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365 drams in 365 days...

Ardbeg

Whisky #569: Ardbeg Dark Cove Committee Release Single Malt

June 1, 2020 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment
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Ardbeg Dark Cove Committee Release Single Malt. ABV: 55%. Islay, Scotland. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, free sample from a friend.

It was Ardbeg Day over the weekend, so it was only fitting to reach back to the dark depths of the whisky cabinet to pull out this beauty…the official release from Ardbeg Day 2016 – the Ardbeg Dark Cove Committee Release.

Colour: Bright brassy rose gold.

Nose: Kippers and soft smoke; not a campfire smoke, but more like the embers of a fire the next morning after you’ve cooked a feast. Hot smoked salmon on the campfire is too wanky and overly specific, but something like that. It’s moreish enough to make you want to take another sniff.

Palate: Smoked trout and creme fraiche. Liquorice sticks. And oily mouthfeel with an incredibly gentle warmth but not an ounce of searing heat.

Finish: Tins of smoked salmon in brine. Salty, like you’ve liked your lips after a swim in the surf.

Comments: Released for Ardbeg Day in 2016, the Ardbeg Dark Cove was matured in ex-bourbon and what the official bottling notes referred to as “dark Sherry casks”. It’s all creamy smoked fish goodness, where the flesh just melts in your mouth. Delicious.

Posted in: Whisky tastings Tagged: Ardbeg, Ardbeg Day, Islay, Scotland

Whisky #410: Ardbeg Perpetuum Single Malt

May 28, 2016 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment
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img_6770.jpgArdbeg Perpetuum Single Malt. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 47.40%. Tasted at home, $35 (100mL bottle split, courtesy of the International Beer Shop in Perth).

Happy Ardbeg Day everyone!! Thought it fitting that I dig up this little beauty which I’ve had kicking around in the collection for 12 months now. The Ardbeg Perpetuum was actually the distillery’s Ardbeg Day release from 2015, commemorating their 200th anniversary. I’ve yet to try their 2016 Ardbeg Day release, “Dark Cove” (Sam Dunn hurry up and send it!), looking forward to getting stuck into that too.

Colour: A very pale straw.

Nose: Delightfully contrasting and complex. There’s a hint of char grilled bacon (hmmm, bacon *drool*), interspersed with raspberry sherbet and lemon crumble. Some very faint smoked trout aromas, sawdust from a freshly lopped tree…honestly the more I nose it the more my mind races to some very un-whisky like descriptions. Impressive stuff.

Palate: A cool, crisp entry with a quick build in flavour and a satisfying warm tingle around the lips and entire front of the mouth (not just the palate). Dark honey combines with meaty and woody notes – like a honeyed lamb skewer that’s been flame grilled on the BBQ.

Finish: The renowned Ardbeg peatiness finally emerges, though it’s more organic flavours rather smokey. The salty tang lingers long, along with some straw and lemon tanginess too.

Comments: It’s more subtle than your typical Ardbeg, and that’s a good thing. I’m a big fan of Ardbeg, but in the past I’ve felt some of their expressions are a little too similar. The Ardbeg Perpetuum is refreshingly different, and it’s a cracking dram. With only 12,000 bottles produced, I wish I’d had the foresight to grab more than just a 100mL bottle split.

Posted in: Whisky tastings Tagged: Ardbeg, Ardbeg Day, Islay, Scotland

Rebuilding a Whisky Collection – The $1000 Challenge

December 2, 2015 by Whisky a Day 5 Comments
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The Whisky a Day collection that survived the move interstate

The Whisky a Day collection that survived the move interstate

Welcome back whisky fiends! After an extended hiatus, Whisky a Day is back.  As some readers may recall, I recently moved interstate from Perth to Sydney having left the bulk of my whisky collection behind to some very grateful friends. In the long drive across Australia, I could only bring a small selection of some of my favourite bottles stashed on the back seat of my car. Starting a new job and moving into a new place to live have all meant the formal whisky tasting has by necessity taken a back seat. Of course the regular informal tasting of whisky has continued unabated…

Now that I’m settled in my new apartment, I got thinking about how to rebuild my whisky collection. What should I choose? How much should I budget for? I decided to set myself a list of criteria that covers most bases in terms of whisky styles and regions to create a well-rounded collection.

