Ardbeg very young - 6YO.

[bamber]

Bought a bottle of this from Royal Mile whiskies, London, on Saturday (incidently they are very nice in there and the shop is definitely worth a visit).

I think its my favourite Ardbeg get - white pepper, oodles of peat mollases and salty. So rich and drinkable and the finsh lasts about and hour !

As JM says, your life will be incomplete if you do not get a bottle of this whisky.

[Aidan]

Yeah, I had it at a tasting and it was very good. Is the stuff you have bottled at cask strength? Wonderful whisky.

By the way, JM may have raved about it because he probably thinks he created it

[richard]

if it wasnt for jm i probaly wouldnt have tried ardbeg as i wasnt a fan of lgavulin or laphroaig so to find a peaty perfection of ardbeg was good for me made me open my eyes i think you will fid he is the best writer of whisky around knocks shades of any one else he is not afraid to call a spade a spade and he knows a good whisky unlike some people or be a bit nitpicking

[Aidan]

Richard

for the record, I agree with you. I think he's the best whisky writer and I'd buy his books before I'd buy anyone else's.

He does rate the whiskys he is involved with very highly, but that's natural - afterall,, he's bound to like them. He was also involved in formulating the Ardbeg 10, but I think a lot of credit should also go to the master distiller.

[richard]

what seems to forgotten bill lumsden used to pay jm lip service as he called it about ardbeg but has since changed his mind as we know its oned by glenmorangie as is back in full service and wrightly so what annoys me is everyone thinks every ardbeg is the tops and quotes jm to sell there bottle shame on them for missusing a quote so much i wish he was still doing articles for the whisky mag i dont know why he left any ideas

[Aidan]

I think he left because he felt his unbiased opinoin was being compromised. Might have been something to do with advertising in the magazine.

[richard]

thanks aidan i stopped buying the magazine not long afterhe left seems to have lost its way which is a shame as we need it i have recently bought a years subscription but i am not sure i will carry on when it finishes

[Mr Fjeld]

Sorry for digging up this old thread but I looked for a "Very Young" thread and found this "Very Old one" instead!
.....Christian looks over his shoulder to see if Mr Picky is around somewhere....

Anyway, could someone please tell me when Ardbeg will bottle and start selling the "Very Young" - 7 YO?

Skål!
Christian

[Spirit of Islay]

Sorry for digging up this old thread but I looked for a "Very Young" thread and found this "Very Old one" instead!
.....Christian looks over his shoulder to see if Mr Picky is around somewhere....

Anyway, could someone please tell me when Ardbeg will bottle and start selling the "Very Young" - 7 YO?

Skål!
Christian

Everybodies a comedian ......Boom,Boom !
I asked this very question a few weeks ago and got told to look out for it in October .
If the 6yo is "Very Young" , will the 7yo be -
"Not as Very Young "
"Not so Very Young "
"Slightly Older but still Very Young"
"Not so Very Young but definitely not Very Old !"
" A year older Very Young" ........

See what you've started Christian....

Slainté
Gordon (not so "Very Young" but not "Very Old" either......Pass the serendipity !)

[Mr Fjeld]

Hehe! Thanks for the reply!


Skål!
Christian

[robs42]

Sorry to be factul guys, but I've been informed that the new release will be called "Still Young" Ardbeg and will be released about September at the earliest. However, I would have thought the LVMH marketing boys could have come up with something a bit more imaginative.

Robby

[Deactivated Member]

Last year's Very Young 6, this year's Very Young 7, and next year's Very Young 8 will all be from the same vintage--the first produced under new ownership. Maybe it would make more sense to keep releasing a 6yo instead, to maintain steady supply. Or, since the idea of it was originally to present a work in progress, a 6, a 7, and an 8. Cue Bob Dylan: Forever Young.

[Spirit of Islay]

Last year's Very Young 6, this year's Very Young 7, and next year's Very Young 8 will all be from the same vintage--the first produced under new ownership. Maybe it would make more sense to keep releasing a 6yo instead, to maintain steady supply. Or, since the idea of it was originally to present a work in progress, a 6, a 7, and an 8. Cue Bob Dylan: Forever Young.

