Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
Airigh Nam Beist is a 1990 vintage OB from Ardbeg which was released in limited quantities in 2006, 2007, and 2008. It was distilled during the years they were in pretty limited operation, just a few months a year. These are still findable in many auctions these days and will run in the range of 250-300gbp.
The only info on the source comes from the back of the bottle which was pretty much the same each year: “Entirely drawn from very rare whisky stocks that were distilled and laid down in 1990 and aged in oak casks…”
Fun tidbit: the last bit of text on the back of the bottle says “This rare malt is a ‘wee beastie’ of a dram… waiting to be released!”
Tasted on 9/10/2020, neat in a Glencairn.
This makes 8 Ardbegs in a row, so I’ll lay off the Ardbeg for a little while after this review 🙂
Ardbeg’s Airigh Nam Beist, distilled in 1990 and bottled on 12/12/2006 at 46%. This is a 70cl bottle for the UK market. I acquired this via auction in 2017. Bottle code L6 346 15:45 4ML.
Distillery: Ardbeg
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 46.0%
Age: NAS. Distilled in 1990. Bottled on 12/12/2006.
Cask type: Oak Cask
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: peat smoke, quite medicinal with a lot of iodine, lemon, flint, sea spray, a bit of diesel, slight wax, dried fruit, a bit of Christmas cake spice. It’s not really sweet at all. Deep, sharp, and beautifully balanced.
Taste: salt, lemon, pepper, smoke, some wax and oil. A bit of seawater comes through, with some of that spice. Mouthfeel is medium.
Finish: smoke, sea salt, minimal pepper, oil, some of that spice from the nose comes through, all in harmony. Long and consistent; even at the tail of it I’m still getting all of the flavors.
Wow, this is really excellent. Amazingly well balanced throughout, there’s really little to no sweetness to be found in this. It’s sharp, with no bitterness, and the rich smoke mixed with the medicinal and sea are right up my alley. It’s got some complexity to it, and it’s worth nosing for quite some time. All the flavors work really well together. A bold, balanced Ardbeg.
Honestly, I feel like this bottle has gotten better every year it’s been opened. It’s down to about 60% full and I’m torn on whether to move it to smaller bottles now or wait a bit longer.
Final Score: 92.
Ardbeg’s Airigh Nam Beist, distilled in 1990 and bottled on 9/9/2008 at 46%. This is a 70cl bottle for the UK market. I acquired this from TWE in 2013. Bottle code L8 253 14:29 4ML.
I re-bottled this into the 250ml container you see in the picture some time ago.
Distillery: Ardbeg
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 46.0%
Age: NAS. Distilled in 1990. Bottled on 09/09/2008.
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: medicinal and sea first, then smoke and lemon, machine oil, a bit more wax, ginger and similar spices, that flintiness, undertones of dried fruit. Again, not sweet at all. Subtle and good balance. Opens up more after about 30min in the glass.
Taste: smoke, clean seawater, lemon, little pepper, oil, little wax, some ginger spice. Again, medium mouthfeel.
Finish: lemon, sea salt, minimal light pepper, smoke, a bit of warm ginger spice, again well balanced and long.
Very similar to the 2006, but more subdued all around, makes it feel perhaps a bit more refined. More time in the cask, or OBE? Hard to say. It gets better with more time in the glass. It’s a bit less complex than the 2006. Not an off note to be found. Overall an excellent, if subtle, Ardbeg.
Final Score: 90.
Comparison
Order: 2006 > 2008
Yes, these are very similar, but this is an easy call for me: I like the younger one better. The 2006 feels a bit richer all around, and all those wonderfully balanced flavors pop together more.
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 