The kicker: They all have to be whiskies that I have never tried before. Quite the challenge given how many whiskies I’ve tasted. At least this would ensure the selection was quite unique compared to your average whisky collection.

Budget: I thought $1000 would allow sufficient funds to grab both a variety of different whiskies and some quality or somewhat unusual whiskies. In saying that, I don’t want to blow my budget on say a $700 bottle of whisky and leave very little scope for selecting other whiskies to round out the collection. Like managing a football team trying to stay below the salary cap, you don’t want to put all your cash into a star player and not leave enough to ensure quality players in other positions.

Whisky styles / regions: Below is the criteria for whisky styles or regions that I felt my collection should cover. It would be impossible to cover every single country, region or style of whisky, but I felt the list below covered most bases and would allow me to establish a reasonably broad collection.

  • A Scottish whisky
  • Something Australian
  • An American whiskey
  • Something Asian
  • An Irish whiskey
  • A sherry matured whisky
  • A peaty / smokey whisky
  • A quaffable, go-to whisky
  • Something surprising
  • An independent bottling
  • A blended whisky
  • A cask strength whisky

With these criteria in mind, here’s what I’ve decided upon:

  • Zuidam Distillers Millstone 12 Year Old Sherry Cask Single Malt – $165. Thought I’d start off with something a little unusual. A Dutch whisky, which also ticks the sherry matured box. Awarded “World Whisky of the year” by Whisky Advocate Magazine in the USA 2013, as well as 95 points from Jim Murray in his 2015 Whisky Bible; this could be a decent drop.
  • Balcones Brimstone Texas Scrub Oak Smoked Corn Whiskey – $165. The American whiskey. It’s a smokey whiskey, but not peaty like many Scottish malts. In fact it’s a very unusual wood smoked whiskey made using sun-baked Texas scrub oak. I loved the Balcones True Blue 100 Proof Corn Whisky, so I cannot wait to try their Texas Scrub Oak Smoked Corn Whiskey. It promises to be quite the unique whisky I suspect.
  • 1996 Duncan Taylor NC2 Glentauchers 15 Year Old Single Malt – $100. The independent bottling and first Scottish malt. Light and delicate, the reviews I’ve read sound great. Plus I’ve not tried either a Duncan Taylor bottling or a Glentauchers whisky before. Coupled with the fact it seems decent value at $100 and this seemed like a solid choice and also quite a contrasting style to the previous two whiskies.
  • Strathisla 12 Year Old Single Malt – $80. This is my quaffable, go-to whisky. It’s a fruitful, balanced, yet mid-bodied whisky. Strathisla is also the distillery that comprises the base of Chivas Regal, which makes for an interesting anecdote when serving a whisky to guests at my housewarming party. I’m not going to serve them all $165/bottle whisky now am I? That’s why we all need a quaffable whisky in our collection which is also great drinking in its own right.
  • Glendalough 13 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey – $135. The Irish whiskey. A whiskey from a relatively young distillery, this one has received great reviews and sounds like a well balanced drop with plenty of layers.
  • Glengoyne Cask Strength Single Malt – $100. The cask strength whisky. I’ve been impressed with the Glengoynes I’ve tasted previously, so when I heard favourable comparisons between this and the Aberlour A’Bunadh – one of my favourite drams for a while now – I knew that this one had to be part of the selection.
  • New World Projects Port Double Cask Release #1 – $140. An Australian whisky from the producers of Starward whisky. A marriage of whisky matured in two Australian Tawny Port casks, one first fill and the other second fill.
  • Kavalan Single Malt Taiwanese Whisky – $100. This is the Asian whisky. I love Japanese whiskies, but I’ve had quite a lot of them and couldn’t find anything interesting that I’d yet to try and which fitted in my ever-dwindling budget. Kavalan was one of the revelations from my Whisky a Day project last year, with the Kavalan Solist Ex-Sherry Cask Strength Single Malt coming in my top four whiskies of 2014. On the back of this, I was keen to add another Kavalan single malt to the collection.
  • Heartwood ‘Any Port In a Storm’ Tasmanian Malt Whisky (30mL taster bottle) – $25. Down to the last $25 of my budget, and I’ve gone for this Heartwood. It ticks a lot of boxes – it’s an independent bottling, a blend, Australian, cask strength, and somewhat surprising. Heartwood have been producing some amazing whiskies lately and attracting rave reviews. And as a small taster bottle it brings me nicely up to my budget of $1000. I wish I had more room in the budget to get a full size bottle and have a more generous amount of blended whisky available, but as I’ve always been more about the quality of the dram and not too hung up on the single malt vs blend debate, I’m really not all that fussed.

