Ardbeg Blasda Launch

[Oiler_Kiwi99]

Will be trying the new Ardbeg Blasda with Micky Head at 2pm this afternoon in Glasgow. Really looking forward to trying it and catching up with Martin Grant.

[lohssanami]

Pop back in with your thoughts.

I've heard too many that are unhappy with Blasda, and I'm hoping for some positive thoughts on it.

[peat-chaser]

I tried it twice last week and must say, it´s a fine dram, rather sweet and smooth and bit fruity and it doesn´t hurt anybody, but it´s lacking a bit in power, deepth and presence and for it´s 40% it´s just too expensive.

[mr_fox]

I've heard too many that are unhappy with Blasda, and I'm hoping for some positive thoughts on it.

Given the focus about it being 'less peat' I was pleasantly surprised how peaty it tasted and smelled. Tried some at the distillery shop couple of weeks ago. Spent my budget on other bottles so only got the one Blasda.

[Di Blasi]

I tried it twice last week and must say, it´s a fine dram, rather sweet and smooth and bit fruity and it doesn´t hurt anybody, but it´s lacking a bit in power, deepth and presence and for it´s 40% it´s just too expensive.

I agree here, it's good whisky, but my disappointment lies in that it's too peated since I expected "lightly peated." I hoped it would be light and only noticeable peat, more like the Kildalton for example, and this Blasda actually gives more smoke then expected. It's good whisky, very easy drinking, definitely a variety of fruits to be discovered, but just more smoky and peated than I thought it would be.

[Spirit of Islay]

Sorry had to laugh with you guys complaining it's too Peaty !
Jonathan , regarding the comparison to The Kildalton , i find a bit of Iodine (or Ardbeg-dine as i call it as it tastes totally different to the Iodine found in other Islays ) in there , so given that in Ardbeg the Peat changes to Ardbeg-dine at a certain age , 17-18yo going off the current ANB bottling which has that Ardbeg-dine that the 2006 bottling didn't , i would assume that the Kildalton was also of the same peating level in it's youth .
I find the nose the most intriguing as you get a hell of a lot out of it , fruity wise , though i must admit i found the taste more peaty than expected on first trying ( could it be we were mentally prepared for virtually no peat ?) .
I'm not going to get into the old price argument as i happen to think it's reasonably priced.....

[Deactivated Member]

Total disappointment here too.

We were spoiled with the superb Kildalton and this is nowhere near the same league.
MT

[Spirit of Islay]

Don't see how you can compare the Blasda to the Kildalton anyway , there's at least 14 years age difference .
Bit like comparing the TEN to the Provenance........

[Deactivated Member]

SOI, in that respect, of course, I agree with you.
But as the Kildalton was always promoted as "llightly peated" and the Blasda is being promoted in the same way, I expected similar characteristics, albeit much younger.

What I got was something too heavily peated.

Yes, I know, others have questioned why people are moaning about an Ardbeg being to heavily peated, but in my opinion, for what we are led to expect, it is.

[Oiler_Kiwi99]

Right, 1st I must say it was a great to see Micky Head again. Apparently the Glasgow tasting was his 18th in 3 1/2 days and he was in fine form.

Those of you going to the Ardbeg Masterclass on the Friday to quote Micky you will be "trying something special".

I'm just going to type my notes as I recorded them on the day. My note taking takes a lot to be desired but bear with me.

Ardbeg Blasda 40% ABV Chill Filtered. Malted at 24ppm, normally 55ppm phenol level with it about 8pppm in the bottle. The idea behind it was to show whats behind the peat.

Nose- Light, Floral, citrussy and mellow
Taste- Slightly oily, dry, lemony and very light peat
Finish- Liquorice, surprisingly long.

Adding water really opens it up on the nose especially, far more citrussy notes and more peat.

As an Ardbeg fan I would say it would be a great dram to introduce someone to Ardbeg without putting them off with too much peat.

We also had the current 10yo, the Renaissance and the Uigedail, all great drams with the Uigedail being my favourite of the day.

The new 10yo will have new packing and be a mixture of 50% 1st fill and 50% 2nd fill bourbon casks.

Those fans of Ardbeg please note that Airigh Nam Beist will be done in 2 -3 months and Lord of the Issles will be gone next year for sure as the don't have the stock to carry them on.

Look out for some new limted editions next year.

[Spirit of Islay]

But as the Kildalton was always promoted as "llightly peated" and the Blasda is being promoted in the same way, I expected similar characteristics, albeit much younger.

I wouldn't , As i stated Earlier the Characteristics of the Kildalton don't develop until a later age , same with the Provenance or any of the older Ardbegs , the peat all but vanishes after a certain age , with Ardbeg it seems to change to an iodineness . I've found the same with nearly all of the peated Islays .

[Deactivated Member]

See you at the WL Masterclass!

I have just poured a dram of Blasda

N: quiet, slight oranges, lemon, vanilla ice cream, slight floral note increases with time, faint smoke, salty, sherbet sweets if you try hard enough.

T: watery smoke, bitter, salty, grapefruit, smooth, sour, iodine, green grass - water brings out more perfume, slight melon, perhaps even apple. Water softens further and gives a very smooth, cool mouthfeel but turns the flavour into smoky aniseed, sweet, slightly sharp, moving into citric flavours - grapefruit and lemon - with vanilla and biscuit.

F: grass, hay, some sweetness, vanilla, faint nuttiness, faint ashtray taste, more green grassiness. Water transforms the finish into something sweet and elegant - still vanilla, biscuit and smoke but the sour ashtrays and green grass have been tamed. Becomes toasty and a faint hint of mint.

Overall, understated and a little on the bitter/sour side. Surprisingly grassy and there is some smoke, but very much in the background. The nose is very quiet indeed - older Ardbeg seemed to have much more fruitiness going on. On sniffing, some sniffs just pick up smoky notes, and others reveal a slightly floral, slightly sweet note.

Water really improves the dram, smoothing down some of the bitterness and allowing the smoke to sit in harmony with the other flavours rather than competing with them.

This is a seriously interesting dram - perhaps expensive for what it is - and one that reveals a side of Ardbeg that is not dissimilar to some generic, unnamed Islay single malts.

[r900p]

I guess i'm on the lucky side having no idea what it would be really like and as a result i've ended up liking it.

On the issue of price if it was a 15 yr old would you pay that £41?, just don't think about the age and think is it worth the money. I'm talking in terms of quality.


Rob

[LagaDrinker]

Regarding the feedback it has got I think I will give it a miss for the moment. There are many more pressing things on my to try list.

[Deactivated Member]

Malted at 24ppm, normally 55ppm phenol level with it about 8pppm in the bottle.

That's the key detail we all seem to have missed. Normally we look at ppm in the malt, not in the bottle. The 8ppm that LVMH are promoting is the ppm in the bottle. Obviously that sounds lower than the regular 55ppm. But really we should be looking at Blasda as 24ppm and that would place it alongside peaty drams like Bowmore and above peaty drams like Ardmore.