Review by: The Muskox
Since first spotting this whisky on a menu years ago, I’ve always thought this whisky had the both the best and absolute worst name in scotch. It’s apparently a portmanteau of “Ardbeg” and “bog”. The label (sorta) tells a story of digging down into the peat bogs, and wondering what kind of artifacts from the past you might encounter. They even speculate that there might be a T-rex under there somewhere, and have a picture of the skull on the label. That’d be very cool, BUT I’m a geologist and know for a fact that the area around Ardbeg is underlain by Proterozoic-age metasediments, which definitely don’t contain any dinosaur skulls. Ya can’t slip one by me, Ardbeg!!
Distillery: Ardbeg.
Bottler: Official bottling.
Region: Islay.
ABV: 52.1%.
Age: 10 years.
Cask type: A combination of bourbon barrels and Manzanilla sherry butts.
Price: N/A. $30 CAD for a pour at the bar.
Color: Copper. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: Intense. A whole whack of orange sherbet right at the front, along with rich Ardbeg peat. Sweet-savoury notes of roasted red pepper, grilled poblano, paprika, and pickled red onions. The peat is rich, but not really meaty or barbeque-y at first, mostly earth, salt, and applewood smoke. There are sweet notes of banana and vanilla as well. Peated creamsicles?
Water added cheddar cheese soaked in wine, as well as a damp barley note.
Palate: Thick and oily texture. Salty and sweet up front: peat, more onions, red fruit, and some chicken broth. The sweet orange is joined by hibiscus, chocolate, and heavy caramel. The peat deepens and chars on the development.
Water brings out a lot more here. Big ripe cherries on the arrival now, with more of those grilled peppers and some herbs (thyme). The smoke gets heavier: some charred smoked pork starts to show up. There’s a rich browned-butter pastry-ish note now: croissants with strawberry jam? Some hazelnuts on the back end.
Finish: Long, charred, and sweet. Smoked paprika, more orange, cherry, earth, salt, and caramel. More smoked pork.
Water intensified the barbeque notes and brought more thyme and hazelnuts. A touch of lime appeared too.
Conclusion: Delicious. I love all the grilled pepper notes in here. The sweetness really sings through the peat, there are just enough savoury elements, and the salt intensifies everything else. The only thing I might dock marks on is the slight lack of complexity compared to some other Ardbegs. That’s a bit harsh though. Is it better than Uigeadail? Maybe. It’s very close. They’re different whiskies, obviously. This doesn’t have the barbequed meat notes that so many people love in Uigeadail. It’s probably a toss-up for me. I’d have to side-by-side them to be sure.
Final Score: 88.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 