TOTAL: $1000 (precisely!)

Full tasting notes for each of these whiskies will ensue in good course. What would you pick in your selection?

IMG_5919.JPG

The $1000 rebuilt collection…minus the Heartwood which is still on its way.

Rebuilding on a more modest $500 budget

I realise that not everyone has $1000 to drop on whisky, especially as some of the malts listed above are a little obscure and pricey. So what would I recommend for say $500, a whisky collection “starter kit”?

  • Monkey Shoulder Batch 27 Blended Malt Scotch Whisky: $46. A vatting of malts from Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie distilleries. Cracking value, in fact I think this is possible the best value for money whisky out there. A quaffable go-to whisky that I will happily drink all night.
  • Starward Single Malt Australian Whisky: $80. Another outstanding drop, this time from Australia. Along with the Monkey Shoulder this is fantastic bang for your buck, but stands on its own as a fantastic single malt. It drinks like a much more expensive whisky.
  • Ardbeg 10 Year Old Single Malt: $70. Ah, sweet peat. Ardbeg is one of the staples and one of my first Islay whiskies that I loved. For $70 you’re not going to get much cheaper, and it’s an excellent introduction to the Islay style.
  • Nikka From The Barrel: $70. A Japanese blend and one of my go-to Japanese whiskies. So smooth, great bottle design too.
  • 1993 Gordon & Macphail Scapa Single Malt (375mL bottle): $85. An interesting independent bottling from Gordon & Macphail, possibly the most prolific of all independent bottlers. Light yet with a tangy saltiness. You’re not going to get too many good independent bottlings cheaply, so this little one provides a decent starting point.
  • Basil Haydens Bourbon Whiskey: $70. A smooth bourbon without overpowering spice. A great introduction to the genre without breaking the bank or stepping up to something too intense (either in flavour or ABV).
  • Kavalan Solist Ex-Sherry Taiwanese Single Malt (196mL bottle): $66. On of my Top 4 whiskies from my Whisky a Day project in 2014. An intense sherry bomb; ruch, full mouthfeel with flavours that linger forever. Pick up at 196mL bottle at only $66, great buying.
  • Glendronach 18 Year Old Allardice Single Malt (30mL taster): $12. Not much left in the kitty, so with the remaining few coins I’d pick up a 30mL taster bottle of Glendronach 18 Year Old. Another quintessential sherry dram, 100% matured in ex sherry casks, unlike others that only have a period of time “finishing” in sherry casks.

TOTAL: $499

So there your have it. What criteria would you have when building a whisky collection? There’s never a single correct answer, but I found the debate and budget limitations forced me to explore and consider whiskies I’d never heard of before. Which can only be a good thing.

Slàinte!

Todd (aka Whisky a Day)

Posted in: Feature Articles Tagged: Ardbeg, Australia, Balcones, Basil Haydens, blend, Duncan Taylor, Glendalough, Glendronach, Glengoyne, Glentauchers, Gordon & Macphail, Heartwood, Islay, Kavalan, Monkey Shoulder, New World Whisky Distillery, Nikka, Speyside, Starward, Strathisla, Taiwan, Tasmania, The Netherlands, United States, Zuidam

Whisky a Day – The Year in Review

March 8, 2015 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment
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Ok then, I'll have just one more wee dram...

