Ardbeg from 2009 to 1989


December 19, 2024

	Ardbeg from 2009 to 1989
There’s starting to be more Ardbeg available again among independents, some going by the sweet name of ‘Kildalton’ (many from 2008-2009-2010), though there was also an official Kildalton, by the way. We’ll be tasting a few of those secret ‘A’s soon, but for now, I’ve rather chosen to wet my lips with three or four ‘disclosed’ Ardbegs before Christmas, both indie bottlings and ‘self’ releases. What a peculiar object! Is what's inside alive?

Ardbeg 2009/2023 (59%, OB, Feis Ile 2024, 2nd fill Pedro Ximenez sherry butt, cask #3771, 633 bottles)

It’s only rock and r… I mean PX but it’s 2nd fill, so all’s well in the best of all possible worlds. This shouldn’t be one of those big PX casks that sometimes act as crutches for slightly… wobbly malts. Colour: reddish amber. Nose: well, the PX is indeed present, but it doesn’t seem too out of tune here, especially since the near-extreme wildness of young Ardbeg immediately takes charge, almost erasing the raisins. Trust me. This brings notes of stables and horse saddles, alongside smoked oysters and dried seaweed that are rather spectacular, though water should bring a bit of civilisation to this little monster. With water: there you have it, it’s cleaner, more Ardbeg, more maritime, almost fresher. Crabs, hessian, seawater, old ship ropes… the lot. Impeccable. Mouth (neat): an uppercut to the chin followed by a right hook, it floors you straight away. Are you kidding? Honestly, this is brutal in its natural state. A slight sulphury note, but that could come from the peat, no worries there. With water: oh yes, now we’re talking, a bit raw, a bit rustic, but Islay was never Mayfair anyway. Salt, tar, bacon, mussels, chocolate and two little raisins. Let’s say three. Finish: long, with more ashes and that rubbery tar so typical of ‘Ardbeg’. And a black olive. Comments: I think it might have been even better without the PX, but let’s not complain, it’s excellent.
SGP:568 - 88 points.

Ardbeg 2008/2024 (55%, Royal Mile Whiskies, sherry butt, cask #5078, 614 bottles)

Since we were bathing in heavy sherry… You’ll say there have been legendary Ardbegs that were aged in sherry, and you’d be right… Colour: gold. Nose: this is the best one yet, you get far less sherry than in the ‘2nd fill’ official version, and it’s more of a tense, zesty Ardbeg, almost lemony at first, then bursting with olives and gherkins, which is magnificent. There’s also a bit of an ester vibe, like its ‘sister distillery’ in Jamaica (strictly a personal impression, mind), with carbon, liquorice, pastis, and two or three rotting fruits… It’s just perfecto. With water: a touch of honey and brown sugar add a gentle roundness to the nose. Speculoos. Mouth (neat): splendid, salty, fresh, lemony, mentholated… but is it even legal to produce something like this? A perfectly perfect texture, and 55% really is the perfect strength. How many times will we use the word ‘perfect’? With water: the lemon, ashes and seawater are now in full riot. There’s even a hint of fuel oil, perhaps – yes, an ‘impression of mazout’. Finish: long, slightly more austere, with notes of charcoal and cigar ash. The olives return after that. Comments: this has everything an Ardbeg should have (so well done, S., you’ve outdone yourself). I’ll add that I really like these very discreet butts, because let’s not forget, they double the number of bottles available!
SGP:468 - 92 points.

Ardbeg 15 yo 2008/2024 (57.7%, Murray McDavid, Mission Gold, for WuDramClan, oloroso sherry octave finish, cask # 2310048, 93 bottles)

I recently discovered the wordplay with Wu Dram Clan and Wu Tang Clan. I didn’t know Wu Tang Clan—perhaps a generational thing (right). So, it’s not the name of a Chinese triad? Let’s see what this rather bombastic little octave has to offer. Colour: deep gold. Nose: it starts a bit liqueur-like on the nose, almost caramelised, and you’d almost think the octave had been deep-charred too. But the combination works, with bay leaf, sauna oils, earthy tar, dried fruits, roasted pecans, cedarwood (humidor, Cedros de Luxe), and Vicks VapoRub in near-industrial doses. With water: we’re closer to the distillate, hessian, dunnage, creosote, tarry ropes… Mouth (neat): it’s heavy, but it works, with a bit of an American edge. Seriously, you’d think it was a new US malt, very marked by the cask but spectacularly good. Or, let’s say, Millstone from Holland. Camphor, ashes, mint, curry and grilled raisins. It’s certainly not delicate, but that’s not what we’re here for. With water: again, the water brings out the distillate, and it’s rather impressive, particularly the brine and shellfish aspects. Finish: very long, with cask and distillate dancing the tango all night long (what?). Comments: I was worried at certain moments, but everything turned out perfectly. Ardbeg can handle anything.
SGP:558 - 90 points.

