Tastes

Sydney Whisky Show May 20th 2023. Whisky #31 Nose: Soft, aromatic peat smoke with overtones of fragrant wood (sandalwood, camphor) and no sharpness at all. Wafts of seaside farmyard: brine and low-tide beaches, leather saddles, sweet dark soil, heather honey and lemon trees. A little lapsang souchong tea, perique tobacco, and then some menthol, dark chocolate and over-ripe apricots in the background. Palate: Soft arrival with gingerbread, toasted marshmallow, cooked cereals and molasses but all wrapped in a light blanket of fragrant smoke. Development brings a more assertive smoke note that continues to build as it rests in the mouth and then goes even further with subsequent sips. Pepper, smoked fish, herbs, dried lemon, aniseed, malt extract, menthol, mineral salts. The texture is oily but drying, with very fine tannic resin notes. Finish: Medium. Peppery peat, leather, pine, asphalt, fennel and spice notes. The balance starts out sweet in the arrival but tails off into a long, dry elegant aftertaste in the finish. Wow, at last I’ve finished writing up the notes from the Sydney Whisky Show this year. It's taken me 5 months and I can finally get on to the three boxes of samples I've had waiting. This is the first Traigh Bhan batch I’ve had the chance to taste and I deliberately left it until the end of the day to try at the show. I was probably a little tipsy by then even though I’d been using the spittoons, but nothing could hide the obvious quality of this whisky. My first reaction to it was surprise because it does not show maturity in the same way as other Islay spirits. They mostly change profile in some way (for example, Laphroaig loses its phenols and shows its estery fruit notes much more clearly). Old Ardbeg, in contrast, tastes exactly like young Ardbeg, just more balanced and restrained. In fact to be more precise this was very like the “For Discussion” 8 year old expression that I had tasted immediately beforehand, but with 10-12 years more maturation. Very fine whisky, a pleasure to taste and at the price almost tempting … but not quite. “Excellent” : 88/100 (4.5 stars)

Sydney Whisky Show May 20th 2023. Whisky #30 Nose: Smoked herring; fish traps on an old wooden pier; asphalt roads near the sea with farms and haystacks on the other side. Flowers and aromatic herbs (fennel, mint) growing on the wayside. Lemon oil, treacle (!) and chocolate. Over time as it sits, and with the addition of a little water, the peaty side gains complexity with smoked meats and smoky red-berry aromas arising. A very good nose with no trace of the 50%+ ethanol presence intruding. Palate: Exquisite texture, oily, and satisfying like a well-grilled kipper. Peat smoke, asphalt, medicinal grade creosote, black pepper, TCP (! - hey, is this actually Laphroaig in drag?). Cough expectorant, glacé lemon and glacé cherries, freshly grated nutmeg, smoked salmon, grilled citrus wheels (ah, no it’s definitely Ardbeg). Caramel flavoured tar! The texture lingers and with water it loses nothing but develops a more creamy quality. Finish: Medium/long. Tar, pepper, liquorice, dark chocolate with lingering peaty citrus. Peat is the unquestioned star of the show here but subjectively this is not a loud whisky with a high level of peating. It is actually quite reserved but has so much assurance and depth from its oily texture that it seems more heavily peated than it really is. There is complexity and nuance throughout the nose and palate and the 50.8% abv strength is able to carry character and body without being obtrusive. Technically this is pretty much a perfect peated whisky (in my opinion anyway) and it drinks as more mature than 8 years old. It has genuine character without needing to shout and I love that. In hindsight this was the second best whisky I tasted on the day and I was very pleased to be able to find a bottle. Incredibly, when it was available this cost half as much as the decidedly ordinary Ardcore expression. No, I don’t comprehend that either. I would be delighted to see this become a permanent addition to the Ardbeg core range. It exceeds the Wee Beastie and is right up there with the perennially wonderful 10 year old, but with a different balance. Recommended. “Excellent” : 88/100 (4.5 stars)

Sydney Whisky Show May 20th 2023. Whisky #29 Nose: Yeasty and fruity (citrus), acetone and ash, privet and salt water, menthol and ansie. It’s an oddly laid-back nose for an Ardbeg and it’s clearly very young with a beery aroma that reminded me of the smell of fermenting ale. Palate: Ashy smoke and pear drops on the arrival (very Ardbeg) with sweeter citrus notes, some vanilla and a spritzy quality as it develops. Chocolate, pepper and salt towards the finish and the texture is OK but not noteworthy. There is the same yeasty taste of wash as in the nose that screams “youth”. Finish: Medium/short. Smoke, yeasty beer, brine and a little sweet citrus in the aftertaste. A bit ho-hum overall and Ardcore is a misleading name as this is anything but a hardcore whisky and it in no way displays anything remotely “punk”. There are no faults here but it’s very young, subtle in some odd ways, and tastes more like the good first effort of a new distillery than something from a well-established producer of demonstratively peated whisky. I thought it was pleasant but not worth seeking out unless you are an Ardbeg completionist, particularly considering the price which is way too much IMHO. Like all experiments it has its place, but that place is not in my stash. Good to taste at a show, however. “Above Average” : 80/100 (3 stars)