Ok then, I’ll have just one more wee dram…

Well, what an adventure that was…

As I sit here at home sipping on a Michel Couvreur Overaged Single Malt, reflecting on the whole Whisky a Day project / adventure / life changing experience / excuse to use ridiculous hyperbole, it seemed remiss of me not to share these reflections and answer some of the most common questions I received, such as:

  • “What was your favourite whisky?”
  • “Does a whisky a day really keep the doctor away?” or
  • “How much did it all cost?!”

So without further ado, let’s pop the cork from the Whisky a Day bottle, sit back into a comfy leather chair, slip into something more comfortable and enjoy a dram of the Whisky a Day Year in Review…

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By far the most common question I’ve received right throughout the year was “What was your favourite whisky?” And it’s a very hard to name just one – an analogy I’d use is to imagine if you listened to a different song every day for a year and had to name your favourite song. After listening to a song just once, it’s very hard to say that it’s your new favourite! It might piqué your interest, you might love the band or that style of music, you might really like it and want to listen to it some more to really get to know it and learn the lyrics…but you’re not going to say it’s your new favourite after only one listening. It’s the same with the 365 whiskies I tried.

So with that in mind, I’ve decided to call out some of my highlights from my Whisky a Day adventure, a few interesting facts, and then finish up with not “a favourite” but a list of the top four whiskies that really rocked my world.

Whisky collection – start of year vs end: I tried to buy whiskies at bars whenever I could, but obviously there were just a couple of bottles I picked up along the way. I’ll let the pictures tell the story…

My modest whisky collection on January 1st, 2014

My slightly expanded whisky collection on December 31st

So does a Whisky a Day keep the doctor away? Well, throughout 2014 I drank a whisky a day and had ZERO visits to the doctor. In the first 2 weeks of of 2015, I took my foot off the gas whisky wise and didn’t have one each day…then BAM – I came down with a nasty virus and had to go to the doctor. You be the judge!

Some special moments of the year:

Tasting some 40 year old Balvenie straight from the barrel with the guys from the Boat City Whisky Club

Tasting 40 year old Balvenie straight from the barrel with the guys from the Boat City Whisky Club

  • Glenrothes 1969 – The MacPhail’s Collection. The first truly outstanding whisky of the year that really made me sit up and take notice. I can still remember the taste now, it was like liquified Christmas pudding. 
  • The Balvenie Bourbon Refill Barrel 40 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt (Barrel 17703): Drinking 40 year old Balvenie straight from the barrel in the warehouse where it’s been maturing for the last four decades. Wow.
  • Gordon & MacPhail 1940 Generations Glenlivet 70 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt: This really was like drinking history. Seventy years old, laid down in 1940 during the Second World War. Stunning.

Worst whisky of the year: only a few made it to the rarified air of being dubbed a “truly awful” whisky. Somewhat surprisingly, I didn’t get around to tasting many commonly available entry level whiskies, e.g. Johnnie Walker Red Label. In the interests of keeping the positive vibe going, I’ll refrain from singling out one whisky as the worst of the year. Suffice to say though, that I was pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of whiskies I tried – I thought to get to 365 whiskies I would’ve had to try a lot more truly awful whiskies!

Favourite new distilleries that I hadn’t previously discovered: A tie between Isle of Arran Distillers (Isle of Arran, Scotland) and Great Southern Distilling Company (Albany, Western Australia, Australia). Searching out 365 different whiskies really opened my eyes to trying some new whiskies I hadn’t tried before. These two distilleries aren’t huge names, but geez they both produce some amazing stuff.

Most surprising whisky of the year: Kavalan Solist Ex-Sherry Cask Strength Single Malt.

Best Islay Malt: Very hard to split, there’s been so many great ones. I’d have to nominate it a tie between the Blackadder Smoking Islay Raw Cask (Sherry Cask) Cask Strength Single Malt and Douglas Laing’s Old & Rare Port Ellen 30 Year Old Single Malt.
An honourable mention goes to the SMWS 3.194 Surf and Turf BBQ.