To join in Robs42 "Factual" bit , the very first one (the "For approval" or VYA as it's become known) was from the first produced under new ownership (vintage 1997) , last years "Very Young" (AKA AVY) was 1998 vintage , they are releasing the same year to show how it progresses through to the "Ten" .
To go off on a tangent , in a way Murray McDavid have been doing the same with the 1991 Ardbeg it's been releasing , from an 8yo to the 14yo that was available at the Feis Ile this year (shame they spoilt it a bit by bunging it in a Bloodtub ) .

I'm really looking forward to seeing how Stuarts brew works out at an older age , i've had a try of a 1999 at a younger age and that was even better again than the VYA and VYA , more power to your elbow Mr Thomson or is it Daley ?

Slainté
Gordon

[Mr Fjeld]

Great! I didn't know that the "For Approval" and the "Very Young Ardbeg" was from different vintages!

Skål!
Christian

Edit: is the difference between the two great enough to justify buying the "For Approval" - if it's possible to get hold of at all?

[Deactivated Member]

As I recall, the first bottling of VY was originally a very limited release, for Ardbeg Committee members only (not that that's a particularly exclusive club). Does anyone recall, was it only available at the distillery? Did they make it more widely available later? I don't remember.

The Whisky Exchange has a package called Peat Challenge for £84.26 (+VAT), which it describes thus:

1 x Isle of Jura 5yo (Original Bottling)
1 x Ardbeg Very Young (Original Bottling)*
1 x Benriach - Heavily Peated (Signatory Bottling)
*[For real? No further explanation; picture shows "Ardbeg Very Young"]

Otherwise I would think it would be very hard to come by.

[Admiral]

I tried the Ardbeg Very Young 6yo about a month or so ago.

It was a very fascinating and complex dram, with enough peat to sink a battleship.

But it was young, and it tasted young. Some of my fellow tasters thought it was absolutely spectacular and they scored it very highly indeed. However, it was simply too "green". There's a reason why Ardbeg's flagship release is 10 years old.....that's when it hits its straps. So a six year old whisky is still a 'whisky in the making.'

I didn't see the merit in scoring it too highly, because it leaves you no room to move when the (better) 10yo, 17yo, and 1977 whiskies come along.

I still thought it was a cracking dram, and - best of all - it was a wonderful opportunity to learn what an immature Ardbeg tastes like. Wouldn't it be good if we could try all of our favourite malts at 6 years old and see how they develop?

Cheers,
Admiral

[Mr Fjeld]

I'll second your opinion Admiral! However, I believe the current "Very Young" will be quite different from the current Ten when it reaches the same age - first and foremost because they've changed their use of casks from refill to first fill bourbon casks. So it will be different in time. The only thing that worries me slightly is that I love the Ardbeg Ten's subdued liqouricy taste - but I don't want more of it as the Ten is so supremely balanced.

Skål!
Christian

[andrewfenton]

Have to agree with Admiral - the VY is just not mature enough for me, and given how cheap the standard 10yr bottling is I don't really see the point. Also, the VY is only a fraction cheaper than the Laphraoig 10 CS, which is far superior to my mind.

[bernstein]

I tasted a sample a while ago and agree with Andrew and Admiral - VY is impressive in its own peat-scale, but not comparable to the 10 or even the Uigeadail. I decided to be patient and wait another three to four years...

