Ardbeg Dark Cove (Committee Release) Whisky Review!

There will probably be a million reviews of this one on-line shortly, but I couldn't resist trying it!

Dark Cove is this year's release for Ardbeg Day, the annual celebration of Ardbeg whisky. And like there was last year with Perpetuum, there are two versions. One is not officially released until Ardbeg Day, which this year is on the 28th of May, and they've changed it to 'Ardbeg Night' to suit this year's theme. That version will be bottled at 46-47%, and will have the usual Ardbeg packaging. The other is the 'Committee Release' (for Ardbegs' mailing list/loyalty program) bottling, which is bottled at 55%, has a basic label, and much to my personal annoyance, has no box. These limited releases sell out very quickly, usually within hours of release, and are so popular that Ardbegs' website often crashes under the strain. Why am I using the word 'usually' so often? Because this year, with Dark Cove, things were a little different.

This year, out of the blue, Ardbegs' Australian distributor, Moet-Hennessy Australia, released the Dark Cove Committee Release for sale on their website. And there also seems to be a large amount of stock, because it's lasted a few days so far (long after the distillery's own shop ran out). But the best part is definitely the price: $150 AUD. Which is very, very good for a limited edition Ardbeg in Australia, particularly one bottled at 55%. In comparison, that's over $100 less than the 2015 Supernova (which I found disappointing, and it's still readily available), which was also bottled at 55%. So this was a seriously good deal, and let's hope we get more of them!

Ardbeg have been getting a lot of negative attention for their 'special releases' lately, mainly from the anti-NAS crowd, but also because they've been a little disappointing in recent years, and haven't fared well in comparison to the brilliant standard / core expressions (the 10 yo, Uigeadail and Corryvreckan). The Auriverdes release was the low point in my opinion, which received the lowest score I've ever given an Ardbeg. The following year's Perpetuum was a definite improvement, but I'm suspecting this new bottling will be the redeeming dram. Based on the reasonable pricing of the Committee Release, it's already looking good!

The name Dark Cove refers to the illegal distilling and smuggling which occurred in the past near the distillery. It's an NAS Ardbeg, mainly consisting of whisky matured in ex-bourbon casks, and partly consisting of whisky matured in 'dark sherry' casks, which could refer to either Oloroso or PX sherry. Although 'dark' would usually mean PX. So we don't know the type of sherry casks they used, or exactly how much of the whisky was matured / finished in those sherry casks (the packaging states "it's heart"), or for how long. This Committee Release version is bottled at a healthy 55%, and like all contemporary Ardbeg it's non-chill filtered.

There has been a lot of marketing emphasis from Ardbeg on the colour of this one; it's supposedly their 'darkest ever'. It is slightly darker than my beloved Uigeadail (approx 2011 bottling), which contains around 10% Oloroso sherry-matured whisky, but it would only be considered 'dark' by Ardbeg standards. But this is the 55% version of Dark Cove, so I have to wonder how dark the 46%-ish version is likely to be? More importantly, does anyone actually care that much about the colour? Even more importantly, if the colour is so important, how about declaring on the label that it's natural? I personally would rather know more about the whisky itself. Anyway, Dark Cove has been likened to 'Uigeadail on steroids' by some, which is very, very high praise. Let's see if it has any hope of filling those big, beautiful shoes...

Ardbeg Dark Cove, Committee Release, NAS, 55%. Islay, Scotland.
Mostly matured in ex-bourbon casks, and partly matured in 'dark' sherry casks. Non-chill filtered.

Colour: Copper.

Nose: Rich & well-balanced. Treacle, fresh tar & coffee grounds. New natural rope, and a big hit of chocolate. Chilli salt, smoked oily fish, and a slight hint of rich, fruity & nutty sherry. Hard to pick the style of sherry, but I'm not convinced it's PX. Or not only PX, at least. But I could be wrong.

Texture: Medium-heavy weight, very nice. Not particularly oily, a little spirit-y, but enjoyably so.

Taste: There's the peat! A spicy, dry peat, and a hint of wood fire & ash. More of that chilli salt, treacle and tar. Dark chocolate, some clove and fresh, hot (spicy) ginger.

Finish: Medium-long length, soft initially but resurges. Chilli chocolate, more dry & spicy peat, sea salt flakes. Some dark fruits and a good pinch of pepper.

Score: 4 out of 5.

Notes: Very good! This one's definitely a winner. Quite different from the Ardbeg core range, as these special releases should be. But, the question on everyone's lips is: how does it compare to Uigeadail? Well compared to my slightly older bottling of Uigeadail, the Dark Cove is not as sweet or as peaty, it's perhaps more dark & brooding, and for me it doesn't quite match the magic that is Uigeadail. But after all, there's very little that can!

I'll be very interested to see how this committee release compares to the 'standard' lower-strength version, when it's released on Ardbeg day. And I'll be interested to see the asking price for the little brother as well, considering what a bargain this 55% bottling was.

I feel the committee release Dark Cove smashes all the special release Ardbegs from the last few years, including the 2014 & definitely the 2015 Supernova bottlings. Considering it was also considerably cheaper than those, this is certainly a winner!

If you're in Australia and you haven't already done so, I strongly suggest heading over to Moet-Hennessy and grabbing at least one, while you can! I'd wager you won't regret it.

In other breaking Ardbeggian news, some very interesting photos have surfaced on-line, on the US governments' labelling database known as TTB. Check this out!

Yes, it looks like there's a 21 yo official bottling of Ardbeg coming! Which means it was distilled prior to the distillery's mothballing in 1995. Wowsers. But for now, we can only imagine how awesome this'll be!

Cheers!

Ardbeg Dark Cove (General Release) Whisky Review!

So, Ardbeg day has been & gone for another year! Let's have a look at this year's commemorative bottling.

This year, and for the first time as far as I'm aware, Moet-Hennessy Australia bought in the 'committee release' version, i.e. the higher strength, un-packaged, usually distillery-only version, of their Ardbeg day special release. The 55% ABV version of Dark Cove was very well priced, and also very well received. I've reviewed it here, and rated it a strong contender for one of the best Ardbeg Day releases so far. It's a close call between it and Ardbog for me, anyway.

That review was from my own bottle, which means that now that I have a sample of the 'general release' 46.5% ABV version (thanks to Moet-Hennessy), I can compare the two side-by-side. You'd be forgiven for thinking it won't be a fair fight, but not so fast, because this may be a closer race than what you may think, given the difference in strength. But before we get into the tasting, let's refresh our memories of the Dark Cove specs.

As far as we know the two versions of this whisky are identical save for the alcoholic strength, which also means some of the details are still a little vague. All we can learn from the packaging is that 'it's heart has been matured in dark sherry casks', and that it's not chill filtered. So we can assume that the dark sherry casks were ex-PX sherry (but we don't know the portion of sherry-matured whisky in the bottle), with the remainder being ex-bourbon cask matured. As per usual there's no age statement, but unfortunately there's also no mention of whether it is naturally coloured or not. We know Ardbeg don't usually add colouring, but I wish they'd print it on the packaging so we could be certain. Particularly when there's such an emphasis on the colour of this whisky in the marketing and directly on said packaging.

We can't compare the two versions of this whisky without mentioning the pricing. The 55% committee release was an absolute bargain at $150 in Australia, and of course sold out long ago, while the 46.5% general release is priced at $170. So the committee release was an incredible deal, and let's hope they do the same again next year! As for the general release, 46.5% is the lowest strength Ardbeg day bottling they've ever released, and unfortunately it seems that every year the widely-available versions get lower in strength, while the pricing stays roughly the same. Nonetheless, let's have a look at the new general release version first, then we'll have a look at how the two compare.

Ardbeg Dark Cove (General Release), NAS, 46.5%. Islay, Scotland.
Mostly matured in ex-bourbon casks, partly matured in ex-PX sherry casks. Non-chill filtered.

Colour: Gold, slight tinge of copper.

Nose: Quite sweet initially. A little salt, quite maritime as well. Tar, some musty & wet wood, a hint of peat. Golden syrup, a little grease, and something floral which is tough to pin down. A little floral perfume, perhaps.

Texture: Nice medium-weight, a touch of heat but not unpleasant.

Taste: Dry & spicy peat, a hefty pinch of spice, particularly clove and ginger, maybe a little cinnamon. Some mild lemon zest, touch of dark chocolate, and more of that tar & salt from the nose.

Finish: Short-medium length. A little peat mixed with a load of spice. Some spent coffee grounds, tarred rope, and the peat comes back down the track with a little smoke alongside.

Score: 3.5 out of 5.

In Comparison: Lined up against the 55% committee release, there is definitely a big difference in colour (which is reassuring), like comparing the 10 yo to Uigeadail. On the nose, the general release is much lighter and sweeter, and of course the sheer volume of aromas and flavours, and even more so the texture, is vastly different. But these are all to be expected with a near 10% difference in strength.

