Review by: dustbunna
Distillery: Ardbeg.
Bottler: Distillery bottling.
Region: Islay.
ABV: 46%.
Age: NAS. Bottled in 2022.
Cask type: Vatting of ex-bourbon with ex-Manzanilla wine casks.
Price: £70 GBP for 1000mL.
Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Bottle open across approx. 6 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 yellow fruits, sea salt, ashy smoke, buttered popcorn, icing sugar, minerals, chalk, mint.
Palate: medium body ~ sweet on arrival, lime candy, pineapple, slate, wet rocks, roasted almonds, Brazil nuts, lime zest, clay.
Finish: long ~ earthy, strong minerals, more smoke, toasted oats, more roasted nuts and lime candy, eucalyptus, a touch more lime zest.
Conclusion: This first batch of Ardbeg’s travel retail exclusive series was relatively simple (which I expected) but also quite tasty (which I had hoped, though given the state of travel retail these days that was far from guaranteed.) I’d heard through the grapevine that this is on average 5-6 years old, vatting standard ex-bourbon casks with Manzanilla casks, and I’d say the latter definitely has a positive and noticeable impact on the whisky. Manzanilla is one of the driest Spanish wines (Ardbeg calls them sherry casks, but being matured outside the Jerez triangle it’s technically not sherry), and often comes across to me as considerably nuttier, saltier and more mineralic than most dry sherry varieties. Compared to the standard 10yr, this whisky is also a sweeter, nuttier and more mineralic affair—somewhat softer, but no less transparent. The lime notes (both sweet and tangy) and the smoke and clay round it out nicely, all being direct echoes from Ardbegs in ex-bourbon that I’ve encountered before.
After having sat with this liter-sized bottle for some months, I’m surprising myself as I collect my thoughts—this has been one of the more enjoyable modern young Ardbegs I’ve tried. Despite not being very complex, it suits my palate very well, and I keep coming back to it for more. It’s a whisky that’s not just drinkable but really fun to drink, and wasn’t so expensive as to induce me to treat it like precious liquid, even though I can’t reasonably get any more anytime soon. That’s a key combination I’ve missed from the Ardbeg Committee antics of recent years, so I heartily welcome it.
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 