[Mr Fjeld]

........my fear as I said earlier is that it won't be the same balanced expression as we are used to with the current Ten. I certainly don't want more of that liqouricy taste that currently makes me stay away from the Laphroaig CS. Unfortunately that will be the case due to the use of first fill bourbon casks

Skål!
Christian

[bernstein]

........my fear as I said earlier is that it won't be the same balanced expression as we are used to with the current Ten. I certainly don't want more of that liqouricy taste that currently makes me stay away from the Laphroaig CS. Unfortunately that will be the case due to the use of first fill bourbon casks

Skål!
Christian

Very interesting to read about your concern regarding the balance of the future TEN, Christian! After all, the TEN will be different in 2008, that's for sure.
But is it really necessarily so that the first-fill Bourbon casks will produce that liqouricy taste? Thinking of Laphroaig CS I think I know what you mean. But aren't Bourbon casks well known more for releasing quantities of vanillin into its contents and assisting in removing off-notes.
Liqourice wasn't a foreground note that I detected while tasting VY though. But that shouldn't mean anything and who knows what will happen over the next years.

[Spirit of Islay]

Just to fly in the face of what everybodies saying , i find the two young Ardbegs very mature for the age they are , the use of first fill casks has definitely improved the maturing over spirit i've tried from the previous owners distillation ( and the fact that there's a higher Phenol count !) . I've found tastes in them that i'd only found in the older (from the 70's) bottlings that were lacking in the recent bottlings (of allied production ) spirit i.e. the Ardbeg Cocoa . Tho i did find that a recent purchase of 1996 SOS Ardbeg , it almost matched the two Very Youngs . I'm looking forward to getting the brand new release of the SMWS 1998 /6yo (33.57) that has been matured in a Gorda cask , see what difference a larger cask makes and whether it is has the same excellent taste the 6yo Gorda Bunnahabhain had . I've had quite a few of the Islays in young releases , the 7yo Caol ila (53.50) was a stunner , the recent 6yo Bowmore from RMW was disappointing (especially after trying the 2 5yo Bowmore casks at the festival ) and the aforementioned Bunny at 6yo was excellent .

Slainté
Gordon

[Mr Fjeld]

Interesting reading Gordon - especially your opinions on the new (6/7yo) whiskies similarity to the old Ardbegs - which I haven't tasted by the way. I certainly liked the Very Young but I'm a bit conserned about the future Ten. I guess there isn't really any reason to be since I fancy this distillery so much. It could be that I've had too much peat lately and need a little time off for a while...
It's also nice to pause with the Balvenie 15.....

Skål!
Christian

[Tom]

Christian, like you i have a litlle fear for the new Ardbeg Ten to come. The liquerice you mentioned to me is quite obvious in the VY, and so is the almost overpowering wood in the flavor.However in my experience it seems that liquerice is most common in young bottlings. The Isle Of Jura 5Y old comes to mind. So its probably fair to expect most of it to be gone by the age of Ten with perhaps some hints of it left in the finish. My concern however is the change to first fill bourbon casks. I noticed Ardbeg in first fill tends to be quite floral and by times fragrant even. The best Ardbegs i sampled were Second fill bourbon so this is quite a change. On the other hand, the Provenance is matured in first fill and although im not that fond of it, most people swear its the best. All by all Ardbeg still has to release a "bad" bottling so I have no doubt the new Ten will be just as good as usual, but probably quite different.

[Spirit of Islay]

I certainly liked the Very Young but I'm a bit conserned about the future Ten.
Skål!
Christian

Hi Christian ,
i think you may find that the future "Ten" will differ from the present "Ten" , same as the last "Guaranteed 10yo" (which was actually 13yo )was a different beast to the present "Ten" .
The "Guaranteed 10yo" was an Iodine monster (along the lines of the VOA) , very smooth and dry , whereas the current Ten is an all out Peat Monster .
I've personally got high hopes for the future ten , roll on the 25th june 2007 when the first Glenmo Ardbeg spirit reaches 10yo , less than 2 years to go .....

[Mr Fjeld]

Hi Tom & Gordon!
It's strange but because Ardbeg (the Ten) is the whisky that renewed the interest, the passion, and the sheer lunatic single mindedness of whisky I've aquired - thus I believe I can forgive Ardbeg everything!
My fear of the future Ten is probably only a sneaking feeling of horror that I'm not ever going to taste the lovely Ten as I know it in the future. My experience of every other Ardbeg (ex-Glenmorangie) whiskies tell me that I'm wrong. I love every single one, including the Very Young.

