A small gang of Ardbegs, part 1


May 23, 2024

Alas! No Feis Ile for me this time again, but we were on Islay just a few weeks ago for the opening of the new Port Ellen. In any case, this won't stop us from tasting many Islay whiskies over the next few days, although not in sync with the official days of each distillery, of course. For instance, we'll start with some Ardbeg...

A small gang of Ardbegs, part 1

(Picture, Ardbeg during the time of modest and amusing marketing, in 2007 (WF Archive)

It's true that I've somewhat neglected our Islays lately, even though I thoroughly enjoyed the first Ardnahoe the other day. Rest assured, we'll make up for it in the coming days, starting with a few Ardbegs that we've been sitting on for a while. Not all of them are labelled 'Ardbeg', but there's no doubt about the origin of these small and great whiskies... Oh, and let's start with the worst aperitif imaginable, so that it serves as a lesson to us all...

Ardbeg 12 yo 'Special Reserve Bottled 1966' (80° proof, OB, 262/3 FL. OZS)

- FAKE. A lot of issues with this bottle. It features a red Italian tax band with two stars and '0.750', dating it between 1975 and 1991, which doesn't match 1966, although it's not conclusive proof as these bands could have been added later if these bottles had been then re-shipped to Italy after a few years. Additionally, there's a large D at the bottom of the label, used in France until around 1982, indicating duties were paid, but a French bottle would never display proof degrees or ounces. Moreover, the SC295 code on the glass base was produced post-1966, from 1968 onwards. There's also no mention of an importer, French or otherwise. Therefore, there are too many inconsistencies for this bottle to be genuine, but on the other hand, forgers often used young malts from G&M available at the time they made them, and those could be very good! So, this could very well be Ardbeg from 1972, 1973, or 1974, for example (but not at 80° proof UK, obviously). Finally, all genuine Ardbeg collectors assert that it's a fake, and frankly, that's enough for me. Anyway, let's try this very suspect Ardbeg for the cause... Colour: straw. Nose: from the bottle, which I hold in my hands, it smells unmistakably of Ardbeg from that era, with plenty of ashes and soot. However, in the glass, it flattens out rather quickly, moving towards smoked water, apple juice, caster sugar, and indeed, a bit of pine resin. Well, honestly, it gives an illusion, but certainly not at 80° proof, so nearly 46% ABV. But yes, it does smell like Ardbeg… Mouth: yes, typically a young Islay, not necessarily Ardbeg despite the acrid and very ashy character, somewhat sweet. Also a medicinal and salty side. It's quite good, actually. Finish: medium length, salty, with lemon, limoncello (you see, it's Italian made – hey, just joking!) and still plenty of smoke. Comments: really has a G&M CC vibe. I think it's an old fantasy fake, already quite aged, meant to adorn Italian collections for aesthetic purposes only, and probably not a recent fake aimed at scamming overly naïve aspiring speculators worldwide. But it's a very, very good Islay whisky and most possibly light Ardbeg indeed!
SGP:467 - 88 points.

Update: all these bottles of Ardbeg 12 'bottled 1966' may contain very different whiskies!

Ardbeg 'Anamorphic' (48.2%, OB, Committee Release, bourbon, 2023)

These gimmicky bottlings aren't series we follow regularly, but since it's on our desk... Very late with this one indeed. I'm sure this one is genuine; no serious forger would have dared making such a bottle. It's about losing your head, so only NAS (boo) but fun (hurray). In any case, fat whiskies better lose their heads than their tails, I'm telling you. Colour: straw. Nose: the resemblance to the unfortunate 12 is evident, so it was indeed an Ardbeg. Ash, a bit of vanilla, chalk and slate, some sweets, charcoal, then curious slightly sour notes, reminiscent of hearts of palm or pickled baby artichokes. The custard then comes back to wrap it all up. Not bad. Mouth: a bit strange. Lemon Schweppes, Aperol, a little ginger, hints of silver spoon, a tiny touch of pineapple, perhaps from charred wood? Also some pink peppercorn chocolate, which isn't bad at all. Finish: rather short and a bit hesitant, it reminds me somewhat of Serendipity. Those odd pineapples return in the aftertaste. Comments: quite good but a bit undetermined. Reconstructed Ardbeg?
SGP:656 - 84 points.