Tasting them side-by-side, the general release loses most of the darker notes and most of the more obvious sherry influences on the palate, which I love in the committee release, and while there is more spice in the 46.5% version, there is also definitely more heat. Which is one difference I did not expect to find with these two.

Notes: So there is definitely a big difference between the two versions, and I definitely prefer the committee release. But some may feel differently, and the general release does stand up on it's own. I can see occasions where I would choose to drink the general release over the committee, much like a Benromach 10 43% vs. Benromach 10 57%. And after all, you can't get the committee release anymore, while the general release is out there in reasonable numbers.

But I'm sorry Ardbeg, there's no way this is your darkest whisky ever, you could almost have gotten away with it with the committee release, but the general release is considerably lighter. Why make that the focal point of your marketing when it's not even accurate?

Regardless, the Dark Cove general release is still an Ardbeg worth having (provided you already have a bottle of Uigeadail!). It's a different take on the make, I don't think I'd pick it as an Ardbeg in a blind tasting. I'd put it on even footing with last year's release, Perpetuum, and it's certainly a big step up from Auriverdes from the year before. A big thanks to Moet-Hennessy for the sample, and I'm already looking forward to next year's Ardbeg Day! See you there.

Cheers!

Ardbeg for Days - 5 Year's Worth of Days Reviewed!

Ardbeg Day is finally around the corner, along with the arrival of the 'standard version' of this year's commemorative bottling, named Kelpie. Australia was lucky enough to receive an allocation of the extra-special 'committee release' earlier this year, so this seems like as good a time as any to take a look back at the last 4 year's worth of 'Day' releases, before finishing up with this year's bottling. Why not!

Unfortunately I couldn't get my hands on any of the first 'Day' release from 2012, simply named 'Ardbeg Day', since it's now very hard to find and of course is very, very expensive. I have tasted it before though, around 4-5 years ago when I was just starting to get into whisky, and I still remember it being delicious! So we'll just have to make do with 2013's Ardbog, 2014's Auriverdes, the standard version of Perpetuum from 2015, the Dark Cove committee release from 2016, and this year's Kelpie committee release! Not a terrible way to see out the weekend, hey?

What am I talking about with standard versions and committee releases? Well in the last few years there have been two different versions of the Ardbeg Day commemorative bottlings, where the committee release is bottled at a higher strength, is more basically labelled and presented and sells without a box, while the standard version (released on Ardbeg Day itself) is bottled at a lower strength, with more recognisable Ardbeg presentation and a matching outer box. Obviously the standard versions are also much more numerous, and are much easier to get a hold of, but they're not always cheaper when you're comparing the initial retail prices when first released.

For the 2012, 2013 and 2014 bottlings there was only the one version released, while for the 2015 the (only slightly) higher strength version was labelled as 'distillery release' and was ostensibly only sold from the distillery's own shop, while for the 2016 and 2017 bottlings there have been significant differences between the two versions. The committee release of last year's Dark Cove was bottled at 55%, while the standard version weighed in at a much-lower 46.5%. This year's Kelpie committee release was bottled at 51.7%, while the standard version is down to 46%, which is the equal lowest strength of any recently released Ardbeg, and the lowest strength of the 'Day' bottlings so far. Not that 46% isn't enough of course, it's basically the new standard for quality single malts (which is great to see), but previous special release bottlings from Ardbeg were a little more generous.

Australia has been lucky enough to get an allocation of the last two committee releases (plus the 2014 and 2015 Supernovae), sold directly from Moet-Hennessy Australia, and pricing has actually been very reasonable (cheaper than the standard versions!) despite the inevitable high demand. I really hope that this continues, since in the past finding these extra-special Ardbegs in Australia was nearly impossible, unless you resorted to importing them yourself from Europe, which put them out of the reach of your average whisky geek. So keep your fingers crossed people!

Now, on to the fun part! I'll give a brief run-down on each bottling in question, plus tasting notes and a score, and finally some more details on this year's 'Kelpie' release since this is the first time I've reviewed it. And I'll declare a winner at the end, because why not! In the interests of fairness I visited these whiskies over three separate nights, with an ample break & plenty of water between each dram. To my knowledge all are non-chill filtered and naturally coloured, although not all have this clearly stated on the packaging.

Ardbeg 'Ardbog', 52.1%, 'at least 10 years old', released 2013. The only 'Day' commemorative release to have an age statement! You won't find a big number in prime position on the label though, it's in the fine print on the back. This alone doesn't necessarily make it better of course, but it's always nice to know. Ardbog was a marriage of spirit fully-matured (not finished) in ex-bourbon casks, and spirit fully-matured (not finished) in ex-manzanilla sherry casks, all aged at least 10 years. So that's essentially a 10-year old age statement. The name and packaging details were a tribute to Islay's venerable peat bogs.

My bottle of Ardbog has been open for around 3 years now, and while I've been using wine save (argon gas preserver) for most of that time, it's obviously still going to have an effect.

Colour: Polished bronze.
Nose: Lovely. Rich, sweet and salty, with stewed fruits in sweet syrup, some dark, rich toffee and a little cocoa powder. Earthy & salty peat, slightly nutty - roasted walnuts? And some slightly creamy vanilla.

Texture: Medium weight, buttery, with a dab of heat. Still quite rich despite being open for that long.
Taste: Quite rich with a deep peaty-ness, it's definitely oxidised but it's not going out without a fight. Spicy with salty earthy peat, hint of that cocoa, and more sweet stewed stone fruit. It is starting to go a little flat unfortunately. Stupid oxygen, what did you ever do for us anyway!?!

Finish: Medium length, spicy & peaty fading into mild coastal salt, fruit syrup and dusty, ashy peat. Some more creamy vanilla and little hints of citrus alongside the slowly ebbing peat.

Score: 3.5 out of 5.
Notes: I'd love to taste a fresh one again, I think this bottle is approaching its final sunset. It's lost some of it's sparkle and is getting a little flat. Very glad I split some into smaller sample bottles a while back. Still very enjoyable though and there's plenty of 'Ardbeg-ness', just less of that intensity of flavour that I remember it having. Regardless, definitely a very good one.

Ardbeg 'Auriverdes', 49.9%, NAS, released 2014. A marriage of Ardbeg matured in ex-bourbon casks, apparently mostly second-fill, with specially-toasted virgin American oak barrel ends / lids, and 'traditional' ex-bourbon cask matured Ardbeg. The name is the Portuguese translation for 'green & gold', meant as both a tribute to the 2014 soccer world cup that was held in Brazil (who's flag is green & gold, and Auriverdes is their team's nickname), and as a tribute to Ardbeg's green bottle and the golden contents.

There was also a promotional version of Auriverdes in a gold-coloured bottle that was used for PR events and the like, but the whisky inside was identical to the normal green-bottled version. I wasn't a fan of Auriverdes at the time of release, so let's see if time has healed this wound...

Colour: Yellow gold.
Nose: Much lighter, with far less peat and salt, and a little less sweetness. There's ripe tropical fruit, particularly papaya and banana, maybe some red apple. Citrus as well, plus some lightly salted butter and a mild earthy-ness. Hint of coconut and a little vanilla & dry toasted oak.

Texture: Medium weight again, a little spicy heat, fresher (duh) and still rich but much lighter in character.
Taste: Sweet & fruity, and a little salty citrus tang. More ripe tropical fruit and some vanilla sponge cake. Mildly spiced milk chocolate, and a slight earthy-ness again.

Finish: Short-to-medium length. Lightly toasted caramelised oak, slightly salty tropical fruit, slight hint of coffee grounds.

Score: 2.5 out of 5.
Notes: Nice and fresh and clean, but it's still not a true Ardbeg if you ask me. Barely detectable peat or smoke, and a much lighter and more tropical dram. I suspect it's younger than Ardbog, although peat does tend to mask youth a little, but there's slightly more heat in this one despite the 5% drop in ABV. It's not unpleasant though, and it's still decent quality, it just doesn't do it for me. I still think that Ardbeg were going for a lighter, tamer dram here to appease the non-Islay drinkers, and in that regard I think they succeeded.

Ardbeg 'Perpetuum' standard release, 47.4%, NAS, released 2015. There was very little information given about this bottling, in fact the official details were that it was a mix of "old and young Ardbeg, from ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks". So that tells us basically nothing. Perpetuum was also the commemorative bottling for Ardbeg's 200th anniversary, and the name basically means 'never ending' or 'going on forever' (as in perpetual motion).

This was the first year that Ardbeg also released an 'extra special' version of their special release for Ardbeg day, although the white labelled 'Distillery Release' version of Perpetuum was only slightly higher in strength, at 49.2%. It's reportedly also notably better than the standard version, despite apparently being the same whisky at a slightly different strength.

Colour: Pale gold.
Nose: Fresh & bright. Sea spray, milk chocolate, sweet frozen (not fresh) strawberries. An earthy, damp peat, mild chilli salt, creamy vanilla. Slight dried herbs & floral note.

