Uigeadail

[drfred]

I just purchased a case of Oogie and was wondering about the placing of 'Traditional Strength' on the label. One bottle has it below the light colored area and the case has it in the area. Any clue as to when they were bottled?

[Deactivated Member]

Hi DrFred,
The normal Oogies usually have a date of distillation and bottling on the reverse label.
But look carefully, it is small and not very prominent.

WH

[Di Blasi]

The first Uigeadail I tasted, the one in the box that has the special flip lid, was excellent! Truly a wonderful and special Ardbeg living up to its reputation. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed when the new bottling arrived, (without that nice lid), and the whisky inferior to the previous bottling. I hope what you bought is the older bottling. Its color is a bit more of a rusty coppery orange, while as the newer one is more golden.

[kallaskander]

Hi there,

searching for Uigeadail will lead you to another thread were we have discussed the merits of different bottlings.

Greetings
kallaskander

[Di Blasi]

Yes of course, I should've figured that, as Ardbeg topics are always big discussions! Thanks, I'll have to look for that, as I start to wonder now what others have found.

[drfred]

Thanks guys!!! You were most helpful. By the way, the boxes were the flip lid type.

[drfred]

Thanks guys!!! You were most helpful. By the way, the boxes were the flip lid type.

[lbacha]

I didn't ralize there was a box that didn't have a flip lid. Is it a very recent release

Len

[Spirit of Islay]

I can only remember ever seeing the bottling date on one edition/batch , the second , the rest have had no bottling dates on . The last one i picked up was last week at the festival and that's got zilch on and it's in the traditional style Ardbeg box . The only way to really distinguish them is the bottling line code but you'll need to know what that means !
Slainte
Gordon

[Deactivated Member]

I have wondered about flip lids. I have 1977 at home, two bottles of which have a "flip lid" on the box (kind of webbed cardboard flanges) and one has a traditional lid (there was a second one of these but I drank it ). Does this mean there were two versions of the 77?

[drfred]

Just checked and the case bottles all have bottled in the year 2004. The single bottle had no date.

[Deactivated Member]

I have two of the Oogies in my collection, both have similar boxes apart from the fact that one shows the strength and volume on the front of the box.

Bottle 1: Box front states 54.2% 70cl.
The reverse label states ...:"Special vatting of 1993" "Bottled in the year 2004"

Bottle 2: The 54.2% & 70cl are on the sides of the box, not the front.
The reverse label states ..."special vatting of 1993" "Bottled in the year of 2003"

Both boxes are flip top.


My question now is whether there is a third version "Bottled in the year of 2005" ???

[Deactivated Member]

The question in my mind is, why doesn't Ardbeg go the a'bunadh route and label the Uigeadails as Batch 1, Batch 2, etc? I think this increases interest, blether, and sales.

[Deactivated Member]

Definitely MR. T,
At the moment I suspect many don't even realise there are different Ooogies. I didn't until quite recently!

I suspect that the bottle without a bottling date is the latest one.
But until I buy one I am not at all sure.

Batch labelling or even more prominent dated labelling would be an excellent idea.
MT

[kallaskander]

Hi there,

just found this other thread.

http://www.whiskymag.com/forum/viewtopi ... =uigeadail

Greetings
kallaskander

[hpulley]

There isn't going to be much if any more Uigeadail. There are only a few casks left from the '70s to mix in with recent make to create it. Batch labelling is good and bad: it implies inconsistency which some customers like but others do not. For us, we want to know everything but for your average whisky drinker they want to know the next bottle will be as good as the last (it may not be, but that is their hope).

Harry, who's down to his last bottle of Uigeadail but who has more on the way

[kallaskander]

Hi there,

Harry do you think that LVMH will allow these last casks from the 1970ies to be "wasted" to create another very good if moderately priced Uigeadail batch when the 1970ies casks could bring so much more money in the luxury malt segment where LVMH feels certainly more comfortable and where their real interests lie?
That is, if there are some casks from the 1970ies left at all by now.

Greetings
kallaskander

[hpulley]

I don't have a good answer though the past week's festival bottling at such a high price might answer your question. I don't think they have many left from the '70s at all though I have heard that many or most of the ones that are left are not suitable for bottling as singles so perhaps their use as Uigeadail top dressing is where they're destined to go.

Harry

[lbacha]

Everyone thinks the Uigeadail is always going to contain old Ardbeg. The new commitee bottling of young Ooggling should show us that Ardbeg is most likely planning on going with a younger whiskey in the future.

