New Ardbeg on the horizon

[andrewfenton]

Went into my local whisky shop yesterday, and the manager told me there's a new (and cheap) Ardbeg coming out. Apparently there was a error at some IB, and some older Ardbeg ended up in a cask that already had a tiny part of Glen Grant in it. As a result they can't sell it as Ardbeg or Glen Grant, and us lovely consumers will end up with a quality older Ardbeg at a relatively cheap price (apparently around £35).

I might have a few of the details mixed up (it was a really long day yesterday), but that was the gist of it.

[robertk]

I believe it is in fact Glen Moray 12yo and not Glen Grant and it will be called Serendipity . Unless it's all an aprils fool joke, a very elaborate one in that case! The price is at 29.99£ (atleast for committee members).

regards, Robert

[rthomson]

Interesting. Any idea what the availability might be, ie. will those of us in the states have a chance at seeing it?

Ron

[andrewfenton]

Yeah, Serendipidity was the name, and the committee thing sounds famailiar also. I asked about the April Fool potential, but apparently this predates all that.

It's definitely a mistake though - because of regulations that can't legally sell this as Ardbeg or Glenwhatever, it has to be under some other name. As a result, the price will be peanuts compared to what they'd charge for this age of whisky normally. Of course, doesn't mean it will be a decent whisky...............

[andrewfenton]

Tempting - anyone thinking of purchasing a bottle? I'm already at my monthly whisky budget

[Admiral]

My, we get the knives out quickly these days, don't we?

[Spirit of Islay]

Well at least it's not a limited edition release of 67,000 + bottles Admiral ,
Gets more like the x files every bottle release this place

[Spirit of Islay]

The serendipity isn't a 67,000 + L.E. i was refering to the Fiddich 1991 L.E. , trust someone to pick it up the wrong way
(note - forget humourous remarks.....) .

[Lawrence]

Amazing marketing isn't it? A vatting, sorry, a blending as they now say of 20% Glen Moray and 80% Ardbeg and presto you have a new Ardbeg expression without even using the Ardbeg name.

Being only available at the Ardbeg website and not at Glen Moray website and it's an Ardbeg by association.

Amazing.

[Admiral]

Being a Committee Member, I actually received a brochure directly from Ardbeg in yesterday's mail devoted to explaining the Serendipity bottling.

Forget the April Fools stuff, this is real.

Cost is 30 pounds + 20 pounds postage to Australia. Sorry folks, but 50 pounds = AUS$135. Not sure I'd be prepared to spend that much for an untasted, unreviewed malt.

Cheers,
Admiral

[Lawrence]

It's not a joke, a person on Islay just emailed me the tasting notes, she tried it this after noon and she quite liked it.

[WestVanDave]

I just received my Ardbeg Committee piece promoting this today. I also heard from Jim Murray that this is an interesting experience (not an official review - and it was just a passing comment mind you, but it sounded like an endorsement to me). Still - can't get it through to Canada easily...

Cheers, Dave.

[robertk]

Lawrence: It as a blended malt which is equal to a vatted malt these days. Not to be mixed with blended scotch which is the equivalent to the old concept of a blend.

This is according to the new rules by SWA and has nothing to do with marketing... and after all this (quite cheap) blended malt contains 80% Ardbeg Very Old so it's not entirely out of order to call it atleast something close to an Ardbeg expression, or?

regards, R

[Lawrence]

Thanks for the update however I fully understand the difference between a blended malt and a vatted malt.

There is none!

[YK23]

is it a vatted malt or a blend?

[Lawrence]

The Scotch Whisky Association has proposed new rules one of which is to replace the word vatted with 'blended malt whiskies'. Thus this new creation called Serendipity is a vatted malt or a blended malt scotch whisky.

[richard]

there is one thing its not ardbeg
glenmorangie seem to make a habit of making mistakes when decanting casks of whisky
the 80 20 comes to mind do you think its a ploy or are they just careless

richard

[Lawrence]

Apparently it involved the last batch of Ardbeg 17 (hence the chill filtration), 80% Ardbeg and 20 % Glen Moray 12 and thus it's stated age is 12 years old.