Texture: Light-medium weight, fresh & creamy, no spirit-y heat at all.
Taste: Fresh & quite peaty, a nice deep earthy peat, a little of that chilli salt again, slightly powdery milk chocolate. Creamy vanilla and more dried herbs.

Finish: Medium length, nice soft peat, some ash. Some spice as well, then slightly grassy dried herbs.

Score: 3.5 out of 5.
Notes: Well balanced and flavoursome, with plenty of peat. A few interesting notes, but it's not a big departure from the standard / core range Ardbegs, with a little of each showing itself at various points. Which is basically what it says on the tin anyway. It's a pleasant peaty easy drinker, but it doesn't quite hold up compared with the mighty Uigeadail, or even the 10 year old for that matter, particularly with pricing factored in.

Ardbeg 'Dark Cove' committee release, 55%, NAS, released 2016. Once again there wasn't a great deal of information given about this one, other than stating that its "heart" has been matured in "dark sherry" casks, which is a little ambiguous and could mean either Oloroso or Pedro Ximinez. As most suspected at the time, this turned out to be ex-PX sherry casks, and I wish they'd just printed that on the damn label.

Speaking of the label, this one proudly claimed to be "the darkest Ardbeg ever", which simply wasn't accurate, especially in the case of the considerably lighter 46.5% 'standard' version, which I previously reviewed here. Both versions of Dark Cove were a marriage of ex-PX sherry casks and 'traditional' ex-bourbon cask Ardbeg, and we don't know the proportions of each. Again both versions are the same whisky bottled at different strengths.

Colour: Bronze.
Nose: Sweet & fruity to start with, rich but not overtly peaty. Sweet juicy raisins, dried fruit (blackberry?), some treacle, spent coffee grounds. A little salty sea spray, some new rope, a little spicy wood smoke.

Texture: Medium weight, rich & powerful.
Taste: There's the peat! A spicy, dry peat with a little ash and wood smoke. Rich spicy sherry, some burnt caramel, but far less sweet than the nose.

Finish: Medium length, quite spicy, ginger. Then comes back to that sweetness, chocolate, rich sherry & dried fruit, and a fleeting floral note. Hints of sea spray, treacle and a little tar.

Score: 4 out of 5.
Notes: Very good stuff. It's lost quite a bit of peat compared to what I remember, having been open for around a year (with winesave), and has become seriously sweet. Still very nice though, and a nice different take on the typical Ardbeg style. While quite sweet, it's not in the usual Ardbeg ex-bourbon creamy vanilla way, more of a rich fruity style of sweetness. Definitely the second favourite so far (and no it's not just the ABV talking), but how is the new one going to stack up?

Ardbeg 'Kelpie' committee release, 51.7%, NAS, released 2017. This latest release is a marriage of traditional ex-bourbon cask-matured Ardbeg, and Ardbeg that has been fully matured in virgin oak casks. The oak used for these casks was sourced from the Adyghe Republic in Russia's south-west, near the Black Sea, which is extremely unusual, so kudos to Ardbeg and Dr. Lumsden for once again trying something new. Ardbeg Corryvreckan is very popular, and is partly-matured in virgin French oak, and the partly-virgin American oak matured Ardbeg Alligator was a huge hit, but that bottling used virgin American oak that had been heavily charred, so this is a totally different story really.

The name Kelpie refers to a shape-shifting water spirit from Scottish mythology, which obviously has nothing to do with Ardbeg really, but a 19th century poet wrote about a Kelpie that lived in the gulf of Corryvreckan (does that name should sound familiar), which is off the Northern coast of the isle of Jura, Islay's northern neighbour. There is going to be a standard version of Kelpie released to coincide with Ardbeg day this year, which will be bottled at 46%. As I've mentioned above, that's the lowest strength for a 'day' release so far...

Colour: Gold. Slightly paler than the partly-virgin French oak matured Corryvreckan, which you'd think would be the closest comparison.

Nose: Fresh, sweet and spicy. Pretty damn spicy actually - not alcohol sharpness mind you, but actual cooking spices. Ginger, clove and maybe cumin? The sweetness fades with time, becoming drier and also slightly herbal. Soft caramel and spiced baked apples, a hint of vanilla custard and a little citrus (orange?) zest.

Texture: Medium weight, with a little alcohol heat behind the spice.

Taste: Soft initially, then quickly becoming hot & spicy. Some dry, ashy wood smoke but not a great deal of it. Definitely cumin now, some menthol, and a little ginger. Cloudy apple juice. Not very Ardbeg-like, it's pretty different and quite unique actually!

Finish: Medium length, Still loads of spices initially. More cumin again and some cinnamon powder, and a little nutmeg. A little soft, earthy peat underneath, and more of that apple juice. Some bitter high-cocoa dark chocolate as well that hangs around until the end.

Score: 3 out of 5.

Notes: Very interesting! Not your typical Ardbeg by any means, in fact I'm not sure what I would guess this to be if I was tasting it blind. Very spicy, a spice bomb in fact, which dries everything out and takes away most of that signature Ardbeg sweetness. The peat and smoke is quite subdued as well, hidden under those spices. Pushing my spice boundaries actually! It's pleasant though and fairly easy drinking, although I do miss the intense peat & sweet combination that we all love. But it's refreshing to see Ardbeg come up with something distinctly different for this special release. Russian / Black Sea oak was always going to be different, but I never expected to be quite this unusual! It has definitely improved and relaxed a bit in the week-and-a-half or so since I first opened it, and the spices have been amplified and the peat quietened since the first second introductory drams. It'll probably keep changing too, so I'll be sure to check in with it regularly over the next few weeks. For science, of course...

As for a winner, well It'd have to be a tie between Ardbog and the Dark Cove committee release. Both are excellent, and are very different in their own rights, although I suspect if my bottle of Ardbog was fresh it would have won outright. As we can expect from Ardbeg though, all five whiskies are distinctly different and are great quality whiskies. It's a tough gig when the 'core' range of Ardbeg, being the 10-year old, Uigeadail and Corryvreckan, are so damn good to begin with, so let's hope they keep pushing those boundaries and keeping things fresh & exciting. I'm sure they'll do just that.

It'll be very interesting to see how the 46% 'standard' version of Kelpie goes compared to this one. Will the spice be dialled back a bit, and will the peat come out of hiding? Time will tell, and as always I'll be lining up with the other Ardbeg-heads to find out on the 'day'. See you there folks!

Cheers!

Ardbeg Drum Committee Release Whisky Review!

Ardbeg's first rum cask finish? And at 52%? Take my money!

Ardbeg Drum is 2019's special bottling for Ardbeg Day, the annual world-wide event marking Ardbeg's Feis Ile celebrations on Islay, which in 2019 won't take place until the first of June. But as has been the case for the last few years, members of the Ardbeg Committee are treated to an special version of these whiskies a few months prior to the general release. The Committee Release bottlings are presented with more understated labelling, are not packaged in outer boxes, and are bottled at higher strength than the general release versions (which have been getting consistently lower in strength each year, before settling at 46%). I would say these are the purist's versions, since along with the higher ABV the packaging isn't anywhere near as glitzy as that of the regular versions. Each year Ardbeg give their fans something different, and these whiskies are often either a first for Ardbeg or a first for Islay whisky in general, from last year's Grooves that was partly-matured in heavily charred red wine casks, to 2017's Kelpie that was partly-matured in virgin Russian oak casks, among others. Of the seven 'Ardbeg Day' whiskies we've seen so far, 2013's Ardbog is still my pick of the lot, followed by the 2012 Ardbeg Day bottling, 2018's Grooves Committee Release and 2016's Dark Cove Committee Release. But this year's bottling promises to be very different from its predecessors, thanks to one fact in particular...

This year's release is Ardbeg's first official bottling that has been finished in rum casks. Actually it's even more unusual because Ardbeg do not typically use cask finishes at all. Cask finishing, also known as secondary maturation, extra maturation, double maturation or additional cask enhancement is the practice of taking a maturing cask of whisky and re-filling it into a different type of cask for a relatively short period of time before bottling. Ardbeg tend to follow the full-term maturation route, where casks are filled and matured separately (usually for different lengths of time) before marrying (combining) them together for bottling. If we take 2013's Ardbog as an example, it was a marriage / vatting of ex-bourbon casks and ex-Manzanilla sherry casks, all aged for at least 10 years. The vast majority of Ardbeg's releases, including their core range of An Oa, 10-year old, Uigeadail and Corryvreckan, are matured in this way. It's a different approach that is far less common than the typical 6-12 month cask finish that we've seen from almost every distillery at some point. But for whatever reason Ardbeg went with a cask finish for this release. In their words, the whisky was "rested a while" in the ex-rum casks, which unfortunately is typically vague, so I would assume the finishing period was relatively short. Regardless, it's definitely had a pronounced effect.

