Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
The change in Uigeadail over the years has been pretty well documented. Fewer old sherry casks over time resulting in less sherry influence and a change in character for the worse. What was once reliably great diminished to just good.
Serge at Whiskyfun rates these as high as 92 back in the day all the way down to an 86 for the 2017 bottling. Personally, I’ve seen a big change since I first fell in love with Ardbeg in the mid 2000’s. I previously gave the 2008 a 82 and I’ve since felt I may have been a bit too hard on it. But I put the 2013 and 2015 bottlings at 77 and I’m comfortable with that, even though it’s heresy to many.
But some say that they feel it’s recently been getting better again. I’m about out of the 2015, so I got a new one, bottled in mid-2020. I figure it’s time to revisit the 2008 and compare it directly to the 2020, to see if Uigeadail is indeed on the rise again or not. I’ll pour the last of the 2015 while I’m at it for a comparison.
Tasted on 1/3/2021, neat in a Glencairn, then with a touch of water.
Bottle code L8 083 23:41 4ML, which means 3/23/2008. Moved to a 250ml boston round quite some time ago.
Distillery: Ardbeg
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 54.2%
Age: NAS. Bottled on 03/23/2008.
Cask type: Bourbon / Sherry Casks
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: peat smoke. Dark fruits (raisins, cherries, dates, etc.) Toffee. Tar, machine oil (more obvious coming back from the 2020.) Seaweed. Rubber. Hemp rope. Slightly medicinal, some camphor. Salted meats. With Water: a bit of liquorice. Smoke is a bit bigger. Warm tires.
Taste: rich peat smoke. Dark fruits. Oily and moderately thick mouthfeel. Mild pepper. Sweet lemon. Seawater. Cocoa. Tar, machine oil. Somewhat fatty. With Water: more salted meats, a bit more fatty.
Finish: peat smoke. Raisins, sweet lemon. Tar. Sea spray, salty, very mild pepper, anise. Earthy. Toffee. Long on smoke, peat, and fruit. With Water: a bit more of the machine oil comes through.
Dark, rich, earthy, oily and fatty. Nice sherry influence is very well integrated. The smoke doesn’t dominate at all, but is present throughout. Good complexity here; it takes a while to open up, and it has a lot going on once it does. Excellent finish.
Last time I reviewed this I waffled on the score. This time, it’s solidly in the “Excellent” range for sure.
Final Score: 87.
Bottle code L61747 31/03/2015 15003111 16:21, the new codes need no explanation since the full date is right in there. I never moved this one to a smaller bottle.
Heh, this pour has all the sediment in it.
Comparing this now to my old notes, I really don’t have any meaningful adjustments. This is obviously the inferior dram to the other two, by a lot. The nose is all about big smoke (smokiest of the three), which is great, but it’s let down on the palate with off notes that are disappointing. These continue through the finish and leave a relatively poor taste in your mouth. I noted before that I got minimal sherry influence from this, and again I’d say the same this time.
So no new notes, and no change in score: 77
Finally, the new hotness. Bottle code L2390435 18/08/2020 002196.
Distillery: Ardbeg
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 54.2%
Age: NAS. Bottled on 08/18/2020.
Cask type: Bourbon / Sherry Casks
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: earthy peat smoke. Lemon, bright peach. A touch of raisins, cherries. Sea spray, warm sand. Medicinal w/ iodine, camphor. Mineral oil. Vanilla cream. A bit malty, feels younger. With Water: more earth, more smoke. A whiff of tar.
Taste: warm earthy peat, big smoke. Salty, mild pepper, a little dry. Oily. Sweet citrus. Some raisin or fig. Spice builds quickly. Medium-thick mouthfeel. With Water: pulled the spice down a bit, for the better. A bit more medicinal. More sea notes come through, too.
Finish: nice pop of earthy peat smoke. Mild pepper. Salty, seaweed. Sweet fruits, both citrus and a hint of darker and dried. Long on peat, smoke, fruit, and salt. Surprisingly long, actually. With Water: very similar. Perhaps a bit saltier.
Well, well, well. This is a definite improvement over the 2015, no question about it. Not an off-note to be found. This is delicious, surprisingly bright, and decently balanced. Peat, smoke, bright fruit, and a mild but noticeable sherry influence. It’s clearly younger than the 2008, but that’s just fine. Not as complex, either, but what it has is working very well. The most notable thing for me is I’m missing some of the tarry, creosote, and old rope notes I usually find in Ardbeg. There’s a hint of them in there, but they don’t stand out. Very interesting.
So, yea, redemption for Uigeadail. This 2020 bottle is a pleasure.
Final Score: 87.
Comparison
Order: ’08 > ’20 > ’13 > ’15
Both the 2008 and the 2020 are great. The 2008 has a bigger sherry influence, is more complex, and has some wonderful tar and oil notes that I just love. It wins over the 2020 on those grounds, but I’ll be honest: it’s close. The 2020 is different: brighter, cleaner, more smoke, and delicious in its own right. But the 2008 is more my style. If someone said they like the 2020 better, though, I wouldn’t argue with them.
The 2015 is very disappointing next to these two. I didn’t have any more of the 2013 to pour alongside, but reading my old notes it’s clear what the total order is here. There’s a big gap between the first two and the last two.
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 
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