Ardbeg Ardbog

Overall: The nose on this one seemed promising but it just didn't fire on all cylinders for me. Scratching my head...perhaps revisit it again sometime. Color: Light copper Nose: Sugar and soot, toasted marshmallows, unusual fruit-apricot works, perhaps some cherry like cough medicine, Ardbeg cream and limes somewhat subtle initially, also almonds Body: Appears full bodied, lighter mouth feel Taste: Initially sweet with a rapid progression to smoky, industrial, greasy Ardbeg. Some salt and tar on the wane. Finish: Shorter than I am used to from these folks, salt and tar predominantly, they are charging too much for this stuff.

Mmm. Excellent peat. Intense but balanced. A bit more phenol than usual. Great dram.

Smakt på Bonnegolt. Svært god. Kraftig røyk og lang ettersmak

So, I had quite a few excellent choices when it came time to decide what whisky I would review for my 300th entry on Distiller. We had several 5 star drams last month prior to Whiskyfest that I still need to officially review, but I decided I wanted to do something new to me. Thanks to my friend Jason, from Maryland, I had a pour of this fantastic Ardbeg: Ardbog. This bottle was the Feis Isle festival release from 2013 and is a blend of several casks that spent 10 years in Manzanilla sherry casks. The color is deep copper and it makes some seriously wide legs in the Glencairn. The story written around the box tell tales of what ancient artifacts and treasures have been unearthed while farming for peat around Islay: bronze swords, silver and copper coins, ancient crustacean fossils and even dinosaur bones. It’s a cool, dedicated homage to the peat bogs all over the island. The nose starts off with your typical Ardbeg smoke and campfire notes. Then the sherry casks make their presence known and flood the glass with berry and orchard fruits and sea spray. The nose is perfectly balanced between the two. The palate continues the same onslaught: smoked BBQ and bacon, salty air with a deep hit of sherry wine and vanilla oak. It’s all silky smooth, but I think the cask sweetness takes over just a tad too much. I want that meaty smoke from Ardbeg to stay in the forefront, but the cask actually pushes it to the background. It’s still fantastic, I just want the smoke to lead and the sherry to follow- this is just reversed here. The finish is medium-to-long, warm and smoky while remaining butter smooth. It’ll linger as long as you let it and that really put a smile on my face. Overall, it’s nearly perfect. I just wish the roles were reversed to fit my wheelhouse, but there’s no reason to think this isn’t a 4.5 star dram. Luckily, I found a bottle of this at a store while walking the streets of DC last month with @Telex and @Generously_Paul. It’s very rare now, so I’m glad I have a bottle to put away. If you see this one out there- do not hesitate to buy it. Great stuff. Cheers.

Great peaty whisky 90

Pa-tow!!! Can you say Manzanilla?? I barely can, but I sure can smell and taste it. This guy is BIG on marine brine, acidity, and dryness. The nose is a beach campfire balance of peat, smoke, and sweetness. Oh my, the palate is glorious. You see, my wife will only make me a black forest cake for my birthday, and this is that in a glass. The finish has pepper, caramel, even more smoke, but dry. Expensive as hell now because it's from 2013, but I am still glad I tracked it down. It's time like these where I wish I had a "replicator". The theme of this dram should be something classy, like "My Way" by Frank Sinatra. Solid 5.0 all the way around.

Ardbog has one of the coolest and funniest boxes around. The front features a beautiful sword, a bronze piece purportedly unearthed near Oa. As the text informs us, "Cut 3 foot into the bog and you'll have dug 1000 years into the past. Dig deeper and you'll discover peat formed from prehistoric vegetation -- the essence of Ardbeg." The sides contain additional images of archaeological or paleontological finds from Islay, including ancient coins, helmets, and fossils. One of them, a fossilized nautilus, is "a very early member of the Clam MacDougall, forefathers of Ardbeg's founders." Ha! In the glass, Ardbog is the color of advanced rust. Ardbog has aromas of Woodford Reserve bourbon balls: pecan and chocolate surrounding a bourbon-infused filling. The Manzanilla adds dark, sweet notes of chocolate and toffee or caramel throughout, rather than the jam or dried-fruit scent that comes from other types of sherry. There's a strong burst of leafy smoke, spice, and leather, leaving no doubt as to the heavily peated nature of this single malt. On the palate, the first flavors are of a peat-laced honey, and then I get a combination of sea spray and flowers that I'm going to start calling "spring Ardbeg." In addition, there's some mulled wine, grapefruit, iodine and phenols from the peat. That classic Ardbeg citrus is still here, which makes sense, since this is 60% Ardbeg 10. The palate has a rough, hot edge to it on some sips, and more smoke than Ardbeg 10. Ardbegs tend to distinguish themselves with complex finishes, particularly when sherry gets involved, and Ardbog is no different. Licorice, cream, and strong smoke are the first few flavors. It's slightly bitter and herbal, as the grapefruit comes around the first turn with the lead. This is one of the smokiest, "robusto" Ardbegs I've had. Is Ardbog my favorite Ardbeg of all time? I think not, although it isn't very far from my favorites, like Ardbeg Day or Dark Cove. This is one of the Ardbeg special editions that earns its keep, rather than just paying for the salaries of LVMH's stellar marketing department.

Meh... I prefer Ardbeg 10

Big and bold, hits you like a Mack truck carry a payload of peat. This is thick, oily, and highly aromatic, like cigar scent over a swampy peat bog. I'm a huge Ardbeg fan, and I think you can't go wrong with Ardbeg. But, is this better than the classic Oogy or Corry? Probably not, maybe at the same level. This is of course more memorable, given the rarity, but I think it's at the same level as Oogy and Corry. If you get the chance, have a pour, for the experience. I'm grateful to ModernDrinking for the sample...this isn't something you can just find on a shelf at your local store---so, thank you for this!

cant go wrong with an ardbeg, wish i had bought a couple of these, impossible to find now..