Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist

[ardbug]

So the Beist has been in circulation for a while now, whats everybodys thoughts on this expression, is it as good as the 10 yr, or the old 17yr.
Is it destined to become a classic ?

I rate it at around 89-90 points ( a few more drams to make my final decision). On par with my ratings for the 10 yr old.

My notes:
Good typical Ardbeg nose with some iodine, coal and sweet lemon barley, a bit more agressive than the 10yr. The taste follows the nose with some tough peat and lemon salt, some spice, and followed by a long coal/peat finish.

Does anybody know the future availability of the Beist, will there be another release at 17 or will it remain 16 and be changed to a 1991 vintage

Cheers ARDBUG

[peergynt323]

I view it as a more challenging version of the 10yo. There's definitely more vanilla and more citrus going on. Can't see a reason to open a TEN when I have this one open.

I'd rate it around the same vicinity along with the other Ardbeg expressions. Haven't been disappointed by any of them.

[korolev]

if i haven't mistaken, you can pick up the info here.

http://www.thedailydram.com/2006/10/12/ ... nam-beist/

strangely, the Beist occurs to me as a great dram only at certain ocassions, which i have not yet identified.

and on those days, i'd agree that it's within the high 80s.

then again, i'm pretty new to single malts and the Beist being my first Ardbeg.

[les taylor]

We opened the beastie a couple of weeks ago and was most impressed with it. Have not gone back for a second visit yet. Could be very soon. A most enjoyable dram.

[Xavier]

Opened the bottle a couple of weeks ago and must say that I was very impressed. Not cheap for a 16 YO, but what a dram ! Compared it two days ago to the Laphroaigh QC (which I really love too, and selling for not half of the price of the ANB), and Ardbeg was by far the winner of this comparison.

[Matt2]

Rob has just put two samples on my desk for me.. Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist and Still Young - should make for a nice evening

Reviewed in issue 61 :

Dave
Nose:Weighty, phenolic. Foggy coal smoke, then more lifted and complex. Arbroath smokie, tar.
Palate: A lick of cream brings to mind an alcoholic Cullen skink. Shows maturity along with toasted almond, biscuity cereal. Not overly heavy, a good tongue-coating texture with persistent smoke.
Finish: Caramelised, smooth, then smoke returns.
Comments: A welcome addition to the range.
Score : 8

Arthur
Nose: Ashy, smoky and lemony. Seaweed, apple, mint and tea tree oil. Intense, snarling and complex.
Palate: Not quite the assault I’d expected but delicious all the same. Lots of sweetness, tea tree, ash and a vegetal/autumn leaf flavour.
Finish: Smoked meats and a persistent seaweed.
Comments: For all its chest-beating, smoking-gun aroma, the palate is softer and more approachable. Compelling.
Score 9

[Deactivated Member]

It looks like I'm going against the popular vote again here.

I tried the beastie at an excellent whisky bar in Munich, just before Christmas. In fact I was GIVEN the dram for free by the landlord as he wanted my opinion on it.

I was utterly disappointed.
It appeared watery and lacking in body and flavour.

I am a big fan of the 17y/o, 1977, 1975 and the 1974's that I have tried. This beastie was a long way behind any of them.

When I told him what I thought of it, he laughed and then agreed with me!

But that's just my opinion, based upon one single tasting.
MT

[Deactivated Member]

Sorry, I forgot to add:

I will probably buy one for my collection, but I will not have any desire to open and try it.
MT

[les taylor]

MT wrote:-

Sorry, I forgot to add:

I will probably buy one for my collection, but I will not have any desire to open and try it.
MT


MT My advice for what its worth buy 2. One for the collection and one to try again I think its definitely worth it.

[Deactivated Member]

I will try one again, but in a bar where I only have to buy a dram.

On that same evening I tried various drams and the beastie was by far the most disappointing.

It was this same evening when I tried the PC5 - now that IS something rather different and good. It definitely needs water as it's just too overpowering without, but it certainly makes a lasting impression.

MT

[Leither]

.....Compared it two days ago to the Laphroaigh QC (which I really love too, and selling for not half of the price of the ANB)

Exactly - the ANB at £44 is over-priced. I tried it at Whisky Fringe - nothing special.

Give me a Laphroaig QC plus a bottle of the standard Ardbeg Ten for the same price anyday.

'The beast' makes the price of Lagavulin look like a bargain!

[corbuso]

I did try the "ANB" and I have to say that it is not one of my favorite Ardbeg. It is too meaty and yeasty to my taste, like most of the 1990-1991 Ardbegs that I have tried, at the exception of the 1990 Cask Strengh.
It is very good, rich and complex, but quite different from the 1970s versions or the 1997+ ones.
The Ten or the still young are quite differen from the AND and in the end, just buy the one that you like the best.

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

[Reggaeblues]

Is this "Bash the Beast" time? I feel like I'm jumping on the bandwagon a bit...but I have to say it's taken me half a bottle since Christmas, to "get to know" it...and the jury is still out.

By no means bad by any standards, but as Ardbegs go I can't say it's outstanding. nor does it have anything distinctive enough for me to enjoy it more than the 10YO. In fact I have to agree with this from Leither: "Give me a Laphroaig QC plus a bottle of the standard Ardbeg Ten for the same price anyday. "

It's twice the price of the ten, but not twice as good. No better, no worse.

