Ardbeg Tasting – October 25th – 7PM

[Ryguy]

Welcome to the Ardbeg Live Forum Tasting

The Whiskies

• Ardbeg Ten
• Ardbeg Uigeadail
• Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist
• Ardbeg Renaissance
• Ardbeg Blasda
• Any other Ardbegs you may have.....

Date and Time

• Saturday - October 25th - 7:00pm GMT

Handy Links

• Ardbeg Tastings from Whisky Magazine
• Ardbeg Website

Start time - 7:00pm GMT

About...
For those of you who do not know what these are about, they run for generally 12+ hours and we all sit down (at various times) to taste a range of whiskies and share our notes and comments on the forum. Have a look in the Live Tasting forum for past events.

They are a great way to meet people on the forum, chat about your experiences and learn something new about the whiskies you have, and we all end up having a good time.

Please feel free to join in and post any comments or tasting notes you have. Tasting notes can be added using the Tasting Note tab on the postings page.

Most importantly, Have fun and enjoy what Ardbeg has to offer!!

[mikeymad]

Well it is only 9am on Friday morning for me... but I guess I will start.....

Looking forward to Lots of notes on this one...

See everyone soon...

Cheers,

[Ryguy]

I'll be around this evening (about 9pm EST) for any of the US folks that want to join in a day early. And also for any of the UK folks who haven't gone to sleep yet......

[Wave]

I'll be around this evening (about 9pm EST) for any of the US folks that want to join in a day early. And also for any of the UK folks who haven't gone to sleep yet......

I think I just might join you but it won't be till after work at 12am EST, so sorta technically it'll be the 25th. No use in waiting till the last moment to drink Ardbeg!

Cheers!

[Ras Mazunga]

Ardbeg Uigeadail,
Just opened a fresh bottle. Started with the smell of a shoe repair shop. Maybe rubber... Nose is becoming like Sauternes, interesting... Peat and some smoke of course, a few matches, burned rubber. Porridge, lots of it, for a moment.
Sofar not so Ardbeg like as I expected.
It was a good idea to open the bottle already, I expect the whisky to benefit from a little breathing.
Poured a second one, more room to breathe...

[SoMK]

Will be around with Ten, Uigeadail, Very Young, Airigh Nam Beist and Renaissance but no Blasda and no Corry
I'll try to survive

[lohssanami]

I'm looking forward to this tasting, but unfortunately, I was unable to get any Blasda in time. I will definitely enjoy my lineup though.

[Ryguy]

To begin my evening and the Ardbeg Tasting, I'm starting with an IB, on the lighter side of things.

The glass I'll be using tonight is the SMWS Tasting Glass.

Ardbeg 8yo ( 43%, Signatory, 1992/2000, Millennium Ed, Cask 416-417 )

Nose: Some seaweed and lightly burnt wood
Palate: Fresh fruits, very sharp tasting, very little hint of peat
Finish: Short but firm, a bit rubbery actually, wood smoke comes thru towards the end. Little to no hints of peat in the finish.
Comment: Many thanks to Dr. Entropy for this sample!!

[Ryguy]

Ardbeg 10yo ( 43%, Montgomerie's, 1991, Cask 1017 )

Nose: Fairly light on the nose, with a bit of lemon, sea salt and some peat in the background.
Palate: Not really sweet here, in fact a bit bitter. Very drinkable though, with lots of iodine and salts, no big peat that I've learned to expect with Ardbeg.
Finish: Medium finish, almost acidic, and it becomes drying with more iodine and salt.
Comment: Thanks again to Dr. Entropy for this sample!!

[Ryguy]

Moving along with no time to spare.....

Ardbeg 10yo ( 46%, OB, 2007 )

Nose: Smoke, peat and vanilla, with hints of seaweed
Palate: Big peat, especially compared to the previous two drams, dry cocoa in the background. This is well balanced between sweetness and peat.
Finish: Long and smokey sweet peat!
Comment: Very nice, good ole Ten!!

[Ryguy]

Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist ( 46%, OB, 1990/2006 )

Nose: Burnt wood smoke, some iodine and fresh see air.
Palate: Nicely balanced and creamy mix of peat, iodine, and vanilla. The iodine is predominant, but not overpowering.
Finish: Long and tasty! Really smooth, this stuff just gets better and better. Just the right amount of everything the palate offered in the finish.
Comment: Thanks to my Brother for providing me with this generous sample!