Ardbeg 13 yo 'Anthology The Harpy's Tale' (46%, OB, 2023)

A blend of Ardbeg ex-bourbon and Ardbeg ex-'sweet Sauternes'. Actually it doesn't make much sense to write about 'sweet Sauternes' having said that, all fresh Sauternes being sweet by definition. You can make dry white in the region, but then you cannot call it Sauternes. A good example is the superb 'Y' d'Yquem, which is a 'simple' Bordeaux. BTW Yquem and Ardbeg share the same owners, they would know. Right… Colour: pale gold. Nose: like! We know peat and Sauternes/Barsac can work very well, as we could already see at Kornog's and elsewhere. So no clashes, rather smoked mirabelles, peppered quinces and tarry apricots, plus some charcoal and seawater. A touch of cream cheese in the background, or gorgonzola, which is fun. Works well too. Mouth: very nice combo, even if the wine is very prominent. The thing is, good Sauternes is not a 'winey' wine. Also a lot of smoke, tar, coal, liquorice and just tonnes of ashes. I have the impression they've kept pushing the ashy side in recent years at Ardbeg, have they not? The combination keeps working very well, despite this slight, err, sweetness. Good integration. Finish: medium long, with good balance between, say the honeyed apricots and the tarry ashes. No feeling of a disjointed whisky. Some medicinal notes in the aftertaste, cough syrup… Comments: very good drop.
SGP:656 - 87 points.

Ardbeg 13 yo 2010/2023 (61.3%, OB, Private Single Cask, Second fill oloroso sherry butt, cask #1944, 578 bottles)

Will this one be a kerosene-y 'beg, at this strength? Colour: full gold. Nose: the DNA is there, it's not been altered, there's a lot of crushed slate and charcoal mixed with seawater and a little green walnut wine. Touches of turpentine and linseed oil too, also root vegetables, beets, parsnips, celeriac… We always love these. No signs of kerosene, by the way, or is it me? With water: bandages, stewed spinach (yep), hard-boiled eggs (no big S though), leaven, seaweed, beach sand at low tide, tarmac… Mouth (neat): great, just great. It makes me happy to try this little monster that, in truth, would take no prisoners. Rather a lot of green pepper too but water might be needed as early as now… With water: superb Ardbeg, with these perfect lemons that are roaming most versions of the 'Ten', with a much cleaner profile now that water's been added. Perfect tar, peppers, lemons indeed, pine and verbena liqueurs (they almost always work in tandem IMHO). Finish: long, with the ultimate signature, pink grapefruit. Comments: proof that whisky can be both complex and high-def. Perfect young Ardbeg, are they all like this one? Was it Mickey Heads?
SGP:657 - 92 points.

Well, I thought we were going to have magnificent independents that would totally crush the official NAS releases. Not too sure, let's move on...

Secret Islay 2009/2023 'They Inspired – Bert Vuik' (53.3%, Michiel Wigman, 'A Rare Dram But Extremely Good', sherry, 238 bottles)

An extraordinary person on the label (and another in the background). Undoubtedly the first true collector and connoisseur of Ardbeg, leaving absolutely no doubt about the origin of this little gem: it's Mannochmore (hey, we can have a laugh, can't we?) Cheers and hugs, Bert! Colour: white wine. Nose: forget the sherry, for now this is an extremely pure, precise Ardbeg, with a wonderful softness built around oil paint, shells, graphite, and fireplace ashes. With water: fresh country bread at five o'clock in the morning (okay, six) and a platter of Islay oysters, plus soaked virgin wool, Islay mud and certainly a good dose of lanolin. A hint of a new pullover. Mouth (neat): taut as a bow, lemony and brimming with ashes and green pepper. Could that be olive oil in the background? With water: proof that Ardbeg can indeed show a softer side. Very ripe apple, salt, more oysters, our friends the winkles, old paint, grapefruit… Finish: long and both oily and taut at the same time, which is unusual, I admit. Comments: just avoid adding too much water, and in this case, for me it easily scores...
SGP:667 - 92 points.

