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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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July 4, 2017 |
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The mandatory two new Ardbeg |
Every month a new Ardbeg session on Whiskyfun, do we have a deal? You'll see that apparently, not all is lost... |
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Ardbeg 26 yo (49.7%, Hunter Laing, The Kinship, bourbon cask, 209 bottles, 2017)  We’ve already tried the Port Ellen and the Caol Ila in this new series, and both were fantastic. This is very early 1990s Ardbeg, I wager, but there’s no vintage statement that I can find. Early 1990s are hit or miss vintages, as old Ardbeg aficionados tend to say… Colour: gold. Nose: there’s some sucrosity in this nose, preserved fruits, icing sugar, a touch of fresh plaster, some vanilla, and even a wee touch of pineapple. In short, this is not a wham-bam-peaty Ardbeg, it’s rather mellow and soft. So far. Purifier on, I guess (oh forget). Mouth: peated Haribos! Ashes and pineapple jelly, three black olives, two oysters, and more and more brine. Sweetened brine. There’s a little rubbery liquorice as well, a feeling of coal tar, and the usual lemons. As drops. I’m finding this very good, it’s quite complex, and it’s probably the best you can do outside the early-to-mid 1970s vintages. Now is it worth the higher than high prices? To be discussed… Finish: very long, always with these fruity drops, and always quite ashy. Barbecued marshmallows. A few aromatic herbs in the aftertaste, verbena, also green olives… I adore green olives, I could eat only green olives. Comments: so, was the purifier on or shunt? Yes that’s a seminal question! What’s sure is that this baby’s one of the fruitiest (in a good way) recent Ardbegs. Not that I’ve tried all of them, mind you. SGP:656 - 91 points. |
Next, probably Laphroaig Kinship, I’ve heard many very good things about that one… Meanwhile, back at the ranch… |
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Ardbeg 23 yo 1993/2017 (52.4%, Cadenhead, 175th Anniversary Tasting Session, bourbon hogshead) Don’t look for this one, its was only available at Cadenhead’s Anniversary Tasting in Campbeltown earlier in May – or was it June. Colour: straw. Nose: this one’s much less fruity, and much more garage-y. In fact, it’s completely different. Fats and greases and oils, crushed almonds, Barbour grease, fish oil, hessian, sea spray, brake fluid, ink, seaweed. You see… With water: so very totally Ardbeggian! A feeling that I haven’t, well, felt for ages. Marzipan and diesel oil, lemon oil, whelks, carbolinium, creosote… Mouth (neat): powah! Mezcal, brine, lemon juice, ashes, petrol, pipe tar, bitter almonds, smoked oysters, gherkins… In short, this one was heavenly chiselled. The opposite of the (yet superb) Kinship, and certainly a feeling of the good old 1970s. With water: I think there was a problem with the stencil guy, this is 1973, not 1993. He may have been in love, or he had just listened to Garry Glitter’s latest 45rpm, or, yeah, he had just quaffed half a litre of new make, who knows… Finish: long, and in pure Ardbgeness. Amazing grassy smoke. Comments: perhaps was it rather Suzy Quattro’s latest single?… What’s sure is that this is one of my favourite 1973s. Stunning and invigorating. PS: was Iain Henderson doing the stencilling of the casks himself? SGP:368 - 94 points. |
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