Ardbeg fans help me

[Nock]

Yes, Mr. TattieHeid
this poll was fundamentally flawed to begin with. I am a very subjective person asking other people's opinions on a very subjective topic. The question was an attempt at a title and subtitle (such as The Trustworthiness of Ale: Perspectives on the Nature of Beer)

See, I recognize that while for me smoke and peat are highly desirable, I can conceive of a drink where there is "too much of a good thing" and I won't care for it (although I have yet to find such a drink ) So the danger in simply asking "which one has the most" I might end up with a bottle I don't care for when I could have had a much better malt (still with enough smoke and peat for me) but not with so much power that it destroys my taste buds.

Hence the overly long and ambiguous question which has led to this less then scientific poll (which, truth be told, was never my intention in the first place )

It all comes down to this:
My book by Jim Murray give the Very Young a 91 and the Uigeadail an 89 (and the 10yo a 93). My Michael Jackson book gives the Uigeadail a 92 and the 10yo an 85 (no mention of the Very Young here).

In the past I have found that I tend to side with Murray's opinion more often then Jackson's. However, there are those times when I STRONGLY disagree with Murray only to turn and find myself in close proximity to Jackson's notes.

So Ardbeg Uigeadail or Very Young almost seems like a coin flip. I will probably like both. I will also probably like one more then the other. I could just buy one and live in ignorance. Or I could ask you guys for your various opinions (for which I have been very grateful in the past) and then make my best guess.

The way things are going it looks like the Uigeadail is going to be the winner. But I might be able to swing things to where I can eat my cake and have it also

Thanks for all the input guys

Nock

[bamber]

JM's rating of the Uigedail puzzled me a bit and it remains 89 in his 2006 book, whist the 10 is promoted to 94 (I'd give it 95 ).

For me if you factor in the price £27 vs. £36 the Uigedail edges it but in a straight comparison it (the Uigedail) is far better IMO.

[Deactivated Member]

The only way you can possibly know which you will like better is to try them. They are all excellent and worthy of purchase! Perhaps you should pick up a VY first, as it will not be around for very long (at least not in the current 6yo bottling), and then Uigeadail.

Ratings like Murray's and Jackson's are always interesting, but it makes no sense to me to expect your own tastes and preferences to coincide with either of theirs. Each is but one man's opinion, which isn't likely to be entirely consistent in the first place; trying to parse out a difference of two points, or even ten, is a fruitless exercise, and ultimately you must taste for yourself. Nick, who reports using Murray quite faithfully to guide his purchases, also very happily notes that he is fond of Fettercairn, which Murray rates a 69! And anyway, part of the joy of all this, for me, anyway, is trying as many different things as I can, rather than trying to narrow it down to the one I will like best. One's budget is always a limitation, but time is on your side; except for limited bottlings, you will, with some patience, get to try a lot of different things, if you don't elect to drown yourself in a few favorites. But yes, the question is always "What next?", and a little blether here, prompted by an ambiguous poll, is not a bad thing. Come to think of it, it's why we're all here.

Uigeadail. No, wait, Very Young....

[bamber]

Ratings might be misleading but they are just so much fun. Anyway don't listen to Mr. T choose Very Young.... no wait Uigeadail

[Frodo]

In answer to the question, "What is the peatiest, smokiest Ardbeg", then there is little doubt in my mind that the Very Young is the peatiest by a long, long shot. My first reaction when I tasted it was, "This is brutal!"

However, it isn't the most enjoyable Ardbeg, because it is still very green and young, and the complexities of age haven't yet kicked in. This is why the Uigedail, 10yo, and 1977 are better whiskies.

Cheers,
Admiral

This post smells true. I consider any Ardie I've had to be exceptional, but I'm in no hurry to buy the AVY due to it's youth. It'll grow up with time...

[The Dazzler]

Definately a fan of the Very Young and would say it is smokier than other current OBs (the easier ones to find anyway). I believe the Uigeadail to be bottled by a batch system, I doubt we are all tasting the stuff first launched three years ago which claimed to be a mix of old sherry matured stocks from the 70`s vatted with 11yo and 13yo stuff. I doubt they could continue using old stocks from the 70`s in this, (certainly at the price). I have personaly found inconsistancy in Uigeadail. I don`t think the batch thing is a bad way of bottling whisky, it seems to have worked well for Abunadh, but wonder if anyone else has sinmilar thoughts on the Uigeadail? It certainly has not put me off the drinking, it just adds to the pleasure and expectation I suppose.