Slightly surreal but fantastically fun experiences of the year:

Whisky a Day with Scottish comedian Alan Anderson at his Whisky For Dafties show at the Perth Fringe

Whisky a Day with Scottish comedian Alan Anderson at his Whisky For Dafties show at the Perth Fringe

  • Ardbeg 10 year old…through the medium of interpretive dance. Taking part in Scottish comedian Alan Anderson’s “Whisky For Dafties” show at the Perth Fringe Festival.
  • Finch Whiskies: interviewing the winner of Germany’s Best Whisky 2014 for Stuttgart’s Die Neue 107.7 radio station? Yes indeed.

Favourite Blended Whisky: Suntory Hibiki 21 Year Old Blended Japanese Whisky

Favourite Australian Whisky: Great Southern Distillery – Limeburners Barrel M93 Single Malt

Favourite American Whiskey: Tuthilltown Spirits Hudson Baby Bourbon.
Honourable mentions: Booker’s Bourbon Whiskey (Batch C04-J-19) & Balcones True Blue 100 Proof Corn Whisky

Best value whisky: Edradour 12 Year Old Caledonia Selection. Purchased online from Japan (god bless Claude Whiskies!), around just $65AUD for the bottle (plus shipping).
Honourable mention: Glendronach 15 Year Old Revival 100% Sherry Matured Single Malt. At around $100AUD/bottle in Oz, for the amount of rich, full flavour you get in this it’s hard to go past this one – cracking value.

Over the course of the year I’ve found my tastes gravitating to the rich, full flavoured, syrupy, somewhat fruity almost chewy drams – especially the cask strength releases. Even at the end of the year when I thought I might find it difficult to uncover new whiskies I’d yet to try, I was still discovering absolutely outstanding whiskies in this style, such as the Murray McDavid Dufftown Distillery Speyside Single Malt Whisky (distilled 1979).

So how much did it all cost?! A question I’ve been avoiding all year…I’ve kept track of the price I paid for almost all drams and bottles, but I’ve resisted the urge to add them up until now as I was afraid to find out. This quite sizable figure adds up to a grand total of…$10,053.60. Wow. And that doesn’t include the cost of my trip to Scotland, that’s just the whisky costs through the year. Ouch!

So what were your damn favourites for the year??! It’s impossible to land on one…so here are my top four whiskies of the year – in alphabetical order, to avoid any arguments! Here we go:

  • Balvenie Bourbon Refill Barrel 40 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt (Barrel 17703): Stunning. Velvety, creamy; like honey and butter on hot toast. It really was special to be drinking 40 year old Balvenie straight from the barrel in the warehouse where it’s been maturing for the last four decades.
  • Glenrothes 1969 – The MacPhail’s Collection: “Like liquified Christmas pudding”. It was a standout when I tried it in March, and it’s still a standout looking back over the year. The first time I came to love the nose of a whisky even more than the taste.
  • Great Southern Distillery – Limeburners Barrel M93 Single Malt: Like golden syrup slathered on top of hot buttered crumpets. I bought the last bottle from the cellar door, then when I heard there was another bottle available at a bottle shop in South Perth I grabbed that as well. A stunning drop!
  • Kavalan Solist Ex-Sherry Cask Strength Single Malt: What a colour, what an intense flavour! I tried the Kavalan thinking it would be a “truly awful” whisky seeing as it’s from Taiwan and who’s ever heard of a good Taiwanese whisky, right? It blew me away and deservedly takes its place in the top echelon for the year.

So there you have it, my standout top 4 whiskies of the year. Simply sublime, each of them.

What now for Whisky a Day? My passion for whisky has only intensified, there are some grand plans in the years ahead but in the short term I’m going to continue exploring new whiskies and posting tongue-in-cheek tasting notes here at Whisky a Day. I’m also starting to explore whisky and food pairing and also cooking with whisky, so stay tuned for some of that.

