Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
After Ardbeg restarted in 1997 they released a series of four expressions called the “Young Ardbeg Series”, all distilled in 1998, showing the progression of their new distillate aging over the first 10 years. As they put it, “following the path to peaty maturity.”
I reviewed the Very Young recently, so I figured I’d finish up and do the other three. I’ve also poured samples for VY as well as the current 10 and Wee Beastie for a direct comparison, so that’ll be 6 drams tasted and compared, but just 3 new reviews.
Here’s some consolidated info on all the Young Series bottles I have:
| Name | Age | Released | ABV | Bottle Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Very Young | 6 | 2004 | 58.3% | L4 351 04:12 4ML |
| Still Young | 8 | 2006 | 56.2% | L6 216 03:00 4ML |
| Almost There | 9 | 2007 | 54.1% | L7 295 03:10 4ML |
| Renaissance | 10 | 2008 | 55.9% | L8 121 04:19 4ML |
They’re all non chill-filtered, no info on coloring (doubtful), and all 70cl bottles for the UK or European markets. All of these bottles were acquired and opened throughout 2016. Note that each was obtained at auction, and it’s impossible to know how they were stored before I got my paws on them.
Tasted on 9/7/2020, neat in a Glencairn.
I reviewed this vs the Wee Beastie previously. No new notes at this point, and no change in score: 77.
From the bottle: “This youthful ARDBEG, first released in 2004, is now released just over one year on, as we follow the path to ARDBEG 10 years old. ‘Still Young’, this is a wonderfully robust ARDBEG, still peaty and gristy but ageing well.”
Distillery: Ardbeg
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 56.2%, cask strength
Age: NAS. Distilled in 1998. Bottled in 2006.
Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: seaweed, earthy smoke, light pepper, some oak and a bit of tar, citrus, lemon, a little apple, some malt, oil. With Water: more malt, vanilla, w/ the peat and pepper up front. I’d say it pushed that initial note of seaweed back. Still feels a bit hot.
Taste: sweet with citrus fruit, pepper, smoke, a bit oily, some seawater, some tar, medium mouthfeel. With water: similar.
Finish: smoke, sweetness w/ lemon, pepper, ending a bit bitter with more lemon rind along with the pepper. A medium length finish, longer than the VY. There’s something else on the tail of the finish I can’t quite put my finger on… perhaps a bit of plastic. WIth water, similar.
This is an improvement over the Very Young for sure, but it still has an off-note or two and is heavy on just a few flavors. A pretty simple dram that I think would please a lot of us.
Final Score: 77.
From the bottle: “This promising ARDBEG, first released in 2004, is now released another year older, as we follow the path to ARDBEG 10 years old. ‘Almost There’ has developed robustly, with more rounded and full-flavoured Ardbeg characteristics.”
Distillery: Ardbeg
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 54.1%, cask strength
Age: NAS. Distilled in 1998. Bottled in 2007.
Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: light earthy smoke, seaweed, brine, a bit medicinal, lemon, light spice (more liquorice than pepper), mango, some malt, not as sweet as the SY. With water: Interesting… similar to the SY this pushed the sea notes back and pulled up the peat and spice. Feels a bit more malty, too. This feels a little better balanced now w/ a splash of water.
Taste: peat, smoke, fruit, pepper, seaweed. Not as oily as the SY, and less tar. Medium mouthfeel. With water: again, better balanced, but otherwise similar.
Finish: peaty, pepper, lemon, smoke, medium-long actually. No bitterness on the end. With water: very similar.
This is very good, a clear evolution over the SY. Better balanced, with no off-notes. Still feels a bit young and simple, and the peat smoke dominates the other flavors at times. There’s no use nosing and tasting this over and over, it keeps coming up the same.
Final Score: 82.
The first time we finally have some new distillate at 10 years old. The box has the progression of expressions up to this one, and declares “We’ve Arrived!” with this release.
From the bottle: “This stunning ARDBEG, first released in 2004, now concludes the ‘Young Ardbeg Series’ where we have followed the ‘path to peaty maturity’. Available in limited quantities at 10 years old, it reflects the full spectrum of depth and complexity that makes ARDBEG… ARDBEG!”
Distillery: Ardbeg
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 55.9%, cask strength
Age: 10 years old. Distilled in 1998. Bottled in 2008.
Non-chill-filtered. One of 21,000 bottles.
Nose: seawater, lighter peat smoke, more fruity than the others with lemon, perhaps pineapple and orange, a little medicinal with a touch of iodine, much more rounded and balanced than the AT or the 10. Not as mineral as the 10. With water: still fruity, the peat smoke popped a bit, the spice is more towards ginger now.
Taste: peat, a little dry, lemon, light smoke, a bit of the sea, a bit more ginger than pepper, medium mouthfeel. With water: the sweetness comes out much more w/ lemon, orange, pineapple w/ ginger spice, all still wrapped in some very nice peat smoke and seashells. Not nearly as dry.
Finish: peat, pepper (or is it more ginger?), sweet fruit, smoke, a bit dry, surprisingly long honestly… peat and pepper. With water: peat, ginger, sweet lemon and orange, still rather long with fading peat, spice, and lemon.
Most subtle, balanced, and rounded of the bunch by far. Delicious finish. Honestly, pretty solid all around.
Final Score: 85.
I reviewed this with some Corryvreckan recently previously. No new notes at this point, no change in score: 84.
I reviewed this vs the Very Young previously. No new notes at this point, no change in score: 82.
Comparison
Order: R > 10 > AT > WB > SY > VY
It was fun to finally compare the entire Young Series to the standard 10 and the new Wee Beastie. What a treat!!
R vs 10 is subtly & balance vs. rougher & richer smoke. Most notably in the finish. The 10 has a peat smoke that pops forward on the finish. The R has it in there, but it’s subtle and remains more fruity first with a nice balance of all the flavors throughout the finish. I’d also say the R’s finish is longer. It’s a tough call; it’s not that one is definitively better than the other, more which qualities you prefer. I’m gonna go for the balance and longer finish of the R. (FWIW, my wife pulled out the R as tops on this too, then when that was gone finished off the 10.)
R > AT is pretty easy. The R is more mature and balanced. The AT gets a lot better w/ water, but it’s more malty than the R w/ a shorter, less interesting finish.
AT vs. 10, now that’s an interesting question. I’d say the 10 has more complexity overall, and honestly a better finish with that nice pop of peat.
The AT is easily over the SY, and the SY is also easily over the VY. Everything improves along the way: balance, reduced bitterness and off-notes, less woody and malty, a better & longer finish, etc.
So where does the WB fit in? I already rated it better than the VY, and I stand by that for sure. It’s better than the SY, too: better balance, and no off-notes. However, the AT is clearly more mature, balanced, and all-around just better tasting. So I’ll slide it in between the SY & AT.
The entire set is still obtainable at auction, but as with everything else prices have skyrocketed, sadly. Still, if you love Ardbeg then you could do worse than to get this collection to share with your friends, and compare it yourself. This is much more “check out the evolution of Ardbeg” than “sharing the greatest Ardbeg” for sure.
So now I have 6 half-drams to finish, because I won’t throw any of this away. First world problems I guess…
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 