Just a guess on my part but I did email Ardbeg and they said the Uigeadail will be an ongoing whisky.

Len

[Deactivated Member]

I am now adding to this thread following my recent discussions and experiences with LVMH.

Basically, it seems that Uigeadail IS very limited, very limited indeed!


As some of you know, I have recently started my own (still small) whisky business and have been contacting the distilleries and distributors regarding supply.
To cut a rather long story short, LVMH cannot supply Uigeadail in Germany as the supply is TOO LIMITED and they don't have enough stock.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm!?
MT

[Mr Fjeld]

I wonder if we'll see a mad horde of ardbegians running amok and looting all major spirit retail stores looking for Uigeadail. I'll certainly run to my retailer faster than the car owners did during the oil embargo in -73!

Christian

[nchan50]

Hmmm, I'm curious about the difference as well. I have an opened bottle of the 2005 (I think it's good but cant compare to older ones) and an unopened 2004 bottling which I'm holding onto. Would be curious if anyone else has done a taste test.

[Ardbeg311]

Hi nchan50,

While I am still looking for the 2003, I have had about six bottles of the Uigeadail 2004 (with a case in reserve) and a couple bottles of the 2005.

In my opinion, the 2004 bottling helps you to understand why single malt scotch is so wonderful, while the 2005 bottling makes you wonder what all the fuss is about regarding Uigeadail.

2004
Everything comes together beautifully in this bottling: depth, power, complexity, a sherry sweetness, and a wonderful peaty finish that goes on and on. It is quite a mouthful.

2005
While still a mouthful and a good whisky, the balance seemed slightly off in the bottles I tried. For me, the finish has to really stand out. In the 2005 the finish was not as good. Rather than a long barnyard peatiness I got a slight bitterness that seemed out of place.

If you look over the forum postings regarding Uigeadail you will notice a slight decline in the appreciation for the bottle. I can’t help wonder if this is because many have found the 2005 less flavorful and put together than the bottling from the previous year.

I think when you do open your 2004 you will like it even more than the 2005.

[irishwhiskeychaser]

How ccan one tell a 2003 to a 2004 or even a 2005 version

[Deactivated Member]

Hi IWC,
I think this was discussed somewhere else on the forum, but I can't find it immediately.
The first two issues are dated, in very small print on the reverse label they say:
"Bottled in the year 2003" (or 2004).

The latest one (2005 onwards) has no date information.

MT

[lambda]

On http://www.maltmadness.com/mm18.html it is suggested that you can find the bottling year by looking at the bottle code, L3, L4, L5 being bottles from 2003, 2004 and 2005 respectively.

I have 2 bottles of uigeadail with bottle codes L4 and L5, both without bottling year on the label. I do not know if they have different labels for different markets, but maybe there are different 2004 bottlings as well.

[Ardbeg311]

Lambda,

I am surprised that you have an L4 that does not also have “Bottled in year 2004" on the back label. I too saw Bert Bruyneel’s post on the Maltmadness website and just for kicks decided to check some of my Ardbegs with known bottling dates. The bottling code seemed to match: L4 for my Uigeadail 2004, L4 for the Ardbeg Very Young, L6 for the Ardbeg Still Young. It could be then that there are some 2004 bottlings that are not indicated as such on the back label. Of course Bert also says the “L” Code thing is “all hypothetical.”

I know I have at least 3 bottlings of the 2004 that do not list “Bottled in year 2004" on the back of the BOX, but all say it on the back of the bottle.

Does your L4 Uigeadail say “Traditional Strength” or “Non Chill-filtered” in the tan space just below the white letters “Single Islay Malt Scotch Whisky” on the front label of the BOTTLE? All the 2004's I have say “Traditional Strength.” I can’t remember what the 2005 bottlings I had said. The Uigeadails without dates all seem to say “Non Chill-filtered” in that tan space.

I would also be interested if the L4 without a date tastes as good as one with the date.

Cheers.

[Lawrence]

Hi nchan50,

While I am still looking for the 2003, I have had about six bottles of the Uigeadail 2004 (with a case in reserve) and a couple bottles of the 2005.

In my opinion, the 2004 bottling helps you to understand why single malt scotch is so wonderful, while the 2005 bottling makes you wonder what all the fuss is about regarding Uigeadail.

2004
Everything comes together beautifully in this bottling: depth, power, complexity, a sherry sweetness, and a wonderful peaty finish that goes on and on. It is quite a mouthful.