That aside, the main point of difference here is of course those rum casks. Unfortunately we don't know a lot about them, only that they came from the Americas. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a rum expert by any means, but based purely on taste and appearance I'd say they held a fairly light rum, sweet & tropical, or at least certainly not a dark rum. This sort of ambiguity is commonplace when it comes to rum casks in the whisky world, and it's still a rare thing to find a whisky that has spent time in rum casks. A few more details would be nice, and we may see that happen as rum casks become more widely used. As sherry casks become more expensive and demand continues to outstrip supply, to a much greater extent than the wine itself could hope for, we're already seeing more unusual cask types find their way into the mix along with other unusual and less "traditional" cask types. Rum casks can work very well with whisky, particularly peated whisky in my experience to date, and I've thoroughly enjoyed the rum cask-finished Kilchoman and refill-rum cask-matured Springbank that I've tasted previously. So there's absolutely no reason to think they won't work very well with Ardbeg's peaty & sweet Islay spirit. It's also nice to see the late former Ardbeg distillery manager Hamish Scott get a mention in the marketing materials for this release, ostensibly because he also worked at a Guyanan rum distillery before coming to Ardbeg, but whatever the reason it's nice to see him getting credit where it's due. During his tenure Scott was almost solely responsible for the debut appearance of Ardbeg as a single malt, and his wife Rhona now runs a fantastic B&B in Port Ellen, right on the harbour.

Australian Ardbeg fans have been very lucky over the last few years, with the local distributor selling limited quantities of the Committee Release bottlings directly to the waiting hordes, and at very reasonable prices. Each year the prices rise a little (like they do with almost everything) but it's important to remember that despite being such a small market and being so isolated we're getting access to Ardbeg bottlings that many countries do not. And they're actually always priced lower than the general release versions that follow them, when they could be priced significantly higher and would still sell out. Ardbeg Drum Committee Release's Australian allocation sold out in around six hours, despite being limited to two bottles per person, and those lucky (and organised) enough to get their hands on a bottle or two received their prize around a week later. It was priced at a reasonable $155 AUD plus shipping, and as always it'll now be on various reseller websites for at least double that. Based on that I'd expect the regular version of Drum to be priced at around $190-200 when it finally hits the shelves in June. This review is from my personal bottle, which was cracked on the day it arrived and has been open for around two weeks now. As with almost every year details are very scarce, all we know about Ardbeg Drum Committee Release is that is has been mostly matured in ex-bourbon casks and then finished in some sort of rum casks, bottled at 52% ABV, is non-chill filtered and naturally coloured. Time for a dram of Drum!

Ardbeg Drum Committee Release, NAS, 52%. Islay, Scotland.

Matured in ex-bourbon casks, finished in un-named rum casks. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 

Colour: Pale-ish gold. A shade darker than the 10-year old. 

Nose: Sweet & very tarry straight away, plus some pine resin around the edges. Loads of ripe bananas, sweet herbs, sea salt & freshly shucked oyster shells. Tarry ropes, a little smoked chocolate, spiced & caramelised pineapple, some sweet herbs and vanilla cake batter. Fresh but under-baked banana muffins & some white pepper further in.  

Texture: Light-medium weight, syrupy sweet and peppery. Very slight touch of heat, in a pleasant way. 

Taste: Sweet and syrupy, with more caramelised pineapple, and a lovely dry, earthy, ashy peat with some black pepper following behind. Slightly astringent with that pepper and some pine resin, then more sweet herbs and a little simple (sugar) syrup (rum funk, if you will). Vanilla cake batter again. 

Finish: Medium length, but surprisingly light. Some chilli salt, more tar and more black pepper. A touch of licorice straps, dark loose leaf tea, more banana muffins, milk chocolate and wood spices. Sugar syrup, vanilla essence and black pepper wind things up.

Score: 3.5 out of 5. Not far off a 4, though. 

Notes: A tough one to score, this. It's noticeably lighter in the peat department compared to regular Ardbeg, and the sweetness has really been amped up, but there's a good volume of flavour on offer. Maybe that's why they decided on a cask finish? Regardless the rum influence is obvious, giving this Ardbeg a tropical, syrupy & herbal character that is admittedly unusual, but very enjoyable. Like most Ardbeg Day releases Drum is a departure from the norm, but it's a very pleasant dram that is easy drinking and fun, and it would go down well on a summers day even at 52% ABV. Which is not something that many Ardbegs could claim. 

I would rank Ardbeg Drum Committee Release behind Ardbog, and roughly on-par with the Committee Releases of Grooves and Dark Cove. You'll have to be a fan of sweet and tropical flavours and slightly lighter peat influence though, like quite a few of the previous "Day" releases if you go in expecting a typically Ardbeg experience you probably won't find what you're looking for. 

No doubt Ardbeg Drum will get the usual negative reaction from the anti-NAS and seemingly anti-Ardbeg "old guard", amongst the usual cries of it being overpriced. Granted this is not a traditional Ardbeg, but what would be the point of releasing the same whisky every year? Ardbeg, like Laphroaig to a lesser extent, go for a more accessible and unexpected release to commemorate their Feis Ile celebrations than the majority of distilleries, which means their international fans can enjoy the special bottlings just as much as the lucky few on Islay can. And more power to them. As for us Ardbeg fans on the other side of the planet, we need to be keep some perspective of what we're getting here. Special treatment like this is normally only seen in the United States with their massive population, ridiculous buying power and far lower duty and tax levels. We don't get looked after like this by any other Islay distillery, and very few distilleries at all, so let's be appreciative that Ardbeg continue to value their small but loyal Australian following. May it never end!

Cheers!

Ardbeg Day 2012 Whisky Review!

The inaugural 'Ardbeg Day' release, the one that started it all over 13-years ago. The rarest of the Ardbeg Day bunch, the only one without a silly marketing story, and the one that everyone forgets about!

This wasn't the first Ardbeg Feis Ile release, there were single cask Feis Ile bottlings released for each festival around a decade or so prior, the first being released in 2002, and we shouldn't forget the legendary "El Diablo" PX cask release of 1,200 bottles from 2011. But this 2012 'Ardbeg Day' release was the first to be branded as an 'Ardbeg Day' bottling rather than a Feis Ile release, and it was the first of these to be distributed outside Islay during the festival rather than an actual distillery exclusive. Which is something they've done every year since, albeit now in larger quantities with higher prices, and with lower bottling strengths. This 2012 Ardbeg Day bottling, with 12,000 bottles released at a cask strength of 56.7% ABV, retailed for just £65 (roughly $130 AUD). It was followed by 2013's delicious "Ardbog" bottling (the only Ardbeg Day bottling with an age statement), 2014's lightly peated and diluted (not cask strength) Auriverdes, and 2015's Perpetuum, which celebrated the distillery's 200th anniversary. From 2015's "Perpetuum" until 2023's "Heavy Vapours" there were two versions of each Ardbeg Day bottling, a higher strength version 'Committee Release' bottling sold without a box, and a more numerous boxed release at a lower strength - generally 46% ABV. For 2024 & 2025 there has only been one version of the Ardbeg Day bottling, the 46% ABV one, the latest of which is priced at $200 and is still readily available on the shelves and sites - as are many of the recent releases. The highlights of the Ardbeg Day releases over those ten-ish years were, in my opinion, the Dark Cove Committee Release from 2016, and... err... that's probably it. Maybe an honourable mention for 2020's Blaaack Committee Release and 2021's Scorch Committee Release, I suppose. Some of the others have been enjoyable of course, but others have ranged from average, to downright disappointing. 

In more recent years Ardbeg have also released other limited edition whiskies in addition to the Ardbeg Day bottling, such as the very lacklustre Fermutation, the pretty good BizzareBQ, the very good 8 Year Old For Discussion, and the solid Eureka release from early 2025 - if you ask me those latter three have been the sweet spots of the Ardbeg line-up over the last few years, easily beating each year's Feis Ile / Ardbeg Day release, which have been steadily dropping in both quality and value for money. On the other end of the pricing scale there have also been older releases like the five different batches of 19-year old Traigh Bhan, the 21 Year Old, the 25-year old, and the three releases in the 'Twenty Something' series, plus a few others that were less notable - including a ridiculous cryptocurrency / NFT bottling that you couldn't buy with real money. Great idea there, coked-up marketing executives at LVMH... While these shenanigans were going on and the supporting marketing rubbish was getting all the attention, Ardbeg's core range of the Ten Year Old, Uigeadail, and Corryvreckan, have been quietly doing their thing, while easily surpassing the majority of the distillery's special releases in terms of quality and value for money. Unfortunately both Uigeadail (first released in 2003) and Corryvreckan (first released in 2009) have jumped up significantly in terms of pricing over the last few years, and batch quality has been up & down, but both are still bottled at the same high strengths of 54.2% and 57.1% respectively, while Ardbeg 10 (first released in current guise in 2000) remains one of the best bang-for-buck Islay single malts on the market. Unfortunately the extremely undercooked 5-year old Wee Beastie has since also joined the permanent line-up, which initially made us all concerned about the future of the flagship 10-year old, but so far, so good! 