But the 1977...a couple of sips and you know you're in that special territory where it continues to unfold, and you know why you paid the extra cash.

[TheLaddie]

It is a smashing dram. Very Ardbeg but a different angle to the 10.

Is it twice as good as the 10? Of course not. That's not how whisky economics works. Is the 1965 70 odd times better than the 10? I've not had the pleasure but I'm guessing it ain't...

There is a complexity to it that raises it well above the 10 though. Would I choose 1 bottle of ANB over 2 bottles of 10? Probably not. Would I choose 1 bottle of ANB and a bottle of 10 over 3 bottles of 10? Absolutely. Vive la difference!

I'm sure there was logic in that argument when I began typing it...

[peergynt323]

It's definitely overpriced. I can't see Laphroaig releasing a 16yo vintage American Oak bottling and selling it for $115 (pretty standard price in the states).

But other than Uigeadail and TEN, aren't they all?

[vitara7]

LVMH are going to push the price up of everything i recon.
just look at what theyve brought out since they bought over glenmorangie, all the single cask arbeg, very expensvie, the margaux glenmorangie very overpriced, the ardbeg 1965,and now the ANB. this is just the start, there going to push ardbeg and glenmorangie into there premium stables, right enough, isnt everything premium with LVHM., and those own supermarket bottlings that get done at broxburn, thats not going to be going on for much longer. if i worked at their bottling plant in broaxburn, id start looking through the job ad's. the plant is too big for just doing their OB whiskies etc, thats why they do the supermarket stuff and the indy bottles, lvmh knows it would be cheaper just to outsource the bottling of glenmorangie to round the corner at broxburn bottlers than to keep the whole bottling plant they have for there own needs.

[Mustardhead]

My personal government surplus, grade 2 Frodometer refuses to recognise ANB.

It's a 16 year old distillery bottled Islay. The best price I have seen is £44. The universally acknowledged fabulous 16 year old Islay is Lagavulin, that is usually £36. Paying that hurts but I bend over and take the pain

So maybe a very, very, very occasional bottle of ANB. I also think Uigeadael is overpriced. The Ardbeg Ten, Still Young and Lord of the Isles are fine, but most of the others just hurt a bit when my wallet tries to bite and stay shut

[martin grant]

Maybe a little controversial, but I don't think ANB is really that over priced at all. No, it's not cheap but £44 seems to me to be about right for a limited edition 1990 distillation. The Lagavulin 1990 Distiller's Edition retails at around £43 for a product bottled at 43% abv, so the beast seems to me to be priced at a fair market price.

[lbacha]

We keep comparing Ardbeg prices to Laphroaig and stating that Laphroaig is cheaper, has anyone looked at the price of the 30yr old and the 40 yr old as well as some of the highgrove bottlings. Laphroaig isn't cheap when you look at those. I would be curious what they are going to charge for the 25 that I've heard rumors of. I just paid $72.00 for a bottle of the 15 yr old and that is pricey for a 15 yr old if you compare it to some other distilleries.

If Laphroaig was as affordable as everyone states I would have a bottle of the 30 on my shelf at all times because it is great whisky. I will agree that the 10 is a great price most of the time. But this may be a way to funnel people to their higher cost products.

The beist is a limited edition bottling that sells at what people are willing to pay.If laphroaig cam out with a 16 yr old limited edition bottle for the same price I would buy it to try in a heartbeat.

Len

[Nock]

Where I live I was able to pick up the Laphroaig 30yo for $215
You can get the 15yo Laphroaig for $61

In contrast Lagavulin 30yo is $499 and the standard 16yo is $62

They released the Ardbeg AnB (16yo) for $110
The previous shipment of Ardbeg 10yo that Washington state received(which was early of 2005) got sold for $45 a bottle. The most recent shipment of the 10yo came in late fall of 2006 and sold for $58 a bottle.

So I would say that Laphroaig in general is a much more economical malt. And I feel like the Ardbeg prices are quickly reaching rarefied air.

Hopefully it is just my crazy state

Nock

[peergynt323]

Having a dram of the beist as we speak. It's tearing me apart!!!

[les taylor]

We went back for a second go last night. Its still good does anyone else get a faint hint of coconut in the after taste? Its a cracking dram.

[Reggaeblues]

Yes, finally got bitten by the beast on burns night appropriately enough...

It'd taken half the bottle to really convince me, but when my neighbour dropped in to celebrate clutching a brand new A'bunadh batch 17, I said "try this first!"

as the first dram of the night (as opposed to following others which is how I'd previously tried it) its qualities were more apperent.

As someone pointed out, its complexity lifts it above the ten. darker flavours, in a word. We had a tiny sip of ten to follow - and that really brought it home! I shall enjoy "the other half" much more! Really good...

...but it still didn't "lip my tights"(quote from 'lost in Translation' - anyone see it?)like the 1977.

At the price I probably won't buy another. But this was definitely worth the experience.

[Jan]

After following this thread, I had a large dram of the Beastie last nigth.

I like it a lot - it is somehow elegant, if one can use that word?

If one should fault it, it would be for the body, which I find a little thin.

£44.95 ? Count yourself lucky! I paid DKK 650 = £59 for mine...

[badams]

We went back for a second go last night. Its still good does anyone else get a faint hint of coconut in the after taste? Its a cracking dram.

I call it lime, coconut? Springbank 10, pine Longrow 10