Islay Region 5 yo 2017/2023 (60.2%, Douglas Laing's Single Minded, for World of Whisky Waldhaus, Switzerland, refill barrel, cask #DL17749, 258 bottles)

Two generations of Bernasconis on the label! Let's remember that the Waldhaus am See in St Moritz, Switzerland, houses one of the, if not the most famous and extensive whisky bars in the world. I take this opportunity to wish a fantastic birthday to the engaging Claudio Bernasconi, who celebrates his 70th this month! Of course, we have an Ardbeg in the glass, and I'm delighted, especially since it's rare to find one this young that isn't NAS and fiddled with using improbable casks and outlandish stories. Well, well… Colour: very pale white wine (Swiss wine, ha-ha just kidding). Nose: totally on ashes, wet flour, yeasts, and cider. With water: pure Ardbeg, acrid smoke, fireplace, campfire, old car exhaust pipe. It reminds me of those wonderful Swiss cars, the Monteverdis. Mouth (neat): if you've ever tasted Ardbeg's new make, it's a bit like that. It's admirable that the bottlers haven't tried to disguise it with improbable casks. Beautiful tension on lemons, the sea, bread dough, oysters, and smoked fish, it also almost feels, at times; like gin flavoured with peat smoke (yes, yes, that's a positive comment in this context). With water: back to a lemony, tarry, and salty new make. Finish: an avalanche of ashes. An ashtray after a Cigar Club meeting, if you see what I mean. Comments: if they have many casks like this one and if everyone has the patience to wait another twenty years, it's going to be magical. For now, it's magnificent but of course, a bit young, just like Mr. Claudio B.. An understatement. Come on, we love it…
SGP:568 - 87 points.

Kommunen Schnaps 'Vol. 6' (55.9%, Private, Garrison Brothers bourbon barrel, 90 bottles, 2024)

When you spot the Kildalton Cross on a label, rest assured it's not Glenkinchie. And if you see a VW Kombi, the bottler is either Californian or German. Colour: gold. Nose: it has the slightly rugged edge of the 2017, but there's also a soft coat of sweetness brought by the bourbon casks. This leads more towards medicinal syrups, herbal notes (juniper, pine needles), and bitter orange marmalade. There's still plenty of tar and, above all, those legendary 'tarry ropes'. With water: smoked marzipan and cigarette ashes! Mouth (neat): very compact, full-on with pine bud liqueur and fresh rubber, tar, and Corsican citron liqueur. It's massive and not very complicated, but it's very comforting, like an old Deep Purple track. 'Nobody gonna take my car, I'm gonna race it to the ground...' Yes, well... With water: now it's truly perfect. Wonderful notes of smoked and salted chocolate. You should try this. Finish: very long. Comments: this is a young, conquering Ardbeg. I fear it might be impossible to find, which is a shame because it ticks all the boxes. I love it and have always dreamed of owning a VW Kombi painted in psychedelic colours. You're right, a boomer's fantasy. Peace and Love!
SGP:567 - 90 points.

Kildalton 15 yo 2008/2023 (57.6%, Oxhead Whisky Company, sherry butt, cask #5530)

Kildalton 15 yo 2008/2023 (57.6%, Whiskynaut, sherry butt, cask #5530)

It says 'since 1815' so it is either Laphroaig (year controversial) or Ardbeg (apparently nobody ever cared). The name 'Kildalton' should give it away, as I believe it is, indeed, officially Ardbeg's 'trade name'. Colour: straw. Nose: surprisingly lighter, more on herbal teas and yeasts, that famous old tweed jacket that has seen so many winters, fresh wool, roots (do wild carrots grow on Islay?), with a few touches of mild horseradish and gentian. 'Gentian' is a magical word at Château WF. With water: nature after the rain. Earth, plants, shrubs, beach, radishes... Mouth (neat): simply superb. Lemon, ashes, liquorice, celery, fresh walnut. Perfect texture. With water: younger, fresher, more fruity. Quinine, bitter orange, walnuts, I suppose that's the sherry talking. Who would complain? Finish: long, lively, almost cheerful for Ardbeg. A bit of glue and varnish in the aftertaste. Comments: a lovely dialogue between the malt and the sherry. Once again, go easy on the water.
SGP:576 - 89 points.

Well, I believe we'll be back tomorrow with more Ardbeg.

(Merci Logan, merci Patrick)

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