[Ryguy]

Ardbeg 17yo ( 43%, Original Bottling )

Nose: Hints of burnt rubber tires, and a bit tarry as well with peat and fresh sea air in the background.
Palate: Starts real easy, then gets very briny yet sweet, with peat and malt, also a hint of vanilla. YUMMM!
Finish: Long, peaty with fresh lemon in the end.
Comment: Very very nice!!! Thanks again to lohssanami for this sample!!!

[Ryguy]

Ardbeg 1975 ( 43%, Original Bottling, 2000 )

Nose: Wonderful mix of smoke and sea breeze, with peat in the background.
Palate: Starts sweet with some vanilla, then gets peppery and peaty, also a bit bitter.
Finish: The finish is long and drying, tarry and peaty.
Comment: Definitely one of the great, old style Ardbegs! Many thanks to PLOWED Tom for this sample!!!

[Ryguy]

Life is good when you're dramming Ardbeg!!

Ardbeg 25yo LOTI ( 46%, Original Bottling )

Nose: Big smoke on the nose, with peat as well.
Palate: Oily, rich and full, tons of peat smoke coming through with some pears in the background.
Finish: Very very long, leaves a great oily/smokey feel to it, Wow!
Comment: Many thanks to Nick (Collector57) for this excellent dram!

[Ganga]

Starting with the Ardbeg Very Young at 58.3% in a glencairn.

Nose: fruit bowl-apples, strawberries, malty, seaweed, creosote
Palate: oily chocolate, malty, maybe some fresh fruits
Finish: long, bitter chocolate and oily

More enjoyable with a little bit of water.

My thanks to Lohss for the sample.

[Ganga]

Next up the Still Young at 56.2 in glencairn.

Nose: milk chocolate, creosote. Fresh fruit and malt in the background.

Palate: Smokey (peat), dk chocolate, sea harbor

Finish: long with an oily smoke

Little bit more enjoyable without the addition of water.

Again, my thanks to Lohss

[Ganga]

The Ardbeg Almost There at 54.1 in glencairn.

Nose: peat smoke and brownie mix (wet), creosote. Malt is really light. Fruit way in the background.

Palate: oily, cooked brownies, light fresh fruits

Finish: moderately long and filled with creosote and peat smoke

Thanks Lohss.

[Ryguy]

Ardbeg 29yo Ardbeggeddon ( 48.4%, Douglas Laing for PLOWED, 1972/2001, 227 bottles)

Nose: Rich and oily, with seaweed and lightly cooked apples.
Palate: Very oily and full, really nicely balanced. Hints of lemons and some sweet pepper too, with peat and iodine/salt around as well.
Finish: Long with lots of seasalt and maritime notes.
Comment: Fabulous dram! Many thanks to PLOWED Alan for this sample!!

[Ganga]

Corryvreckan at 57.1 in glencairn.

Nose: caramel and nuts, some ground black pepper. Background notes of malt, peat smoke and an oiliness.

Palate: wonderful balance of creosote, smoke and cracked white pepper. Some light notes of nuts and iodine.

Finish: long and warming. Lingering oiliness and pepper.

This is thanks to Ras Mazunga through ryguy. Thank you gentlemen.

[Wave]

'ello fellow earlybirds!
Just home from work and starting on my 1st of 3 Ardbeg's for the night. Starting with...
Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist 46% OB 2006 bottling

Glass: Glencairn

Nose: Fresh peat and red fruits like cherries in smoke, slight whiff of iodine.
Palate: Initially creamy then slowly drying, refined peat
Finish: Long and drying lots of peat smoke with just a touch of salt

A sophisticated Ardbeg, my favorite style!

Cheers!

[Ryguy]

Cheers Wave! Nice to see you out early joining in with us!

[Wave]

The second one for tonight....
Ardbeg (NAS) 1977 46% OB

Glass: Glencairn

Nose:Heavy peat smoke and iodine, ocean breeze
Palate: Semi sweet and spicy with lots of peat and creosote
Finish: Very long, peppery and lightly oiled, heavy creosote, almost like sucking on a peated firelog! Sea salt comes through in the later stages.

I'd almost forgotten how good the '77 really is! To me it almost makes the TEN seem tame! Definitely one to savor! I think I'll have another....

