
September 29, 2016

The Truth About The New Ardbeg

Yeah I thought I’d write a Donald-Trump-style headline, for once and for fun. Apologies, but since you’re here, let’s go on. In fact, you’d almost think we’re in 2003, for there is a new well-aged official Ardbeg. If you’re not in the know, that means either that you’ve been living in a cave for a good few weeks, or that you’ve been in digital detox. I’ve seen raving comments here and there, some friends claiming that ‘old Ardbeg’ was back. The best way to check that, as you very well know, is to first have some old Ardbeg. Not one at cask strength, that would be unfair, rather a well-known low-strength official that we haven’t tried since, wait, let me check… The year 2000, which is when it came out!

Ardbeg 1975/2000 (43%, OB)

One of the bottles that did build Ardbeg’s legend. No, that wasn’t the 17 yo, not many people were caring for the 17 when it was on the shelves. Now this 1975 was not one of my favourites, but I did use to score it pretty highly (WF 90). But that was a long time ago, and I never wrote proper notes… Colour: Gold. Nose: certainly not the profile of modern Ardbeg. This is softer, sappier, with many more almondy notes (marzipan, amaretti) and a much wider phenolness. Embrocations and suntan lotions, engine oil, castor oil, light pitch, pu-erh tea (back on WF!), and above everything, camphor and eucalyptus. I believe it’s this tar plus camphor plus eucalyptus combination that used to appeal to so many whisky lovers ten or twenty years ago. Mouth: what strikes first is this tropical sweetness, not to be encountered in any modern Ardbegs, with mangos and grapefruits coated with tar and marmalade. What comes next is more ‘usual’, so ashes, tar, peat smoke, seashells (say clams), and lemon, plus a medicinal side. Antiseptic and turpentine. Big mouth feel given the strength, but that’s still a rather low strength. Finish: rather long, and that’s where the saltiness kicks in, together with citrons and lemons. Comments: what’s really superb in these batches is the fact that they were both powerful and complex. And very Ardbeggian. I seem to remember that the following batch, in 2001, had been less entrancing. SGP:457 - 91 points.

Ardbeg 21 yo ‘Twenty One’ (46%, OB, bourbon casks, 2016)

Yep that’s the new one. The packaging is talking about the late 1990s as the period when this was distilled, but the numbers do not quite add-up, do they? Rather early-to-mid 1990s, I wager - unless it's not a 21 - but it’s true that copywriters are rarely good at math. So rather distilled by Allied than by Glenmorangie Plc that did buy the distillery in 1997 and restart it in 1998 (Glenmo was later to be bought by LVMH, so Ardbeg is now partly owned by Diageo, which few people actually realise). Colour: white wine. Nose: definitely different. Basically, it’s got more peat smoke, and it’s got less tar/oil. So it’s rather fresher, less fattish and phenolic, and rather brighter. It’s also a little more coastal, with some seaweed and whiffs of beach bonfire, and perhaps a tad less ‘singular’ than its older sibling. Now, the medicinal notes do come through after a little while, and I do still find it typically ‘Ardbeg’ (no wonder). Almost forgot to say, I’m finding this nose beautiful. Even the tarry almonds do make it to our nostrils after around ten minutes. Mouth: we’re closer to the 1975, I have to say. Same kind of power and complexity, seashells, salt(iness), light tar, bitterish oil (fish oil?), iodine, plasticine… Perhaps does it have a little less citrus, just a little. The peat is perfect. Finish: long, and rather peppery this time. While the 1975 was fatter and tarrier, this is a little more maritime and, well, smoky. Comments: a great half-surprise. We’ve had some superb 19921-1994 Ardbegs in the past, and we’ve had some lousy ones as well. This new one certainly belongs to the former category. Me ve-ry hap-py. SGP:458 - 91 points.

Oh well, while we’re at it, let’s have another older one of a similar age…

Ardbeg 22 yo 1974/1996 (40%, Sestante, Mellow Matured)

It’s not that I’ve never tried this baby, but around ten years ago, I used to have one that was seriously ‘off’ (WF 71), and several friends have told me that that had to be an accident. So as we’re not as stubborn as an Islay mule, let’s try some from another bottle. It’s from G&M stock. Of course, ‘mellow matured’ doesn’t mean a thing. Colour: straw. Nose: wandering along the shores of Islay. Beach fire, dried kelp, sea spray, a working kiln in the distance, and an old abandoned scuba diving suit. Add one grapefruit for good measure, and a cup of green Wulong tea. A fabulous elegance, but as always with these bottles, it’s on your palate that things may go wrong… Mouth: my friends were right. My friends are always right. Starts much drier and ashier than the others, and certainly not weaker, in spite of the low strength. In fact everything’s very subtle, with some tarry pipe tobacco, touches of smoked salmon and other fish (it’s more kippery than the others), hints of bitter almonds, more ashes, some lemon marmalade, the obligatory oysters, and the no-less obligatory iodine. Utterly fantastic old Ardbeg of Montrachet quality, oh I so regret to have kept a low score on for… almost ten years! Finish: perhaps not the longest ever, but even the tail of this comet is bright and taking your breath away. Tar and grapefruits, that works like champagne and strawberries. Comments: sublime, up 23 points, LOL (or in French, PTDR). SGP:456 - 94 points.

(And encore mille mercis, Fabien and Jean-Michel!)

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