Ardbeg 19 yo 'Traigh Bhan Batch 4' (46.2%, OB, American oak & oloroso, batch #TB/04-07.03.2003/22.CG, 2022)

We’re just filling a gap here, since we’ve already tasted all the other ‘Traigh Bhan’ up to this year’s batch 6. These are mid-aged Ardbegs that are fairly ‘gentle’. Colour: pale gold. Nose: a soft Ardbeg, very lovely, rounded by the American oak, with custard, cappuccino, hazelnuts, two small oysters, old tweed worn smooth by countless rains and storms, fireplace and cigarette ashes, then bruised apples and a touch of tar. It’s very pretty, clean, pure, almost gentle. Mouth: this is frankly very good. Beautiful bitterness over ashes, more bruised apples, smoked almonds, and then even more ashes. You’d think they added ashes from an old kiln – they may have kept some. A few drops of seawater. Finish: long, taut, with lovely bitterness and always those ashes. Comments: I can’t help but feel, even without all the batches in front of me, that this is slightly superior to some others. Or maybe it’s the Christmas spirit getting to me… I even find certain elements of the famous LOTI (aka Lord of The Isles).
SGP:557 - 90 points.

And to finish...

Ardbeg 34 yo 1989/2024 ‘The Abyss’ (48.4%, OB, heavily toasted French oak, 400 bottles)

€25,000 and said to stem from the three (or two?) remaining casks of the first Corryvreckan. I tried the latter (the Committee Reserve) as it came out in 2008, so sixteen years ago, it was superb indeed (WF 92). From this, we can deduce that this first Corryvreckan NAS was actually an 18-year-old, since 34-(2024-2008) =18, right? This lines up with the 1989 vintage attributed to The Abyss in the brand’s communications, though it’s still surprising that Ardbeg chose, at the time, to release the first ‘Corry’ as a NAS instead of proudly displaying its slightly impressive age of eighteen years or even its vintage. After all, 1989 was the year Ardbeg was partially reopened under Allied’s ownership, led by the Laphroaig team, after about a decade of total closure. Doom and gloom. I don’t even remember whether the purifier was running back then (S., who cares!). So, this is a very significant vintage for Ardbeg, although we’ve never, for our part, tasted an Ardbeg 1989 among the over 500 different versions we’ve tried, except for the ‘Mandibolari,’ whose authenticity is highly contested. But no matter; after all this rather pointless rambling, let’s taste this little ‘Abyss’… Colour: walnut stain/bronze. An unusual colour, which might explain why these casks weren’t selected back in the day for the first Corryvreckan. Nose: … but the nose is very beautiful, fairly delicate, evoking pine bud liqueur, figs, peach or cherry leaves, dried mint, then old glue and varnish, preserved greengages, an old toolbox, a touch of saltpetre, an old copper kettle, then embrocations, ointments, tiger balm, patchouli… Ultimately, it’s the greengages that dominate. All this is delicate, polished by time, slightly fragile, and quite… romantic. I can’t help but wonder if one or all of the casks had been patched. Mouth: you completely get those fruit tree leaves again, cherry stalk tea, a kind of mentholated tar, old herbal liqueurs, leather, very old cognac, resinous wood, pipe tobacco, pre-war crème de menthe… In fact, it’s like a slightly faded pre-war cognac, the sort we sip from time to time on a Sunday. Perhaps the French oak has done much of the heavy lifting here. There’s a little sandalwood too, though the structure remains pretty light. Finish: short, almost evanescent but quite bitter and earthy. Underberg. Comments: I think its time has come, and the casks have taken over, at least on the palate. But it remains an emotional old thing, of course. And the packaging and stories are, naturally, totally flabbergasting. Though perhaps the name ‘Abyss’ was ever so slightly… prophetic. Love Ardbeg, Ardbeg forever!
SGP:373 - 83 points.

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