Cheers!

[Ryguy]

Ardbeg Corryvreckan ( 57.1%, Committee Reserve 2008, 70cl )

Nose: Sweet but with some peat in the background, along with freshly dug dirt. Probably the most interesting nose on an Ardbeg that I've had.
Palate: Very nicely balanced and complex. Starts really sweet, then mixes of tar, lemons, heavy oil, and some light chocolate.
Finish: Long and tasty! Very oily and the peat comes through a bit.
Comment: Thanks again to Ras for this sample! After tasting this finally, it won't be long before I open my bottle!!

[Wave]

Heya Ryguy!
Looks like some tasty Ardbeg's have been sampled already.
Starting a day early is nice, a 2fer is even possible!


Cheers!

[pkt77242]

Having some ardbeg 10. I really enjoy this whisky, the smoke, tar, peat, and some tangerines or orange. I also like the strength of it at 46%. I find that I really enjoy whisky at the 46-50% range. It is slowly climing its way back into my top five.

Sean

[Wave]

Third and final Ardbeg....
Ardbeg Uigeadail 2004 54.2% OB

Nose: Heavy peat smoke and light sherry notes
Palate:Heavy, oily and peaty, mouth-coating with peaty sweetness
Finish: Throat coating, long chewy and heavy peat smoke gives way to light sweet sherry followed by more smoke.
This is an Ardbeg one can sink their teeth into! By God it's a meal!

Cheers!

[mikeymad]

Looks like some pretty good samples out there. I had a couple (off the record) tonight. But I will be ready for notes tomorrow.

Cheers,

[Ryguy]

Having some ardbeg 10. I really enjoy this whisky, the smoke, tar, peat, and some tangerines or orange. I also like the strength of it at 46%. I find that I really enjoy whisky at the 46-50% range. It is slowly climing its way back into my top five.

Sean

Cheers Sean, thanks for the note!!

[Ryguy]

I have 12 lined up, plus Serendipity (well, it kind of counts!).
So it will be small measures for me or

Agreed Nick, I stuck to 15ml pours last night. There's a good chance I'll be able to pop in today when it kicks off for a bit, maybe for another Ardbeg or two. But I'm driving later, so I need to be easy.

[LagaDrinker]

I have then 10 and the still young lined up in my (small) range, so it will be large measures for me. See you there guys

[TheTross]

I have the following to play with:

Mini Ten L3
Ten L8
New Ten
Renaissance (thanks to Ras Mazunga)
Corryvreckan (thanks again to Ras Mazunga)
Ar1 (thanks again again to Ras Mazunga! Think I owe you some samples...)
Lord of the Isles (thanks to DanAir)

That's if I'm able to make it, as I have a habit of ending up on nights out organised at the last minute

Failing that I'll jump in sometime tomorrow.

[Willie JJ]

I can't make it until tomorrow at earliest, but that may be a good thing after last night.

[Spirit of Islay]

Seeing everyone else has started early.....
The UK's , if not Europes , biggest Ardbeg fan logging in....
(May as well blow my own trumpet , no one else does....)
Going to be going through stuff i've never got around to writing notes for on my superb Islay whisky site ( May as well Blah , Blah , Blah , see previous comment....)

[Spirit of Islay]

Expression - Signatory Vintage
Year - 1991 (Dist 28/2/1991 Bott 13/4/1999)
Age - 8yo
Cask / Bottle No. - 617~620 / 157 of 1780
Colour - Gold
Nose - For 43% bit of a nose prickling to it , peat , burning embers .
Palate - Peat is the overwhelming taste , slight Creamy Fudge .
Finish - Medium and peaty !
Comments - Lively for the ABV , easy drinking in the long run , still can't figure out why Signatory released so many casks in one go.

[Spirit of Islay]

Expression - Signatory Vintage
Year - 1991 ( Dist 28/2/1991 , Bott 2/3/1999)
Age - 8
ABV - 43%
Cask / Bottle No. - 606~609 / 1600 of 1945
Colour - Pale Straw
Nose - Strange Nose at first , can't work out what it is , then the peat comes through , also sea air and old warehouses .
Palate - Very dry peat and not a lot else at first but later fudginess comes through .
Finish - Medium , creamy peatiness .
Comments - Not as nice as the one from Casks 617~620 , seems to be a lesser quality of casks .