Ardbeg Still Young

by **Jan** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 6:22 am

The successor to "very young" must be close to release - I just saw a review of a new Ardbeg ‘Still Young’ over at http://www.whiskyfun.com.

Cheers
Jan

by **kallaskander** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 9:56 am

Hi there,

in Germany retailers will have from begining of April on.

Greetings
kallaskander

by **SpiritofShetland** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:21 am

Seems to be available from Wright Wine and Whisky Company for £31.95 already.

by **lbacha** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 1:14 pm

I just tasted it at Whiskey Live in Belgium and glenmorangie wouldn't specify but they did say that it is bottled and going to market soon. It is an excellent dram alittle brash still but it is maturing nicly. You can start to taste some sweetness underneath all the smoke. I can't wait to get a bottle.

Len

by **Jan** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 6:23 am

Only Malts in Norway has some pictures:

http://www.onlymalts.com/v2/art.php?id=91

Looks very nice... and sort of gives away the name of the next release, robbing us of a year of delightful speculation

Cheers
Jan

by **Mr Fjeld** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 5:07 pm

"Still Young! is due to be released in Norway in May (great work Bjørn) and the price is very nice too! I was lucky enought to et my hands on a couple of bottles of "Very young" which were not really meant for sale in Norway, but I'll buy two of the Still Young as well.

I wonder how much will be left of the standard Ten when the new "Ten" arrives.. Worth stashing away?

Christian

by **Lawrence** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 5:30 pm

I asked Anthony Burnett, just before he retired, about the stocks of ten year old that were to be available each year, he said not to worry as they had loads of it.

The Still Young looks interesting.......

by **Mr Fjeld** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 11:03 pm

Lawrence wrote:I asked Anthony Burnett, just before he retired, about the stocks of ten year old that were to be available each year, he said not to worry as they had loads of it.

That's a relief to know as it was the Ten that brought me into the fold again! Could be interesting in the future when the pre-Glenmorangie spirit becomes older and new releases follows - and then again being replaced with the glenmorangie spirit.

Christian

by **Frodo** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:12 am

Mr Fjeld wrote:I was lucky enought to et my hands on a couple of bottles of "Very young" which were not really meant for sale in Norway, but I'll buy two of the Still Young as well.

Christian

I thought I heard that the pre-Glenmorangie Ardbegs (ie-10yr OB) were using 2nd fill bourbon casks, but the post-'morangie Ardies use 1st fill bourbons. I'm wondering if you can taste the difference on that score...

by **Mr Fjeld** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:47 am

I recall Andrew Jefford also mentioned that in Peat, Smoke & Spirit. He expressed his grief over the fact that they no longer use sherry casks - now it's apparently first fill bourbon only. Do you think it will mean a spirit closer to Laphroaig in style? Correct me if I'm wrong but I think they also use mainly first fill bourbon casks? It'll be very exciting to taste the "new" Ten when it arrives....

Christian

by **MGillespie** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 2:21 am

I suspect this one may have some US availability...I was talking with John Hansell of Malt Advocate a few weeks ago about next week's WhiskyFest in Chicago, and he told me Ardbeg had a couple of surprises in store (and he didn't know what they would be). This ties in well with what Bjorn and Jan have mentioned...

Mark

by **Deactivated Member** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 5:55 am

SpiritofShetland wrote:Seems to be available from Wright Wine and Whisky Company for £31.95 already.

Wright Wine, in Skipton, Yorkshire, is a great shop, well worth a visit, but their prices are quite high.

by **Dubois** » Tue May 02, 2006 7:32 pm

Just picked up this bottle today.
Having my first dram, I was surprised how fresh it tasted and less peated than expected .
As a first impression : a first class dram :!:

by **Admiral** » Tue May 02, 2006 10:36 pm

At the time that the VYA was released (as a six year old), the SMWS also released a few casks of 6yo Ardbeg. I sampled two of them - one was from a sherry gorda, and it was the most amazing whisky. Despite being a large cask, the gorda seemed to accelerate the maturation, and the sherried bottling seemed more like a 10 year old in its depth and complexity. Having an Ardbeg with sherry sweetness is a rare and valued treat!

The other SMWS cask came from ex-bourbon and it was an absolute peat monster - smoke, smoke, and smoke.

This year, the SMWS is now releasing some seven year old casks, and I've already tried one. Again, it is just an amazing explosion of peat. I understand from Stuart Thompson that since Glenmorangie took over in 1999, they've changed the way they mill the malt, and that the husks are now included in the mash. This has had the effect of actually increasing the phenols in the final spirit.

Don't quote me on the numbers, but it was something like this:

Ardbeg specify their malt be peated to 50ppm. After the distillation process, the final phenol reading in the spirit used to be around 15.

With the new milling process of including the husks, the final phenol reading in the spirit is now up closer to 20.

In other words, Ardbeg has become a peatier whisky than it used to be.

So when the existing 10yo runs out and the Glenmorangie-distilled 10yo comes on line, we should all notice a discernable increase in the peatiness of Ardbeg.

by **Photon** » Wed May 03, 2006 1:14 am

Admiral wrote:(Really interesting post - read it.)

So when the existing 10yo runs out and the Glenmorangie-distilled 10yo comes on line, we should all notice a discernable increase in the peatiness of Ardbeg.

I can't help but have some mixed feelings about that. I like the current bottling a lot, but am also excited about the 'morangie-ditilled Arbeg. I guess nothing remains the same.

At least I get the pleasure of trying 'em both.

-P.

by **toshie** » Wed May 03, 2006 3:30 pm

I understand a release later this year is to be named Almost There. Can anyone confirm?

by **Mr Fjeld** » Wed May 03, 2006 3:54 pm

That's correct toshie - they even released a picture with the "still young" and the "almost there" side by side.

Ooops Edit: I was right - and wrong! Not a bottle but ON the box in this picture - From Onlymalts:

http://www.onlymalts.com/v2/art.php?id=91

Christian

by **toshie** » Wed May 03, 2006 4:23 pm

Thanks, Christian, I'm looking forward to the new 10, but a dram or two of the pre-releases will keep me ticking over

by **Steve Rush** » Tue May 23, 2006 9:42 pm

A surprising wee dram, as said above not as peaty as expected but also alot sweeter than I expected. Two down one to go, roll on the 'Almost There'.

by **PuckJunkie** » Tue May 23, 2006 11:03 pm

I don't suppose we'll ever see "Still Young" in the US? Or that "Very Young" is obtainable here? Looks like I need to schedule a trip to the UK...

Puck

by **Di Blasi** » Wed May 24, 2006 1:01 pm

The Still Young is available now, but the Almost There is slated for release in 2007. We have a year to go!!!