Ardbeg BizarreBQ

If you distilled bbq sauce….a lot of fun

Deep and rich peated Scotch. Sweet, smoky, notes of charred oak, brine, pepper and maple.

Lagavulin meets maple syrup

Ardbeg special releases have been rather disappointing over the last few years for me and I've since begun to ignore them as overpriced marketing gimmicks that would most likely be utilized as a mixer rather than a dram I enjoyed neat. This one however came at a surprisingly lower price of $90 and had rather favorable reviews, so I took the plunge and bought a bottle to find out for myself. The nose is mildly rich starting with a mix of roasted seaweed, blackberry jam, charred lemons and limes along with charred meats then dark chocolate covered raisins, toasted macadamia nuts and moderate sea spray followed by baked figs, mildly sour apple and tangerines that transitions to mild baking spices and gauze bandages with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with with creamy citrus before veering to mildly sour red berries and a moderate bitter spice that quickly fades to coffee rubbed brisket, seaside minerality and freshly lit pipe tobacco then salted mangos, balsamic strawberries and grilled peaches that transitions to moderate baking spices, gauze bandages and popsicle sticks with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length starting sweet with a mix of creamy citrus and mildly sour red berries that fades to the background as charred meats topped with sea salt emerge to finish out the experience. Overall, this is a really enjoyable dram that balances a mix of sweet, smoky and sour fairly well but leans slightly sourer than I prefer. I tend to be more sensitive than most on sour flavors and think this would be a welcome addition to anyones collection that enjoys smoky drams. Hopefully Ardbeg releases more reasonably priced editions like these in the future.

This is the smokiest Ardbeg I've tried. It can be a bit too much sometimes, but it's balanced with a nice sweetness from the PX casks. A few drops of water tones down the smoky BBQ casks, and intensifies the PX influence. It does exactly what it says on the tin, and is the best limited release from Ardbeg for quite some time, in my opinion.

Meer rook dan turf, zoetige ondertoon. Ik dacht eerst aan bourbonrijping, maar het bleek sherry. Honing, stroop, en een kruidige afdronk.