[robs42]

I've heard rumours, and it is a rumour, that the Ardbeg was actually some 1977. This if right was an extremely costly mistake. I'm also pretty sure that there is no new A17 in the near future. However, I have been told by the distillery that there are going to be 2 new releases coinciding with feis isle - I'm guessing one will be the 7yo, but I don't know about the other.

[Admiral]

The actual brochure that Ardbeg sent me regarding the Serendipity states that the Ardbeg comes from a time around the distillery's closure.

My interpretation of this is that it either comes from 1983 or 1989.

We don't seriously believe this was an accident do we? Wrong lever? I don't think so.


Cheers,
Admiral

[Aidan]

I think they pulled the lever that unleashed the marketing department on the world. This lever should have been clearly marked - no electrified.

Anyway, I've bought two bottles, so it worked.

[Lawrence]

Usually when 'mistakes' happen the product such as this vanishes into a blend (with grain whisky) however in this case who knows?

[WhiskyHill]

Apparantly the Ardbeg was a 1981 or 1982 distillation and was intended as a final bottling of 17 year old. But you would rather have the Serendipity for 30 quid a pop as opposed to 45 or 50 for straight Ardie?

[Frodo]

Exactly! Sign me up if it comes to the LCBO!!!

No chance though - I'd have heard about it already.

[Deactivated Member]

Apparantly the Ardbeg was a 1981 or 1982 distillation and was intended as a final bottling of 17 year old. But you would rather have the Serendipity for 30 quid a pop as opposed to 45 or 50 for straight Ardie?

No.

[Lawrence]

Mr. Tattiehead said "No"

I'm sorry, I don't understand this pun...........

[lucabeer]

I tried the Serendipity... well, I'm afraid it's not great...

Very bland, almost watery. No obvious Ardbeg influence (practically no peat!), neither much of Glen Moray's peachy fruitiness.

Quite boring. It reminded me of dry white wine.

[hpulley]

The lighted peated '81 Ardbeg is not that Ardeg-like to begin with. To water it down further with Glen Moray does sound dubious in hindsight. I enjoyed A17 but it was vatted with some peatier stuff too and there seems to have been light and lighter batches of that one; mine were all good.

Harry

[lucabeer]

The lighted peated '81 Ardbeg is not that Ardeg-like to begin with. To water it down further with Glen Moray does sound dubious in hindsight. I enjoyed A17 but it was vatted with some peatier stuff too and there seems to have been light and lighter batches of that one; mine were all good.

Harry

Actually I like the 1980 Kildalton Ardbeg (recently bottled for the Committee unfiltered and at cask strength) a lot, in spite of being much less peaty than usual. It's not an everyday dram, but it is excellent. And more peaty than I thought (and very intense, too). And, yes, still Ardbegish in spite of the sweetness.

So, either the unpeated 1981 Ardbeg used for Serendipity was a very different run from the 1980 one, or it's the effect of something they did to it to "tone it down" (watering, filtering, etc.)

[hpulley]

I haven't actually tried the Serendip or the Committee Kildalton. I'm just armchair tasting here...

Harry

[Deactivated Member]

I haven't actually tried the Serendip or the Committee Kildalton. I'm just armchair tasting here...

Harry

Color: Loud plaid

Nose: Human sweat, wool, cat litter box

Palate: Lots of wool, very fuzzy. Opens up with a flick of the lever

Finish: Dry, very long. Listerine chaser recommended

[hpulley]

[Lord_Pfaffin]

In an interview with SWR during the spring of 1999; Dr. Bill Lumsden, at the time head of distilleries and maturation at Glenmorangie did make the following statement: Quote " In future we may do something with a different cask but probably not sherry; the Ardbeg style does not involve sherry. As for herring-barrel finish I think there is enough of the smoked fish character there already! Whatever we do do it must be something robust to overcome the phenols, rum perhaps." Unquote.
Implementing this idea might be a way better plan than the Serendipity and sounds way more interesting.
Hmmm, i wonder what happened with that idea?
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