Before I go, I must thank a few people. Thanks to you readers for your support, interaction and for making this adventure so fun and intriguing. Thanks also to the many fine bartenders, whisky industry folks and others who I’ve shared a dram with – I have learnt so much and my appreciation of this fine spirit has grown immeasurably. Special mention to the guys at a couple of Perth’s finest whisky bars, Helvetica (Jason, Hutch, Gareth and the rest of the gang), Varnish on King (Xander! Absolute legend of a whisky fiend), Canton Lounge (Steve), Bobèche (Joe)  and of course The Hoff of The Flour Factory / Luxe Bar / every other damn bar in town. These guys, plus countless others, are bartenders who are all so passionate and knowledgeable about their industry and also about whisky. It really was a pleasure to sit across the bar from you guys on a random Tuesday night and shoot the breeze about this amazing amber liquid.

Special thanks also to Dram Full – Perth! What an amazing whisky community we have here in Perth, mainly thanks to the driving force behind it all – Nathan DeTienne. I’ve learnt so much from Nathan and all the other guys who are active, plus I’ve been fortunate to share some amazing drams with some fellow whisky fiends.

But most of all I’d like to thank my three “whisky tasting lieutenants” – Brett, Giles and Joel. Three of my best mates, you magnificent bastards have always been there to share a dram, split a bottle, or help us twist one another’s arms to have just one more dram…and I know that we will have many more whisky adventures over the years ahead.

Slàinte!

Todd (aka Whisky a Day)

Below the nose, above the chin. You'd think I'd have this whisky drinking business down pat after 365 drams in 365 days...

Below the nose, above the chin. You’d think I’d have this whisky drinking business down pat after 365 drams in 365 days…

Posted in: Feature Articles Tagged: Ardbeg, Balvenie, Blackadder, Booker's, Douglas Laing, Dufftown Distillery, Edradour, Finch, Glendronach, Glenlivet, Glenrothes, Gordon & Macphail, Great Southern Distillery, Hibiki, Hudson, interpretive dance, Isle of Arran, Kavalan, Limeburners, Port Ellen, SMWS, The Arran, Tuthilltown Spirits, Year in Review

Whisky #358 – Ardbeg Uigeadail Single Malt

December 28, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment
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IMG_4471Ardbeg Uigeadail Single Malt. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 54.20%. Tasted at home, $8 (50mL miniature bottle).

Colour: Bright gold.

Nose: After initially just a heap of peat smoke, with a swirl around the glass it gives off some smoked BBQ meat flavours.

Palate: Briny, tangy flavours with a healthy tingle on the tip of your tongue. Lots of peat but there’s a slight hint of some sweet smoke flavours too.

Finish: Long, lingering peaty finish, almost a touch chocolatey.

Comments: Not quite as in your face as other Ardbeg expressions, a little sweeter but still loads of smoke.

Posted in: Whisky tastings Tagged: Ardbeg, Islay, Scotland

Whisky #194 – Ardbeg Galileo 1999 Single Malt

August 3, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment
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IMG_3518Ardbeg Galileo 1999 Single Malt. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 49.00%. Tasted at The George, $17.

Colour: Orange gold. Much darker than most Ardbeg expressions.

Nose: Soft smoke, honey.

Palate: Honeycomb, dark chocolate, smokey peat but not as intense as I expected.

Finish: Softer, slightly sweeter peat taste which builds. Flavours linger on the tongue.

Comments: Much softer than other Ardbegs. I really enjoyed this one, although as a special release it’s a little harder to get your hands on than your average Ardbeg. My trusty whisky imbibing lieutenant Joel also quite enjoyed it – he found it peaty but not too over the top. Good to see some subtle variation from Ardbeg with this one, as often their releases can be a little too similar for me – cracking whiskies, but just a little similar. The Galileo certainly is one of their better ones that I’ve tried.

Posted in: Whisky tastings Tagged: Ardbeg, Islay, Scotland

Whisky #148 – Ardbeg Auriverdes Limited Edition Single Malt

July 11, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment
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Ardbeg AuriverdesArdbeg Auriverdes Limited Edition Single Malt. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 49.90%. Tasted at Helvetica, $29.

Colour: Golden.

Nose: Not as peaty as I was expecting for an Ardbeg! Still plenty of smoke, but also leather and some surprising sweet notes. Some typical Ardbeg notes in there though, but much more subtle than say the 10 year.

