - 88 points.

Ardbeg, with its numerous ups and few downs, remains a star distillery, that's for sure.

Check the index of all Ardbeg we've tasted so far