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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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April 28, 2026 |
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A tasting of three Ardbeg eras
Major distilleries, not necessarily the largest in terms of capacity, incidentally, those that built their international reputation long ago are also the ones most frequently criticised: |
At The Old Kiln Cafe, May 2006, twenty years
ago. A photo published solely to make you
feel hungry. That’s all. (WF Archive) |
“it’s not what it used to be”, “they’ve cut too many costs”, “they’re using casks that no longer make sense”, “prices have become excessive”, or “whatever happened to the great vintages of the 1970s?” It’s the Lagavulin syndrome, I’ve been hearing this said about the 16-year-old virtually ever since it was first released, year after year. In theory, then, the most recent batches ought to be hovering somewhere around minus 25 WF points, and the same goes for Ardbeg, Talisker, Macallan, Bowmore and many others; even Springbank seems affected by the “it’s-not-what-it-used-to-be” syndrome, with only newer distilleries (inevitably) or those nobody really pays attention to escaping it. In short, let’s try to dig into the subject over the coming days, starting with Ardbeg: what would you say to a mini vertical tasting, say, 2008, 1991 and 1973, beginning with the oldest? … |
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Ardbeg 1973/1988 (57%, R.W. Duthie & Co., Samaroli, 20th Anniversary, 540 bottles) 
There had also been a Fragments of Scotland 1973/1988 at 57% by Samaroli which had been utterly superlative (WF 94). It is not impossible that this be the same batch, but let us not assume so, if you please. Note that Ardbeg 1972 to 1976 were very great whiskies in general, but you know that, naturally. Colour: white wine. Nose: pure lemon juice, to which they might have added crushed chalk, oyster shells, a little olive oil, small bits of tyres, and three drops of pink grapefruit juice. No question, monsignor Samaroli ensured that the proportions were perfect, that said we note a rather discreet peat for the moment. With water: it goes fractal, you see, each aroma leading to sub-aromas, which in turn lead you to… empty your glass. Ouch. Let us say it is very coastal and tarry now. Mouth (neat): remain seated, if you please. Magnificent bitters, all revolving around citrus peels, touches of burnt rubber (better than it sounds), then a cavalcade of oysters and other marine shellfish. The whole is both oily and briny, as smoked fish, tars, ashes, ink then arrive. With water: this is its finest phase, a pure whole, like a very great white wine. Flint, lemon and ashes particularly to the fore. Finish: admittedly late arrival but duly noted of very pretty peppers of all colours which complete the salinity. Light bacon, wrapped in seaweed. Again, a fractal aftertaste. Comments: no need.
SGP:466 - 94 points. |
Let’s move on to the 1991 and opt for a sherry cask, to try to better stand up to the 1973. It’s a strategy like any other, isn’t it? |
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Ardbeg 33 yo 1991/2024 (52.6%, Signatory Vintage, Symington’s Choice, first fill oloroso butt, cask #02/53/1, 398 bottles)
Indeed, we had not yet tasted it, but we knew that would come. Signatory had at the time released many pleasant 1991 versions at 43% vol. that used to go down like a Spritz. Colour: bronze amber. Nose: it starts on flint, gunflint, teriyaki, then moves towards tobacco and leather, a frequent duo it is true, before clearly heading towards dark chocolate and espresso coffee. The lit cigar notes are very fine. With water: everything melts into a very meaty whole, on feathered and furred game, very, very old red Burgundy (the famous hare’s belly having run through tall grasses in the rain), then black truffle. There are only noble ingredients in this nose! Mouth (neat): caramel custard smoked with wood and peat and drenched in coffee liqueur and grated dark chocolate. On the side, a glass of amontillado matured by the sea and a few slices of lonzo, as is fashionable at aperitif time these days. At least where we are. With water: citrus, seawater and black pepper come to rebalance the whole with great mastery, with a rather spectacular ‘double kick’ effect. Finish: long and above all on all the finest bitters on our planet. And coffee, chocolate, citrus, herbs, tobacco, leather etc. Comments: magnificent sherry cask, almost at the level of some of the sublime official sherry casks from the vintages of the 1970s.
SGP:466 - 92 points. |
We’ll finish with a Kildalton. In any case, there are far more young Kildaltons around than young Ardbegs, while these Kildaltons are generally more ‘au naturel’ than the official bottlings. No mizunara seasoned with PX while chanting Viking incantations, if you see what I mean. In short, we shan’t complain… |
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Kildalton 16 yo 2008/2025 (52.1%, The Whisky Agency, Wave Farewell to 2025, butt, 223 bottles)
We do wonder, all the same, how the name of this very pretty recent TWA series will age over time. I am speaking only of the name, for the rest, we have absolutely no concerns. Colour: chardonnay. Nose: absolutely massive notes of rubber and burnt tyres, one might think of the starting grid of an F1 GP, after the start, of course. Or an international Hells Angels gathering. All this does not fade, but is then joined by lime, dried seaweed and those famous old tarred ropes of sailors, found on an Islay beach. To give you an idea, we find this tarrier than a young Port Ellen from back in the day. With water: arrival of lanolin, shoe polish, Woolite, but also white asparagus, even leek fondue. Mouth (neat): we immediately find the rubber, to which is added lemon marmalade. And it does not budge. With water: it now becomes entirely Ardbeggian, with a rise in power of the citrus and, quite simply, of ‘the peat’. Very fine oiliness. Finish: long, more clearly on sulphur, but this sulphury side is particularly coherent with the style of this distillate. In short, it is connected, one might say. Amusing notes of cooked shrimp appear in the aftertaste. Comments: obviously, if you do not enjoy tarry notes (and just a little sulphur) as much as we do, you may not quite agree with what follows…
SGP:467 - 90 points. |
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