All three of those original core range releases were already well-established when this Ardbeg Day bottling hit the airwaves in early 2012, with the major claim being that it was finished in ex-Uigeadail sherry casks. Supposedly this bottling is comprised of two different styles & vintages of ex-bourbon matured Ardbeg that were married together and finished in refill Oloroso sherry casks that were previously used for the sherry component of Uigeadail. The back label states that the finishing period was only six months, and while it's worth noting that some of the earlier vintages of Uigeadail used older ex-sherry casks, it's unlikely that this was still the case in the early 2010s. However, Uigeadail in this era was an excellent whisky until there seemed to be a change in style around 2014 - to a younger whisky with less sherry influence. With no age statement on this Ardbeg Day bottling - 2013's Ardbog is still the only Ardbeg Day release to have an age statement - it's hard to gauge ages, but based on taste I'm going to guess that this whisky is mostly on the young side, probably around 8-years. But there's nothing wrong with that when the right casks are used, like the 8-year old "For Discussion" has proven. 12,000 bottles of Ardbeg Day were released at a cask strength of 56.7% ABV, and it is non-chill filtered and natural colour. Let's get stuck in!

Ardbeg Day 2012, NAS, 56.7% ABV. Islay, Scotland.

Inaugural Ardbeg Day release, June 2012. Finished for six-months in refill sherry casks, rumoured to be ex-Uigeadail casks. Non-chill filtered, natural colour.

Colour: Bright gold. 

Nose: Rich, peaty, creamy. Big muddy peat, very salty (sea salt flakes), ground aniseed, salted limes, and some dried herbs. Plus a couple of honey-eucalyptus / honey-menthol cough drops. Dark chocolate with lime zest, sweet seaweed, black pepper, and jalapeno (smoked green chilli) flakes with more time. 

Texture: Medium-heavy weight. Oily, creamy, peaty, sweet, salty. No heat at all. 

Taste: Big oily entry, creamy vanilla, , brown sugar caramel, and sweet fruits in syrup. Then big sharp peat comes through, muddy & chunky, followed by a big pinch of sea salt, some seaweed, and dark chocolate. And those honey-eucalyptus cough drops, plus a slight touch of burnt bacon. A couple of dried currants, raisins, and coffee grounds around the edges heading into the finish. 

Finish: Long length. Still sweet, syrupy & peaty, a creamy & ashy peat smoke now with seaweed, brown sugar caramel, jalapeno flakes, and some warm powdered ginger. The currants, raisins, and coffee grounds come through, along with some herbal honey, lime marmalade (far superior to the orange stuff), and some dark chocolate. Touches of burnt bacon and ashy peat smoke to finish things off. 

Score: 4.5 out of 5. 

Notes: Delicious whisky, and a delicious Ardbeg. One of the best Ardbegs that I've had in quite a while, in fact. That sweetness, peatiness, saltiness, and creaminess - plus the lime and dark chocolate notes, point this out as a great "classic" Ardbeg, from before they started trying to fix what was never broken. I've read some reviews over the years that pegged this dram as hot & rough, but they mustn't have let it breathe properly - I'm not getting any of that, and this bottle has only had a few drams out of it after opening about a month ago. The short sherry cask finish does make itself known, but they were refill sherry casks, so the balance is pretty much spot-on in this Ardbeg Day bottling. I'd say they've just added some extra sweetness, some more fruitiness, and a few of those "darker" notes that show up around the edges. Plenty of flavour, plenty of character, and good balance. It's whiskies like this that put Ardbeg on the map for us Islay whisky fans back then, and, well... Sadly, they don't seem to make 'em like they used to. 

Please, Ardbeg, just give us a cask strength 10-year old. No playing with the recipe, no excessive marketing, no graphic novels bullshit, and no cryptocurrency ridiculousness. Just a cask strength ex-bourbon Ardbeg 10-year old. Don't muck with it, just skip the dilution down to 46% and give us the eau naturel version, and we'll all love you for it. You've let the independent bottlers have all the fun for a long time now, it's high time that your official bottlings got back in on the action. Rumour is that Laphroaig are dropping their 10-year old Cask Strength because their corporate overlords don't think it sells well enough, so it's time for Ardbeg to take up the mantle and give the fans what they want. Pretty please Dr. Bill, if you're reading this; you can do it, we believe in you! **EDIT: It looks like this might actually be happening! Labels are circulating online for a potential 10 Year Old Cask Strength committee release next year!**

Cheers!

Ardbeg BizarreBQ Whisky Review!

Finally getting around to reviewing Ardbeg's lower-priced limited release from mid-2023! Funnily enough - like most of their special releases from 2023 - it's still readily available at RRP over six months later. Times have clearly changed for Islay's loudest distillery...

I'm roughly six-months behind the curve with this review. Ardbeg BizarreBQ has already received positive feedback from many, but then fell off the radar very quickly. Having already tried it a couple of times thanks to friends, and since it's still widely available at the original RRP - here in Australia, at least - I think it deserves more attention. So here we are! This isn't an Ardbeg Day / Feis Ile (Islay Festival) release, but it's not a core range bottling either, it's just a limited release. Ardbeg have really ramped up the special and/or limited releases in the last few years, with the words "special" and "limited" no longer holding the water that they once did. BizarreBQ is a limited release, but we don't know how many bottles there are in that release, and even now it doesn't seem to be particularly scarce, six months down the track. But that certainly doesn't mean it's not a good whisky. With global economic changes and the post-pandemic shift in drinking habits, the vast majority of limited release & mid-range Scotch whisky isn't flying off the shelf like it once did. I've singled out Scotch there, but that also applies to Australian whisky. In fact it applies to almost everything that is not Japanese whisky! Thanks to many naïve consumers that umbrella term still covers the stuff that isn't really Japanese and also the stuff that isn't really whisky, but it's really the proper stuff from the likes of Nikka and Suntory, and some smaller operations, that continues to skyrocket in price. Whether single malt or blended. End rant, let's get back on track!

But before we do that, I was recently treated to a dram of Ardbeg Renaissance that was released back in 2008, the first 10-year old Ardbeg that was distilled under Glenmorangie ownership since they purchased the distillery in 1997. Renaissance was the final instalment of the four-part "Peaty Path to Maturity" series, which were all fully matured in ex-bourbon casks, were bottled at cask strength, and had both vintages and ages clearly stated. Shared between three whisky-loving mates who had all been major Ardbeg fans until a few years ago, this very special dram invoked the same reaction from all three of us; "Oh how the mighty have fallen". Well, in all honesty we may have used some more colourful language, but words to that effect! An Ardbeg with decent age, quality casks, fully natural presentation including actual cask strength, and no ridiculous marketing bullshit. The time-proven Ardbeg recipe that would fall apart around a decade later when the marketing department took too much acid and decided that distillery fans needed at least five limited and/or "committee" releases every year, each with a higher price tag and a lower ABV than its predecessor. Meat pies, web comics about some sort of secret agent - no I haven't read any of it and frankly I'd rather drink Wee Beastie, which is really saying something - and myriad limited releases which had interesting unique selling points on paper, but ended up being major disappointments. Ardcore comes to mind in particular there. That's not to say there haven't been some tasty whiskies among the increasing numbers of releases from Ardbeg - the decent but overpriced 13-year old "Harpy's Tale" for example, and the 19-year Traigh Bhan which is sadly very overpriced and has been since the second batch was released in 2020 - by my reckoning the Australian pricing has increased by $100 with each new batch, all with identical specifications. They're now trying to retail Batch 4 for a ridiculous $499 AUD, and surprise, surprise; it's not moving. Even the distillery's long-standing core range NAS releases Uigeadail and Corryvreckan have jumped in pricing to a point beyond most people's comfort levels. 

