Review by: dustbunna
Ardbeg’s sherried darling is certainly in the hall of most-reviewed Scotch whiskies, and rates really quite highly in enthusiast circles considering it’s a core range standard that can be found between $60 and $100 many places in the US. I’ve ordered Uigeadail in bars before, but never liked a glass of it enough to spend the usual $80-90 I got used to seeing locally. However, in California earlier this year I saw bottles of it for $57, and I couldn’t resist that low price for a chance to see if I’d like it more at home.
Ardbeg and Glenmorangie are both under the watch of Dr. Bill Lumsden, so it’s not surprising that they share wood policies in many ways– there’s a fundamental standard 10yr core expression that is then altered to create variety in the range. At Glenmorangie it’s done by finishing the 10yr stock in different casks; at Ardbeg, the 10yr stock is often vatted with other components that are fully matured in different casks. Uigeadail, when first released, was a vatting with some *much* older Ardbeg from Oloroso sherry butts. Those days are long gone and the consensus is that the Oloroso-matured component is younger now– Lumsden has stated 8-12 years old, and a recent distillery visit documented on Reddit seems to show that Oogie floats around the higher end of that range lately, 11-12 years old.
Distillery: Ardbeg.
Bottler: Distillery bottling.
Region: Islay.
ABV: 54.2%.
Age: NAS. Bottled in 2019.
Cask type: First-fill and second-fill ex-bourbon barrels vatted with Oloroso sherry casks.
Price: $57 USD.
Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Bottle open across approx. 3 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.
Nose: sweet ashy smoke, candied bacon, artificial lime and peach candy, jet fuel fumes, cola syrup, some dark fruitiness in the background, a hint of new sneakers.
Palate: thick and oily ~ burnt driftwood, burnt ends, fresh mint, a few drops of water bring out a sweet citrusy-barbeque note, old-school lime candy, turns a bit ashier.
Finish: medium-long ~ a flash of ethanol heat at first with some herbal afterthoughts, something coastal, then peanut butter and more bacon, horehound candy, more ashy smoke and cola syrup.
Conclusion: Ardbeg always gives me these great old-timey-mill-gift-shop-candy flavors after some time to open up, and those are here in spades. The smoke component is maybe a bit too much on the ashy side for my liking, but that’s a minor complaint. As peat monsters go, this is quite summery– it really captures the mood of backyard grilling as it swings between smoky, meaty, woody, herbal, citrus and sweet notes. I’d hesitate to ever use the word ‘balanced’ to describe it– it’s a bit like someone who dances rather clumsily but makes up for it with sheer, mad enthusiasm. (Frank Zappa’s ‘Dancin’ Fool’ comes to mind here: The beat goes on, and I’m so wrong, the beat goes on, and I’m so wrong…)
Going through a bottle of Oogie was very fun, and I also found it much more enjoyable at home than I’ve ever had tasting it in a bar– that could possibly be chalked up to good luck on the much-discussed batch variation issue, or maybe just ambience.
In a similar vein, Lagavulin 16 (much more refined and restrained, fewer umami/nutty notes) < this < Laphroaig 2019 Càirdeas Triple Wood (similar intensity but better integrated)
And in the eternal Ardbeg debate: I’ve had a bottle of Corryvreckan open alongside this while reviewing, often tasting them side-by-side. For me personally, Corryvreckan still rules the roost, but Uigeadail certainly held its own throughout.
Final Score: 85.
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 