2005
While still a mouthful and a good whisky, the balance seemed slightly off in the bottles I tried. For me, the finish has to really stand out. In the 2005 the finish was not as good. Rather than a long barnyard peatiness I got a slight bitterness that seemed out of place.

If you look over the forum postings regarding Uigeadail you will notice a slight decline in the appreciation for the bottle. I can’t help wonder if this is because many have found the 2005 less flavorful and put together than the bottling from the previous year.

I think when you do open your 2004 you will like it even more than the 2005.

Good for you for noticing the differences over the years, good comments,

Lawrence

[lambda]

I know I have at least 3 bottlings of the 2004 that do not list “Bottled in year 2004" on the back of the BOX, but all say it on the back of the bottle.

Does your L4 Uigeadail say “Traditional Strength” or “Non Chill-filtered” in the tan space just below the white letters “Single Islay Malt Scotch Whisky” on the front label of the BOTTLE? All the 2004's I have say “Traditional Strength.” I can’t remember what the 2005 bottlings I had said. The Uigeadails without dates all seem to say “Non Chill-filtered” in that tan space.

It says "Non chill-filtered" on my L4. In fact, the front label of the L4 and L5 are identical. The text of the backlabel is also the same, the only difference is that the L5 has a barcode on the back.

[Mr Fjeld]

I contacted Glenmorangie Plc a year or two ago to find out when my first Uigeadail was bottled. They are really helpfull and they do actually look into it instead of just forgetting to respond or give a quick negative response.

Christian

[nchan50]

Thanks for the info Ardbeg311, very helpful. I have also been looking for the 2003 bottling in the U.S. but have been unsuccessful so far - not sure if any of them even made it here. I guess now I'm debating if I should pick up another 2004 bottling (I know a store that has 1 left at $75) as they are starting to become harder to find now.

[Ardbeg311]

Hi,

I am almost certain (but again, learning new things about single malt everyday) that the 2003 did not come to the US. Since I don't know the availability of the Uigeadail in your area I can't really advise you here. In my area (Worcester-Boston), after paying only $65.00 initially, I was gladly paying $85.00 for the 2004 bottling as it was indeed becoming harder to find.

[Deactivated Member]

I think that's right; the first bottle I had was purchased in the UK in 2003, and it didn't appear in the US until later. Bought two in the US in 2004. They're all still around , I could check the labels, but I'm too lazy to go digging through the midden heap here.

[Leither]

Okay, I think I can help you crack the code (sounds a bit 'Da Vinci'!) which many bottling lines use.

For bottlers such as Glenmorangie, and other Broxburn area bottlers, at the bottom of the bottle the glass is feintly etched with a code, quite tricky to make out but legible in good daylight.

I'll use an example to explain - my currently open Ardbeg TEN OB, bought earlier this year reads L5 284 21:29 4ML. This means it was bottled in the year 2005, on the 285th day of that year at 9.29pm that day. The final few digits I think are basically translated as 'Ardbeg'.

So, L1=2001, L2=2002 and so on, followed by the next number being the day and then you have the time. This helps the bottler with quality control etc.

Diageo use something similar, and easier to read in black etching above the back label - eg my open Caol Ila 12yo OB reads L5310CM000, ie year 2005 310th day and I think the CM000 must stand for Classic Malt.

Anyway, my Uigeadails (all unopened, 1 finished which was one of the best bottles of whisky ever) are as follows:

L4 068 12:26 4ML - this one says 'BOTTLED IN THE YEAR 2004' on the back label and refers to 'a special vatting of 1993... and many older sherry casks'. Flip-top box.

L4 315 11:11 4ML - no mention of bottled in year XXXX and no longer reference to specific casks other then 'a special vatting of different syles of Ardbeg' but does mention 'tones of old ex-Sherry casks'. Perhaps implying less older stock in the mix? Again a flip-top box.

L5 347 07:23 4ML - as above wording, no mention of year, but no flip-box, the box is as per TEN OB.

Also, this stuff is £5 off at Oddbins just now (ie down to £34, top value for such nectar )- a sure sign that stocks are low and they want to shift stock before LVMH pump up the prices for future releases. The young oogy I would imagine being the replacement shortly.

Earlier this summer Oddbins reduced the price, from memory from close to £30 down to nearer £20, of the Ardbeg Very Young. Very 'odd', I'd say

Everyone will be off down to Oddbins today then......

[toshie]

Everyone will be off down to Oddbins today then......

You got that right ....