Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
Here we have the 8yr Ardbeg committee release from 2021, kind of a one-off in that it’s got an actual age on it, and it’s not the annual release they usually do with a committee and a general release at a lower ABV. I dig young Ardbeg, so I was excited to grab this one. I continue to applaud Ardbeg for putting out younger, age-stated releases like this.
I took this to one of our recent local scotch gatherings and tried it towards the end of the evening, and I think it’s fair to say we were all disappointed. Yes, we had had some stellar whiskies already, but IIRC it seemed thin and underwhelming. No “discussion” was had. So I’m looking forward to revisiting it to see what’s up here.
I’ll try it alongside some Ardbeg 10 and the Wee Beastie. 5, 8, and 10 year old Ardbeg sounds like a good day to me.
Tasted on 6/7/2022, neat in a Glencairn, water added later as appropriate.
No info about casks or finishes on the bottle or website. WhiskyBase says “Ex-Sherry Casks” but I don’t know where that comes from, and if they are they must be pretty tired or a small percentage given the pale straw color of this.
Looks like this is still available online from Ardbeg right now for 57gbp, limit 6 per customer. So, not a hot seller 😉
Distillery: Ardbeg
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 50.8%
Age: 8 years old. Bottled on 03/17/2021.
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: quite maritime w/ seawater & seashells. Mild peat, ashy wood smoke. Camphor. Aniseed. Lemon. Skin cream. Tar. Malt. With Water: more medicinal. Iodine. More spice. More smoke. Overall improvement for sure.
Taste: smoke, ash. Mild peat. Pepper. Camphor. Seawater. Iodine. Tar. Engine oil. A little lemon. Somewhat oily mouthfeel. With Water: erm, watery. Much weaker all around, perhaps a touch more citrus.
Finish: mild smoke, ashy. Pepper, camphor. Salty. Tar. Some citrus. Medium length on smoke and spice. With Water: less of almost everything. Spice comes back after a moment. Ouch.
Summary: Skip the water for sure, this one can’t swim at all. Overall a more subtle Ardbeg than I think most would expect. For me the nose is the best part, and w/o water the mouthfeel is also quite good. Not great balance, a few flavors dominate. I was surprised how the more medicinal and maritime notes dominate more than the peat, smoke, and tar. It shows more spice on the palate than the nose. I see why we felt it was thin at the last tasting. Heck, it seems thin going back to it after the 10yr!
Would I buy a bottle? no, not again. I’d honestly get the 10yr. A pretty stock answer for almost any Ardbeg special release these days, I know, but there it is.
Final Score: 82.
Comparison
Order: 10 > 5 > 8
I’ve previously reviewed the 10 year old and the Wee Beastie, giving them “a very high 6” and a 6 respectively. I’ll stick w/ those scores. The 8yr is the weakest of the three. The 10 is strictly better; more complex, better balanced, better finish, etc., etc. The 5 is a fun one, with a simple, sweeter, malty, bready character that I think works well for Ardbeg. I think the finish on both is better, too.
Water improves the 5 a bit and it remains true to form, just a bit bigger. Water is mostly a no-op for the 10, which is fine because it’s great just the way it is.
One final note: the 10yr I compared this to was bottled in 2014, and has been open (and well cared for) since 2016. Yep, the bottle open for 6 years carries the day easily.
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 