Is Ardbeg Uggie Cask Strength

[sku]

ABV on my bottle is 54% but it doesn't say cask strength. Does this mean only a small amount of water was added? Is it because of the higher alcohol content of the younger whiskies?

[Thesh]

https://www.ardbeg.com/Shop.asp?Cat=16

Uigeadail

A fine drop of Ardbeg bottled at cask strength. A marriage of Ardbeg from bourbon barrel and sherry butt which gives a sweet and smokey finish to this malt. Uigeadail is the loch from which all Ardbeg water flows.

[corbuso]

ABV on my bottle is 54% but it doesn't say cask strength. Does this mean only a small amount of water was added? Is it because of the higher alcohol content of the younger whiskies?

On the box it is written "bottled at traditionnal Strength" and they haven't used the term cask strength because they added tiny amounts of water to keep the strength constant through the different batches.

Corbuso
...........
http://www.whisky-news.com

[Deactivated Member]

This is done for Balvenie 15 (Single Barrel), also. I assumed it was a cask strength at first, but realized it was pretty unlikely that every barrel would be at 47.8% (which is rather low for a 15yo cs, anyway). Either they think that's a pretty good strength (and it is, but why 47.8 exactly?), or it's more economical for them to water the whisky than to change the percentage listed on the tube.

[corbuso]

This is done for Balvenie 15 (Single Barrel), also. I assumed it was a cask strength at first, but realized it was pretty unlikely that every barrel would be at 47.8% (which is rather low for a 15yo cs, anyway). Either they think that's a pretty good strength (and it is, but why 47.8 exactly?), or it's more economical for them to water the whisky than to change the percentage listed on the tube.

It might be slightly more economical, but I think it would be a better commercial argument to label the bottle "Cask Strength". The main reason is for taxation. In many countries, spirits are taxed based on the content of alcohol. If the volume of alcool would vary between batches, the companies would need to issue each time new export forms and so forth. The administrative would to be too high for high volume products.

[Deactivated Member]

Good point. I've also always thought that casks are reduced to 63.5% in part to avoid taxation problems when swapping casks around, although now that I think of it, excise isn't paid until the whisky comes out of bond, so I guess that isn't so. Never mind.