There has been one recent exception to this trend, though; Ardbeg 8-year old "For Discussion" which was released back in 2021 for a very reasonable price. If you ask me, this has been the new benchmark in quality & value for an Ardbeg official bottling ever since. As far as quality vs. price I'd peg it as the pick of Ardbeg's "committee releases" since Dark Cove was released back in 2016, possibly challenged by the higher ABV committee versions of 2018's Grooves and 2021's Scorch. 8-Year Old For Discussion is a permanent release so it's still widely available, and has actually become more affordable in the years since it's release - current pricing on the Ardbeg Committee Australia website is just $115 AUD with a branded tumbler glass. That's an absolute steal, only $20 above the local pricing for the standard 10-year old. BizarreBQ might just be another exception to the Ardbeg trend at a similar strength and a similar price point to the 8-year old, but it's quite a different whisky. That benchmark 8-year old bottling was fully matured in refill sherry casks, which is quite unusual for Ardbeg. BizarreBQ is even more unusual, being matured in three different cask types: "double charred oak" (which I take to mean refill ex-bourbon hogsheads that have been re-charred), Pedro Ximinez sweet sherry casks, and experimental "BBQ charred" casks which were apparently charred over a brazier. Beyond that, Ardbeg is being very cagey with the details on this one. We don't know the proportions of these different cask components, and we don't know how long the whisky spent in any of them, nor do we know the overall age. We don't know if these cask types were used for finishing or if they were fully matured separately and then married together, which was standard operating procedure for Ardbeg until only a few years ago. The BBQ link is a marketing exercise "collaboration" between Ardbeg and an American BBQ chef who goes by "DJ BBQ". That collaboration only began in 2020, which leads me to believe that at least those BBQ charred casks were only used as a finish, if not the other cask types as well. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, by any means, but it would be nice to know. 

The chosen ABV for this one is 50.9%, which is not cask strength - when did we last see an official bottling of Ardbeg that was actually stated to be cask strength? Or even one that was at a believable cask strength? If you discount the stupidly expensive single cask official bottlings, if I recall correctly that would be Ardbog from 2013? Corryvreckan and Uigeadail are bottled at consistent batch strengths, although they're certainly high enough for anyone. The Ardbeg Day / Feis Ile releases seem to be dropping in ABV every year, in opposition to their pricing and in some cases also their quality. BizarreBQ is very reasonably priced though, at $145 AUD, and as mentioned it's still readily available. The real question is; is BizarreBQ worth the extra $30 over the current AU pricing for the 8-year old? Let's find out, shall we? 

Ardbeg BizarreBQ, NAS, 50.9%. Islay, Scotland.

Matured/finished in "double charred oak" casks, (presumably re-charred ex-bourbon hogsheads), PX sherry casks, and "BBQ charred" casks which were charred over a brazier. Non-chill filtered, assumed natural colour. 

Colour: Copper. 

Nose: Sweet, smoky, coastal. Tangy sweet & sour sauce, drying salt-laden seaweed, and a thick & spicy fruity BBQ sauce. Warm ashy wood smoke, lemon juice, and smoked pork ribs. Blowtorched herbs (rosemary & thyme), touch of grilled stone fruit & caramelised pineapple. 

Texture: Medium weight. Oily, sweet & spicy, warming & smoky. No heat at all. 

Taste: More wood smoke, thick & ashy, and more spices - smoked paprika. Big squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Touch of sweet shellfish (BBQ'd again) and those smoked pork ribs again. Some charred wood (hickory?), more grilled stone fruit & caramelised pineapple in brown sugar. That sweet & spicy BBQ sauce again, plus a few whole black peppercorns. 

Finish: Medium length. Soft earthy peat, more lemon juice, touch of aniseed. Hickory wood, touch of black cherry in the background. Blowtorched herbs & black peppercorns. BBQ sauce and grilled stone fruit to finish. 

Score: 4 out of 5. 

Notes: Extra tasting / nosing note just for the Aussies: BBQ Shapes, but from before they changed the recipe and ruined them. This Ardbeg is really quite delicious, and it's a nice departure from their usual flavour profile without going too far like most of the recent "experimental" Ardbeg day releases. While they're very tight-lipped about the details on those "BBQ charred casks", the BBQ notes are there in spades. That's within the usual peated whisky wheelhouse at least (particularly in some Port Charlottes and also some mainland peated malts), and BizarreBQ doesn't feel undercooked (pun intended) like most of those special releases from the last few years. In fact I'd say this is on par with the 8-year old For Discussion, and that both of these semi-limited but still widely-available releases are better than any of the Ardbeg Day bottlings since Dark Cove Committee Release back in 2016. Both are also significantly cheaper and represent far greater value for money, if you ask me. Good stuff! 

More of these please Ardbeg, and less of the marketing bullshit - web comics very much included. 

Cheers!

Ardbeg Grooves Committee Release Whisky Review!

Well, Ardbeg & Moet Australia have really come through for us again! Not only were we lucky enough to get an allocation of the committee release of "Grooves", but we were also spared the website issues and subsequent postponement that European buyers endured.

Of course, the allocation of the committee release sold out very quickly, and I believe it has also sold out around the world. Like previous committee releases the system used here in Australia worked very well. Registrations were done online, followed up by a confirmation email, and then a phone call to confirm the order and collect payment, with dispatch commencing a week later. While doing it this way is obviously more work for the staff and more expense for the company, it actually works. So it's well worth it!

This year's Ardbeg "day" or Feis Ile (Islay festival) release, Ardbeg Grooves is a very exciting expression. While the strength is similar to 2017's Kelpie Committee Release (reviewed here along with the previous four Ardbeg "day" releases), and yes there's no age statement, I just can't understand why there's such a level of hate and misery in some sectors of the whisky community when it comes to these bottlings. Some releases are better than others of course, as is the case with all distilleries, and I must admit that I wasn't a huge fan of either version of last year's Kelpie. But in my opinion the fact that Ardbeg's releases are by far the easiest to get hold of, and are often the most reasonably priced, both in the committee and regular release versions, more than makes up for any perceived shortcomings. Sure there's no age statement, and yes there's a slightly contrived marketing spin, but those aren't exactly new or unfamiliar things. There are hundreds of fantastic "NAS" whiskies out there from dozens of different distilleries, and there have been for years now. None of that is going to change on a substantial scale any time soon, so I think it's high time that some of the "haters" just accepted it and judged the whiskies on their aroma & taste instead.

And let's not forget the upside to these Ardbeg releases. There seem to be two trains of thought when it comes to Feis Ile releases. Most distilleries produce a relatively tiny amount of whisky for their commemorative bottlings, which usually means both high prices and very slim chances of getting your hands on one. Think about it, when was the last time a Bowmore, Caol Ila or Bruichladdich (for example, I'm not singling anyone out!) Feis Ile bottling made it to another country, without being on-sold for massive profit at secondary auction? They don't! Only Laphroaig and Ardbeg's releases are actually able to be purchased by those who aren't on Islay or based in continental Europe, which I think is a great way to celebrate the festival in a wider circle. If they were to instead release a single cask with a retail price well in the hundreds of pounds, then only a few would get their hands on a bottle, and they'd also get a lot of bottle flippers, speculating collectors and ravenous (bordering on greedy) retailers 'investing' and turning a profit. But with Ardbeg there is always plenty of stock (particularly of the regular version), the prices are reasonable, and the whisky is always something different from the norm. I'm sure we'd all love a single refill ex-bourbon cask Ardbeg with an age statement in the teens, but if that were the case, how many of us would actually get to taste the stuff? Ardbeg's contemporary Feis Ile releases are meant to be enjoyed by as many of their masses of fans as possible, and having plenty of reasonably priced whisky that is widely available is certainly the best way to accomplish that.

Anyway, enough of all that. I mentioned above that this years' release is an exciting expression. That's because this is the first Ardbeg release to include some whisky that was matured (Ardbeg don't do finishing, remember) in red wine casks! Not only that, but those wine casks were also heavily charred to produce deep grooves in the surface of the wood, giving more surface area for the spirit to interact with. Those grooves are also how this whisky's name was derived, along with the "groovy" 1960s-inspired marketing angle. There are rumours that those casks were procured from Jack Daniels' owner Brown-Forman, who previously did a similar thing with Jack Daniels Sinatra Select, although they used virgin oak in that case. Now I'm only speculating here, but Brown-Forman also own a Californian vineyard that produces Pinot Noir, so perhaps that's where the wine casks were sourced? Or alternatively, perhaps Moet-Hennessy sourced the casks themselves and sent them to Brown-Forman's cooperage for re-charring, since they had already used the same charring method? It's a little strange that we haven't been told anything about the origin or provenance of the red wine casks themselves, since Ardbeg's mad scientist Dr. Bill Lumsden doesn't usually shy away from providing detailed information on the casks or elaborating on the exact origins of the wood, so I'm not sure what the reasoning is here. Perhaps more details will come to light when the regular version is released around the world on Ardbeg day in June. In any case, it'll be very interesting to see how those re-charred wine casks have gotten along with Ardbeg's peaty-yet-relatively light spirit (which is largely thanks to the purifier on their spirit still), and the regular ex-bourbon cask Ardbeg that it was married with prior to bottling.

The committee release version of Grooves that we're looking at today (from my own personal bottle) is bottled at 51.6% ABV, and is non-chill filtered and naturally coloured, since Ardbeg don't add any E150a spirit caramel to any of their expressions. While part of this whisky was matured (not finished) in those heavily charred red wine casks, as with most Ardbeg releases the majority has been matured in first- and second-fill ex-bourbon casks. Not that there's anything wrong with that! Like all modern Ardbeg committee releases there's no outer box supplied with this one, and the packaging and labelling is relatively basic. But the extra ABV, and let's be honest, also the relative rarity, more than make up for that. The regular release of Grooves will be bottled at 46%, again without chill filtration or added colouring, and will come in a pretty box. But it will also be more expensive than the committee release, at least until the latter starts appearing on the auction circuit. Let's get to it!

