Tastes

Had it right after the willett 4yr and adjacent to the Rittenhouse rye. This is closer to the willett in taste but with smoother edges. Rittenhouse is a solid rye and inexpensive but a bit boring. This has the spice and cinnamon of the willett without the sometimes harsh spikes. At $35 this is a reasonable substitute for those that like willett.

Finished my first bottle over the course of a few weeks grabbing tastes alongside other whisky flights. It always held up well to even the best of the others. I’ve purchased another so I can do a vertical with this, the 10 and oogy to see how it really stacks up. I could nose this for an hour. The intense peat/smoke is tempered a bit by lemon(grass?), pine needles and something sweet. And does it linger...I caught myself nosing the glencairn a few minutes after I’d finished the dram and the nose was still there! It’s light and sweet on the palate. I don’t think this is nearly as aggressive as the marketing might suggest, what with the name and the red claw marks and blood red cap and all. I’d say it’s pretty well balanced and mature for a 5yo. I’m going to pay close attention to this one in the vertical to see what I can isolate. On a separate note, the price point is very interesting - it’s about the same or maybe a few $ less than the 10 near me. No way that trend continues. It’s possible that the price will Go down as it is more widely distributed but just as possible that this becomes the new base range for ardbeg in the $40s and the 10 kicks up to the upper $50/low $60 range. I bought a 10 on sale near me just in case...

It does one thing but does it well. It’s an easy drinking rye at an excellent price point. I prefer a little more spice and cherry/cinnamon in my rye.

Solid. Spicy. Cherry red hots.

Super easy to drink. Great price. High value.

Solid sherried speyside. Good competition for the doublewood.

Good. Not great.

This is interesting. It’s an odd one, smelling a bit like white wine and the palate doesn’t blow you away with complexity. But it’s different. I could see giving this anywhere from 3-4 stars depending on my mood and taste for the day. But I keep coming back to it. There’s something mildly offputting on the nose...shades of turned white wine. But it only makes the taste better when you finally do take a sip. Lots of light fruit grounded by the 46% abv - getting apples, pear and a sweetness like beeswax with the honey still attached. The finish is short and not memorable. But it’s crisp. Kind of reminds me of a good hard cider. I don’t think I’d buy another but I’m glad I’ve had it and give some props to the IB for releasing this into the wild. Update: nearing the end of the bottle and I’ve finally gotten around to adding a little water - I’d held off since it’s so drinkable without it and I was fearing it would lose potency. A good reminder to always try a drop or two. It really improves the nose and unlocks some wooden spice that was hidden from me. It’s bordering 4 stars with a drop of water and it actually lengthens they finish a bit too. At less than $40 I’d buy this again.

Really enjoyed this. Had a bit of funk reminiscent of Campbeltown. Nice peat and pretty unique. I’d buy this again.

Guess I’m part of the cult now. This is my 5th ardbeg taste, my third full bottle. Oogy is probably still my favorite, and it’s hard to beat the classic 10 for its workmanlike performance. But there’s something interesting in the An Oa that intrigues me. There’s the signature smoke, this time from a fireplace that’s been dormant for a few days but doesn’t take much to stir up the ash and rekindle the scent of campfire. But what’s that in the background? A chocolate mint? Did someone throw one of those in the fire, so it melted into the wood and flavored the ash? Sure it’s a bit young, and thin. And the finish is brief if interesting. But I’d have another.