Palate: ‘Cool smoke’ is how I’d describe it. It doesn’t have the heat of other Ardbegs, plus that very subtle sweetness pokes its head through.

Finish: Quite similar to the 10 year in terms of the finish flavours, but the Auriverdes is definitely a lot softer.

Comments: It’s great to see Arbeg mixing things up a bit with the Auriverdes release for World Ardbeg Day. Too many expressions in the Ardbeg stable are overly similar – sure there’s some subtle differences but in many cases I find the distinction too subtle, especially for such a big peaty, flavoursome whisky.

The Auriverdes has some unmistakable Ardbeg qualities, but for me it’s just not that special, particularly when you consider a bottle of it will set you back $200 AUD. It’s ok, but a little disappointing given this is intended to be a special release to commemorate Ardbeg Day.

Posted in: Whisky tastings Tagged: Ardbeg, Islay, Scotland

Whisky #133 – Ardbeg Ardbog Cask Strength Single Malt

June 29, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment
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IMG_2948Ardbeg Ardbog Cask Strength Single Malt. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 52.10%. Tasted at Helvetica, $0 courtesy of a guy named Eamon who was keen to hear about the Whisky a Day project.

Colour: Dark coppery cherry sherry.

Nose: Smokey creaming soda. Lots of peat smoke like most Ardbegs, hint of cherry.

Palate: Creamy salted caramel with a hefty dose of smoke, but its not overpowering.

Finish: Ah, that’s more like your typical Ardbeg. Long heat & peat finish, but some of those sweet creamy cherry flavours just manage to poke through.

Comments: Great to taste an Ardbeg with some variety. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always loved Ardbeg and think it’s cracking value for money (if not one of the best value for money whiskies on the market), but some of their expressions are a bit too similar. Released for World Ardbeg Day in 2013, the Ardbeg Ardbog was great; the heat & smoke were toned down and some other sweet flavours came through. Good drop.

Posted in: Whisky tastings Tagged: Ardbeg, Islay, Scotland

Whisky #118 – Ardbeg Blasda Single Malt

June 24, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment
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IMG_2904Ardbeg Blasda Single Malt. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at Tiger Lils, $11.

Colour: Translucent straw.

Nose: Peat, plenty of it. A hint of band aids after a bit of time in the glass.

Palate: Surprisingly smooth entry for an Ardbeg, feels like some soft smoke gently rolling in through your mouth.

Finish: Bit of a tingle at the front of the tongue. Peppery aftertaste.

Comments: An experimental offering from Ardbeg, they’ve deliberately tried to make it lightly peated (unlike every other Ardbeg I’ve ever tasted). Despite this, there is still a fair whack of peat. So while it’s not quite your typical Ardbeg, it’s not quite like anything else either, sort of a half-way house. Not bad, but it’s a little thin and doesn’t seem to really know what it’s striving to be…is it trying to be Ardbeg’s attempt at being very un-Ardbg-like, or is it trying to be something different? Either way, it seems to fall a little short. Quite drinkable, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to track it down.

Posted in: Whisky tastings Tagged: Ardbeg, Islay, Scotland

Whisky #37: Ardbeg 10 Year Old Single Malt…through the medium of interpretive dance

February 28, 2014 by Whisky a Day 1 Comment
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Ardbeg 10 Year Old Single Malt…through the medium of interpretive dance. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 46.00%

Tasted at Alan Anderson : “Whisky For Dafties” @ Perth Fringe Festival. Cost: $20.

For the final round of audience participation, Whisky a Day and some other bloke were selected to come up on stage, provided with a dram of the Ardbeg 10 year old and asked to describe the taste…through the medium of interpretive dance.

It started off as ‘smokey’, then I have no idea what I was trying to describe later in the performance. Surely had nothing to do with the amount of whisky consumed…

Brilliant show Alan, very original, haven’t laughed this hard for ages! He’s a top bloke too…highly recommend you check his show out!

Posted in: Whisky tastings Tagged: Ardbeg, interpretive dance, Islay, Scotland, video

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