LeeEvolved
Ardbeg Ardbog
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
May 14, 2018 (edited January 31, 2024)
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.
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You probably already know but Schneider's of Capitol Hill (cellar.com) is having the Ardbeg Tour Bus outside the shop on Sunday 9/16 between 1-4. Virtual Ardbeg rooms abound. Looks like 3 whiskys for tasting: Uigeadail, 10 yr, and An oa. Doesn't look like I can make it but will try.
@Generously_Paul @PBMichiganWolverine - I doubt it, I got a big boost by transferring 20+ reviews from Barreled and 30+ Whiskyfest mini reviews. Once the tour ends in August we’ll all be back to a crawl I think.
@LeeEvolved. You’ll catch up to me by year end 😊
Congrats on 300! I hope to be hitting that milestone before the end of the year. I’m sure by then you’ll be approaching 400
@LeeEvolved - all well done, I should add!
@LeeEvolved - that’s 300 “meaty” reviews! No chicken feed in that grouping. Congrats Lee!
Congrats on 300. Thoroughly enjoyed all your reviews. Long may your liver last!
Congrats! Keep up the great work! I always enjoy reading your reviews.
@Telex - I didn’t really notice any dryness from this one. Most Ardbeg are oily and this didn’t seem any different. I just think a slightly lower ABV would’ve diluted the sweetness enough to let the smoke shine through. 48% would’ve probably been perfect.
Glad you liked it as much as I did. My only beef was that it was a little dry from the fino sherry, but still damn good.
@cascode - thanks, sir. I hope my liver functions long enough for me to knock down 300 more lol
@LeeEvolved Great review of a great whisky - havn't seen this about for a while now - lucky old you! Congrats on 300 reviews - looking forward to the next 300 :-)