For me the Ten is the true favourite - the one every whisky should be measured against. At least when talking about the "rate of enjoyability" if there ever existed such a silly expression

Skål!
Christian

[andrewfenton]

I doubt there's much to worry about - Ardbeg in my book can't do much wrong at the moment. The 10, the 17, Uigedail and LoTI - all incredible whiskies. Even the VY is an extremely good dram, regardless of what I said before (I just prefer the cheaper 10).

[Admiral]

When the Glenmorangie-produced Ardbeg 10yo is released in a few years time, will it be entirely from first fill bourbon casks? Or will there be a portion of refill casks filled and added to the vatting?

I imagine the latter is a more likely scenario, because I daresay Ardbeg will look to achieve some sort of flavour consistency in the 10yo.

Surely they wouldn't suddenly alter the flavour profile too drastically too suddenly?

(Hmmmm...why did Laphroaig 10yo and Talisker 10yo suddenly spring to mind? )

Cheers,
Admiral

[Lawrence]

I noted a disturbing amount of juniper in the AVY however after visiting the bottle a few more times I find that the whisky has balance, in a wild sort of fashion.

[Deactivated Member]

Three thoughts.

1) The new 10 will undoubtedly be different from the current 10. We might as well start getting over it now. And stock up!

2) Admiral, if I remember, I'll ask about the makeup when I go in October.... I'd better start writing this stuff down.

3) Ardbeg may be best at ten, or seventeen, or twenty; but generally I think there's no real reason why a six or even younger couldn't be perfectly good. I believe the Ten Barrier is a psychological/marketing phenomenon.

[Crispy Critter]

If my experience with Ardbeg is any indication, the new 10 should be a fine dram, even if it's "different" than the current offering. So far, I've never been let down by any Ardbeg bottling I've tried (10, 17, Uigeadail, or 1977).

Unfortunately, I can only find 50 ml minis of the 17. I hadn't yet tried Islays when I saw regular-size bottles of A17 on the shelf, and so slept at the switch when I could have bought some.

Of course, VYA isn't to be found on this side of the pond unless you get it in Europe and bring it back. A big store like Binny's or Park Avenue might have enough clout to get a few bottles, but I'm not going to hold my breath. I can understand the reasoning for not releasing it here (making sure there will be enough 10 to go around!), in any case.

[hpulley]

At the moment, the only OB Ardbeg available here in Ontario is the 10yo. While this is sad, at least the TEN is a wonderful whisky. I was sad when my last bottle of 17yo was finished. I keep bugging the LCBO, Ardbeg and their Ontario agent about bringing in some others. They tell me that there will be more in the fall. I wait, with bated breath...

Harry

[Mr Fjeld]

Same story here Harry! You can get the Ten but that's it - although it's my favourite whisky! However, luckily a friend told me that the importer of Ardbeg still had 6 bottles of VYA left after providing my workplace with it for a tasting. After all this talk in this thread I ran out and ordered two of them! A tad expensive at ca. 130 -140 pounds though I didn't plan on using that much on whisky this month but I'm convincing myself it's because I celebrate lower than expected plumbing bills and the new car we bought. I'm running out of excuses!

Skål!
Christian

[Spirit of Islay]

When the Glenmorangie-produced Ardbeg 10yo is released in a few years time, will it be entirely from first fill bourbon casks? Or will there be a portion of refill casks filled and added to the vatting?

I imagine the latter is a more likely scenario, because I daresay Ardbeg will look to achieve some sort of flavour consistency in the 10yo.

Stuart always points out that spirit to be used for Single Malt is only filled into First fill bourbon casks , so i dare say there won't be any refills in the mix . I would have thought they would want to develope a vatting that only contains their own product and not some of the previous owners that might be in infreior wood , i certainly would do that and going off the AVY it's going to be a hell of a malt with just F.F. casks !

Slainté
Gordon

[Lawrence]

A tad expensive at ca. 130 -140 pounds though

That IS expensive.