Slainte

[mar_mcdo]

the ardbeg VY is definatly the smokiest. think its the most heavily peated malt on the market at the mo. comparing the 6yo to the 10yo, the flavours are much more intense and although comes acroos as being much sharper this isnt necessarily a bad thing....great whisky! Uigedail is however my favourite

Slainte! M

[mar_mcdo]

frodo: the AVY is def worth a try if you havnt already!

[Froagi]

I've not had the pleasure yet of the Ardbeg VY but I am always pleased with the Uigeadail as my favorite but would never turn down a dram of the 10 YO. I am not sure if we in the states are getting a different bottle but I would like to note that the 10 YO here is only 46% Alcohol and the Uigeadail is 54.2% so pretty much a cask strength and another reason I like it better. For the gentleman in Seattle I'd like to say check all the liquor stores there. both my bottles came from Seattle in August and at the time there was still a good supply of both in town.

Cheers

[Nock]

Froagi

am I to understand you correctly?
You purchased BOTH Uigeadail and the 10yo Ardbeg from the Seattle area????

Cause I am only aware of one store that even orders Ardbeg (Queen Ann) and they only seem to be aware of the existance of the 10yo (despite my best attempts to educate them )

I was told that if there "was such a drink as the Uigeadail" and it was available in the US then they could special order it but I would have to buy a case of 6.

Needless to say my current quest for either the Uigeadail or the Very Young is on hold . . . for the moment.

Nock

[Nock]

Well thanks to all who graciously shared their thoughts, opinions and experiences.

I have been unsuccessful in my attempts to obtain ANY Ardbeg here in the Seattle area as of late (luckily I still have half of a bottle of Ardbeg 10yo to tide me over).

However, my roommate, who is spending the holiday with family in St. Louis (and is painfully aware of my whisky obsession) just called to tell me that he stopped in at a local liquor store and pick me up a bottle of the Uigeadail. Man what a great friend

So it looks like I am taking the advice from this forum (which also happens to be the only one of the two I have been able to lay hands on)

Thanks for the input

Cheers

Nock

[jeffk]

Ardbeg Uigeadail is available from a number of Internet sources, although I'm not sure how many of them ship to your area (BevMo, hitimewine.com, etc.).

I've only tried the 10yo, but the Uigeadail is high on my list and I think I'll pick up a bottle this week.

FWIW, I inquired a number of sources and found that VYA is not imported into the US at this time, so your only prayer of getting some is to buy from a UK retailer and pay the big shipping costs, or go there and buy it yourself (although I don't know about Lawrence's Oregon connection, that might work out as well).

Enjoy.

[Dubois]

Ardbeg Uigeadail is among the best whisky's I know, but I rate Ardbeg 17 Yrs even higher !

[bamber]

JM's rating of the Uigedail puzzled me a bit and it remains 89 in his 2006 book, whist the 10 is promoted to 94 (I'd give it 95 ).

For me if you factor in the price £27 vs. £36 the Uigedail edges it but in a straight comparison it (the Uigedail) is far better IMO.

Did I write this I must have been drunk at the time. I don't even like the Uigedail very much. My least favourite Ardbeg.

[Di Blasi]

I love the Uigeadail that has the flip top box, and that beautiful rusty orange color! The Ten got me started on Ardbeg, and whisky!! And the Very Young is my most recent emptied of the Ardbegs, dynamite stuff, and my vote here! Very chocolatey and fruity and gorgeous, pow!

[TheLaddie]

Very Young is the peatier and smokier of the two. Uigeadail is the bigger. VYA really is for those of us that Richard Joynson of Loch Fyne Whiskies would call "Grow Bag Suckers" It may be off putting for someone who is relatively new to Ardbeg. I had been drinking malt for many years before I acquired the taste for Laphraoig and the like but now love it. Add water to your whisky? Don't be daft: dissolve some more peat in it!

The Uigeadail is the better whisky. Still challenging but sweet and smoky in equal measure. A longstanding entry in my top 5 malts. I'd choose this of the two if I were you.

VYA is getting pretty hard (or at least expensive) to get even in the UK. Still Young, the next stage of maturation has lost none of the peat or smoke and is a gorgeous dram. If you can't get Very Young, Still Young may be easier to get and will not disappoint.

Enjoy whatever you get