Every time Ardbeg announces a new bottling, people lose their minds: so it was again this year, with Germans ready to get a mortgage in order to buy a sample in preview… Italy celebrated Ardbeg Day last Saturday in Milan, in the splendid setting of Palazzo delle Stelline, a few steps from Leonardo’s Cenacle, with the always precious contribution of Giorgio D’Ambrosio (a chat with him was much more interesting, than the tug-of-war…). Ardbog, the 2013 child of the Argyll distillery, was presented on this social occasion: ‘bog’ stands for ‘peat bog’ (even if the first meaning seems to be ‘toilet / latrine’, don’t be fooled, has not been double matured in a toilet!), so the mystery of the curious name is revealed. Great expectation, it was said, for a whisky nearly 10 years old, matured in ex-Bourbon barrels and ex-Sherry Manzanilla casks: great expectation also because, as we know, the latest releases (Ardbeg Day, Galileo, Alligator) had not really persuaded the fans, despite a remarkable commercial success. Let’s not talk nonsense: the colour is golden, clear.
N: you can smell the alcohol; it’s clearly young, and the exuberant peat is proof of that. The smokiness is very intense and acrid, in full Ardbeg style (diesel, tires, burnt rubber), and the marine/iodine side remains of discrete intensity, unlike a medicinal dimension that seems completely absent. So far, everything is fine, and not even the rest disappoints us: there is a dry ‘sweetness’, from sugar and crystallized fruit (citrus: orange and cedar – but also loads of ginger!); golden apple? Anyway, it’s a discrete side and not at all people-pleasey. Over time, a bouquet of spices opens up, unexpected; wood, licorice, cinnamon, cloves, even a bit of mint… Maybe a hint of tamarind? A suggestion of cake (Torta Paesana, with chocolate and pine nuts).
P: the attack (a bit too alcoholic again) is about peat smoke, intense, acrid, still very ‘nervous’ and still revealing the young (yes, okay, but not very young…) age. It seems almost ‘sparkling’, a sort of mix between sea water, candied ginger and pepper: it seems a bit extreme, certainly is not a graceful palate. It is very dry (D’Ambrosio explained that the ‘fault’ is the share of Manzanilla barrels) and a discreet citrus sweetness, present but not overwhelming: candied citrus and licorice again. Less complex comparing to the nose, we would say, and also a little less enjoyable.
F: peat and pepper, pepper and peat, with a little coffee and chocolate. Long and very persistent. Burnt rubber.
Well, what can we say; certainly (the opinion seemed to be shared by everyone yesterday) is a little more convincing than the last Ardbeg releases, but after all (the opinion seemed to be shared by everyone yesterday) was not difficult… We quite like it, to be true: it’s an ‘honest’ whisky, which reveals all its youth and – fortunately, thanks to the contribution of Manzanilla barrels – does not exceed in that people-pleasey sweetness that has characterized many of the latest releases. Although a little more roundness would have been welcomed. Surely, you must like peat: forget the Ardbeg from the past, forget those oily, lemony, chewable whiskies, we’re talking about something else, here. And in short, it’s a discreet whisky, which we’ll evaluate 83/100, even if others, like the brave Gal, have been more forgiving; it will cost around 90 euros, not exactly a ‘popular’ price, for such a
young malt – but hey, it’s Ardbeg!
Recommended soundtrack: Arsis – Forced to rock.