Ardbeg Grooves Committee Release, NAS, 51.6%. Islay, Scotland.
Partly matured (not finished) in ex-red wine casks, heavily charred to produce grooves in the surface. Majority matured in ex-bourbon casks, first- & second-fill. Non-chill filtered, natural colour.

Colour: Copper.

Nose: Lovely. Sweet, spicy and coastal. Smoky chewy toffee, toasted sweet vanilla, paprika & cinnamon. Creme brulee, some tar, brine and caramel popcorn. Hints of grilled fish in the background with a few drops of lime juice.

Texture: Medium weight, oily, spicy and smoky. No heat at all.

Taste: Much drier here than on the nose. A little minerality, a lovely dry, crumbly peat and some delicious smoked spices. Cinnamon, ginger, black pepper & aniseed. Smoked honey, toasted vanilla again and some singed (lightly burnt) herbs. Delicious.

Finish: Long length, warming. More of the tar & brine from the nose, and that smoky toffee, plus some blow-torched citrus rind. Dry wood smoke and more of those tasty smoked spices. More aniseed coming out and a couple of cloves here too. Then more caramel popcorn, toasted sweet vanilla, and a little lime juice. Some golden orchard fruit and a lovely sandy, salty peat further down the rabbit hole.

Score: 4 out of 5.

Notes: Tasty, tasty stuff! I'd actually go so far as to call this a "return to form" compared to the last few Ardbeg special releases (although the Dark Cove committee release was great too). And by that I mean it's more identifiable as Ardbeg, and the quality is beyond question. It doesn't have the massive hit of hot spices that Kelpie did (which almost spoiled the experience for me), nor the big almost too-sweet fruit of Dark Cove, and I love that the classic Ardbeg tar & citrus notes are still there. But it's still a different whisky from the norm, and let's remember that that's exactly what we should want from these special releases! I'm really loving those smoked spice notes in the Grooves, they're not dominant and they work really well with the whole package, adding a new part of the experience. An expertly concocted and also nicely balanced whisky here.

I struggled to score this one, in fact it was nearly a 4.5 score, which only reminds me (again) that I should have gone with a 10-point system. But, Grooves committee release is now officially my equal-favourite Ardbeg "day" release, sharing the title with 2013's Ardbog, despite them being two rather different whiskies. If you missed out on this one, well, I'm sorry to tell you that you're probably going to regret it. I'm sure the "regular" 46% version that will be released in late May will be good too, but I think Ardbeg have already nailed it with this one. Groovy baby, very groovy!

Cheers!

Ardbeg Blaaack Committee Release Whisky Review!

Yes, it's finally here... And it's almost Ardbeg Day, so let's not waste any time!

Ardbeg Day is less than a week away now (May 30), and while there won't be any major physical events or festivals happening anywhere due to some idiot taking an Ozzy Osbourne impression too far, it still seems like a good occasion (excuse) to enjoy some Ardbeg. The distillery will be doing some virtual tastings and other events online, but that's as close as we'll get for 2020, which also happens to be the 20th anniversary of the Ardbeg Committee. The Ardbeg Committee was formed on New Year's Day in 2000, when these fan club-types of groups - a cynic might call them mailing lists or loyalty programs - were far less common. In fact you'll now be hard-pressed to find a mainstream distillery that doesn't have some sort of member's "inner circle". Ardbeg have done a good job of it though, back in the earlier years you'd receive a booklet on joining that contained the tongue-in-cheek rules & regulations of the committee, plus good information on some of the distillery quirks, and tasting notes on the core range of whiskies, and even a temporary Ardbeg tattoo! And although it's not really the case these days, the early Committee Release bottlings were much more limited in numbers, were actually limited to committee members, and were very difficult to source otherwise. Still, it's a shame that the 20th year of this international assembly of Ardbeg-heads will largely go uncelebrated - at least in any large format. But that doesn't mean that they've pulled their punches on this year's Ardbeg Day special release!

Ardbeg & team have never shied away from experimentation and breaking new ground. And Ardbeg Blaaack is the first Ardbeg release to be fully-matured in wine casks - 2018's Ardbeg Grooves was a mix/marriage/vatting of charred wine casks & ex-bourbon casks. This time they've gone a little further afield - to New Zealand, in fact, about as far from Islay as you can get, where they sourced Pinot Noir red wine casks. The name of this release is both a nod to the grapes that said wine was made from - 'Noir' being French for 'Black' - and also the fact that New Zealand has more than it's fair share of sheep, hence the 'Blaaack'. The glass bottle itself is also black, which I believe is the first time that contemporary Ardbeg has strayed from the usual green - or the occasional clear - bottle for an official release. Pinot Noir is a dry red wine that is prevalent in the Burgundy region of southern France, but is now produced all over the world - although mainly in cooler climates like South Australia, Tasmania and southern New Zealand. It's considered a medium-bodied wine that is lighter in colour and tannins than the heavier red wines like Shiraz / Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The use of ex-Pinot Noir casks is commonplace in Australia, and does seem to be slowly on the rise in Scotch whisky, with Springbank's Burgundy cask and a couple of the Longrow Red bottlings being the more visible examples to date. While Australian whisky drinkers have come to expect a dark colour and aggressive cask influence when dealing with wine casks, it's a little different in Scotland, since unlike the vast majority of Australian distilleries they're using full-sized (225-250 litre) casks and also enjoy a cooler and more stable climate, which along with other factors contributes to slower, steadier and more balanced maturation. So this Ardbeg is far from black in colour, in fact it's visually not too dissimilar from Uigeadail or Corryvreckan, and while certainly present the wine cask influence is not dominant or aggressive - and this whisky is all the better for it, if you ask me.

Ardbeg's special releases always receive their fair share of hate, usually from the 'old guard', and the 'Day' releases often take the lion's share of that negativity. Yes, there are no age statements, the marketing is heavy and can border on annoying, and the bottling strengths are consistently getting lower with each new expression - even in the committee releases. In fact the standard versions of the Ardbeg Day bottlings seem to have settled on 46% ABV, while the committee releases are now in the low-50s - 50.7%, in this case. There's nothing wrong with that in terms of flavour of course, and I understand the economics - lower strength equals more bottles and lower excise & duties - but you could certainly argue that we're now getting less for our money with each year that passes, while the pricing continues to rise. That said, the Committee Releases are still very reasonably priced, in fact they're often priced the same as the standard version at its lower bottling strength - but you do get a box with that one. If you're lucky enough to live in a country where these Committee Releases are made available at all, and are quick enough to beat the resellers & flippers to nab your bottle before they sell out, then you're getting a good deal. Thankfully Australia is one of these lucky countries, and Moet Hennessy Australia do a commendable job of bringing these special releases to the waiting hordes of local Ardbeg fans, unlike many other Scottish distilleries who don't bother at all. As usual the Committee Release of Blaaack sold out very quickly, although there are now listings on plenty of reseller and flipper websites, while the standard version with full packaging & box and lower bottling strength will be released on Ardbeg Day.

So, Ardbeg Blaaack Committee Release, fully matured in ex-New Zealand Pinot Noir casks, is bottled at 50.7%, is non-chill filtered, and as far as I'm aware is naturally coloured - there's no obvious fake tan here, and if I recall correctly Ardbeg do not add & have never added E150a artificial colouring to their single malts, but it's not stated on the packaging. As with every year of these Ardbegs there's no information on the number of bottles in the release, of either this committee release or the standard version. Time for a dram!

Ardbeg Blaaack Committee Release, NAS, 50.7%. Islay, Scotland.
Ardbeg Day 2020 release. Fully matured in ex-New Zealand Pinot Noir wine casks. Non-chill filtered, presumed natural colour.

Colour: Amber.

Nose: Tar, aniseed & red fruits - dried raspberry, black cherry & blackberry jam. Soft warm wood smoke, rich vanilla ice cream and fresh sea salt. Drying kelp, black pepper & hessian sacking (unused bung cloth) with a little earthy peat. More time adds some sandalwood and liquorice.

Texture: Medium weight. Simultaneously rich & creamy and dirty & peaty. No heat at all.

Taste: Creamy rich vanilla ice cream, with a cherry & blackberry swirl, with a few flakes of sea salt. Delicious. Some dried red chilli, warm fresh tar and a drying ashy & spicy peat - much more present here than it was on the nose. A touch of dark chocolate mousse as well.

Finish: Long length. The peat & tar come first, plus the dried red chilli and some black pepper. It's a dirty, ashy & spicy peat here, before it fades and the dram becomes cleaner with that cherry & blackberry ice cream, some liquorice and soft wood smoke. But the tar & spicy peat are the players here.

Score: 4 out of 5.

Notes: It may not be the most complex or peaty/smoky Ardbeg ever, but it's a delicious dram nonetheless. If memory serves it's also the most berry & cherry-forward Ardbeg that I've tasted to date, which is unusual but does make sense given those wine casks are a first. The Ardbeg backbone is still there though, at least on the palate - with the dirty peat, wood smoke and tar never far away - which is a good thing. On the nose they're a little more restrained, but they're still there, although it's a brighter, fruitier Ardbeg overall. Which makes for a refreshing change really - if all of the special releases followed the same script as the core range, what would be the point? The distillery comes up with something different, which can't be easy considering it was actually in the works years prior. And this one is certainly different, but without going as far afield as some of the previous releases.

As far as rankings with the other Ardbeg Day releases, I'd have to put Blaaack somewhere around the middle. For my tastes it can't match the beauty of the Ardbog and the original Ardbeg Day bottling, and is slightly behind Grooves, but equal with Dark Cove. Which also means that it wipes the floor with Drum, Kelpie, Perpetuum and Auriverdes in my book. It's good, and it's certainly worth picking up - at close to the original pricing. As for the 46% version that lands next week, we'll have to wait and see - but based on this Committee Release, I look forward to trying it! Here's to Ardbeg day!

Cheers!

Ardbeg 8 Year Old For Discussion Whisky Review!

A new Ardbeg named "For Discussion"? Well OK then, if you insist!

An affordable, age statement Ardbeg at a decent strength is always difficult to resist. But I was a little deterred by 2020's Wee Beastie, the 5-year old Ardbeg which some seem to love but I personally found disappointing. Sure, it's OK for the price point overall. But it's the same price as Ardbeg 10-year old, or at least it is here in Australia, and the Ten is still one of the best value core range single malts on the market. Despite being the same strength the Ten offers vastly more depth and complexity than Wee Beastie, and is also one of the more consistent whiskies out there when it comes to the level of quality that it offers. I can see what they were going for with the 5-year old of course; a younger, more spirit-led and smokier expression, and the same approach has worked brilliantly for the likes of Lagavulin 8 vs. 16, but in my opinion Wee Beastie missed the mark, and I suspect just hadn't spent enough time in casks, or at least in the right casks. Other Islay distilleries such as Kilchoman and Bruichladdich are consistently putting out whiskies at similar ages that absolutely eclipse the 5-year old Ardbeg in every category, albeit at slightly higher prices, but then both are made by significantly smaller distilleries. Whiskies of these young ages can be outstanding drams, but it's always important to remember that age is just a number, and that number doesn't necessarily equate to maturity or quality. There are a huge number of variables involved, from the spirit itself to the casks used and just about everything in between, so there's no rule to be broken here. But it's a fact that good quality casks, whether first-fill or refill, play a huge role in the final character and depth of a young whisky, regardless of which distillery produced them. 

Despite all that, when this 8-year old Ardbeg "For Discussion" I was instantly excited to get my hands on a bottle. European reviews seemed mixed, and it was a lengthy wait before stock arrived in Australia - lengthier than usual thanks to COVID, of course. But an age statement Ardbeg bottled at just over 50% ABV, especially one that hits the Australian market at a surprisingly reasonable price - circa $120 AUD, which is quite incredible really - was always going to find it's way through my door. Not only was it sold direct to Ardbeg committee members through Moet Hennessy Australia, it was also released to some retailers, so there certainly seems to be a good amount of stock available locally. There are also semi-official murmurings and snippets (including one from Bill Lumsden himself) that this Ardbeg was fully matured in ex-sherry casks, although I'd say all or at least most of them would've been refill casks - but that's no bad thing, not at all. If true that's an interesting point of difference here, because the flagship 10-year old is fully matured in first-fill and refill ex-bourbon casks, and the last age statement 8-year old Ardbeg that was released, the delicious third "Path to Peaty Maturity" bottling titled "Almost There", was fully matured in first-fill ex-bourbon casks. Well actually Almost There didn't have an exact age statement, but it had a year of distillation of 1998 and a year of bottling of 2007, making it a minimum age of 8-years old. There have been a few sherry cask influenced Ardbegs released over the years, such as the venerable but variable Uigeadail, and 2016's Dark Cove, and most of the more recent releases including Wee Beastie and An Oa have reportedly had some sherry casks in the mix - although you'll struggle to find any real sherry influence in either of those. But an Ardbeg that has been fully- and wholly-matured in ex-sherry casks is quite the rare thing, particularly in the form of an official bottling. So this is quite the interesting proposition!

I know I mention this almost every time I review a limited release Ardbeg that comes to Australia, but credit must again be given to Moet Hennessy Australia for releasing this limited bottling at an extremely reasonable price, and for bringing it to the ever-thirsty Australian Ardbeg fans in decent numbers. They could quite easily have charged a significantly higher price (like they do for their older whiskies - the third batch of the 19-year old Traigh Bhan is now $420 AUD), but instead they've kept it at a level where it is affordable for the average whisky enthusiast. Which means more of these bottles will be opened, shared and enjoyed - just as a whisky named "For Discussion" should be! That name by the way harkens back to the early days of the Ardbeg Committee and the plain-labelled committee releases from the early 2000s that are now the stuff of legend, and of course command legendary prices if they do appear for resale. Bottlings such as Very Young, Young Uigeadail a.k.a. "The Oogling", and the pre-release / advance release of Alligator that were far more limited than the more contemporary committee releases and were actually exclusive to the committee's members. The text on the labelling of this new 8-year old, giving only basic tasting notes and little information written in the style of meeting minutes, also harkens back to those early days of the Committee where the booklets were sent out and were written like meeting minutes - they also came with a temporary tattoo, which was actually pretty cool and made for some great pranks! So, an 8-year old Ardbeg, semi-officially matured in ex-sherry casks, bottled at 50.8% ABV - so not cask strength, but definitely nothing to sneeze at. It's also naturally coloured and non-chill filtered, as is the case with all Ardbeg single malts, although sadly the former point is no longer printed on the packaging like it used to be. That's enough discussion, it's time for a dram!

Ardbeg 8-Year Old "For Discussion", 50.8%. Islay, Scotland.

Semi-officially stated to be fully matured in ex-sherry casks, presumably refill. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 

Colour: Pale gold. I'd say one shade darker than the 10yo. 

Nose: Lovely. Fatty & salty smoked bacon, dark chocolate, thick tar, touches of fresh oily fish and spent coffee grounds. Sweet vanilla cream with thick salted caramel and a touch of grilled banana - so make that banoffee pie, but much lighter on the banana than they usually are. Lovely fresh touches of aniseed, gristy (floury) malt, warm sea salt and dried pineapple. 

Texture: Medium weight. Fatty and slightly creamy. Sweet and peaty, well balanced. Very slight heat, very pleasant.

Taste: Sweet, salty & nicely peaty. More salty & fatty smoked bacon but it's verging on burnt this time. Black pepper, thick tar, and that sweet vanilla cream. Salted caramel, ashy peat smoke, dried banana & pineapple around the edges. Lovely smoky, gristy malt and aniseed freshness again, with lightly bitter dark chocolate. 

Finish: Medium-long length. Fatty smoked bacon again, more black pepper, and lovely smoked ham baked with a little honey & orange. Light ashy peat smoke, aniseed again and a slight vegetal / herbal touch. 

Score: 4 out of 5. 

Notes: Delicious Ardbeg! After my slight disappointment with the 5-year old Wee Beastie I wasn't quite sure what to expect here, but this 8-year old is on an entirely different level if you ask me. There's far more depth, more character and a better balance here than its younger core range cousin. For discussion is a winner! There isn't a huge overt sherry influence to be found, but again that's no bad thing - and the smell & taste has me believing the semi-official semi-rumours that it was matured in refill sherry casks. The bacon and ham notes in this whisky already had me convinced, but there's also a shade of Uigeadail here that could be hinting at the source of some of those refill sherry casks. That's our speculation, mind you! The 8-year old is also not as "bright" in style as I would expect from an ex-bourbon cask Ardbeg. They also tend to be quite fruity and less pungent than this 8-year old. 

But that's all guesswork really, at the end of the day what actually matters is the smell & taste of the whisky itself, and there's plenty of both to be found in this dram. This is a great example of a younger whisky that is fresh & lively on one hand, and also mature & characterful on the other. Ardbeg 8 "For Discussion" was an absolute bargain at the original retail pricing, even here in Australia - which is not something we can say very often these days. Let's hope that low pricing and also the good amount of stock means that this whisky is opened & enjoyed and then discussed at length, rather than being flipped on auction sites or collecting dust (like the 19-year old will be at its new price). Let's also hope that this 8-year old Ardbeg isn't a one-off! Well done to Ardbeg & Moet Hennessy Australia. Highly recommended.

Cheers!