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Ardbeg tasting hosted by the Celtic whiskey shop

By Adram_fine_acccount

Tasting hosted by Paul Malone who works for Glenmorangie/Ardbeg, an Ardbeg/glenmorangie rep and Head barman of the celtic whiskey bar in Killarney.

Ardbeg 10y



Tasted as part of an Ardbeg tasting session with Paul Malone. Starting with the classic 10

0.2 (Pale straw)

Nose

gentle peat straight away, turf toast, burnt oak

Palate

SMOKE, oily, bit salty, lime zest, a bit meaty the further in I get with it, like a well salted, fatty steak on a wood fire, a little tabacco

Finish

decent finish, light smoke lingers on the palate and a hint of citrus, lemon/lime

Its a classic for a reason, its one I'd always have a bottle of. It's got the smoke but when you get past it you get the other notes that some that are as heavily pleated don't provide.

Score

80 / 100
0-50 Subpar 51-60 Drinkable 61-70 Decent 71-80 Good 81-90 Great 91-100 Fantastic

Ardbeg An Oa



Tasted as part of an Ardbeg tasting session with Paul Malone. Matured in Bourbon and PX casks then married in a French Oak vat and bottled at 46.6

1.0 (Deep copper)

Nose

light smoke, firelighters, lemons sitting above a fireplace

Palate

a lighter Peat than I was expecting, the lemons stick around, bit of toffee sweetness, bit of spice, more creamy than oily like the 10, you can taste the PX without it being immediately obvious it's a Sherry casks, it's quite subtle

Finish

spicy finish that lasts with a bite on the tongue. A smoky lingering

This is better than I expected it to be, I really wasn't expecting it to be as close to the 10 in score as its a younger whisky. Pleasently surprising, smooth and flavourful but it smooths out the edges that make the 10 a classic.

Score

79 / 100
0-50 Subpar 51-60 Drinkable 61-70 Decent 71-80 Good 81-90 Great 91-100 Fantastic

Ardbeg Uigeadail



Tasted as part of an Ardbeg tasting session with Paul Malone. Matured in Bourbon and Oloroso casks.

0.5 (Yellow gold)

Nose

juicy fruits chewing gum, spices, the smoke is there but its not the main player for me, a fresh raw steak

Palate

Christmas cake after its been torched, burnt glacé cherry's and raisins, the Sherry is prevelant on this and the smoke is lingering around the edges, a great chest warmer, toffee sauce. Light on the mouthfeel, slightly thin and drying in the mouth

Finish

long and a bit cloying around the tongue, which ends with a pleasant tingling. the Peat comes through a bit more on the finish than on the palate for me.

This was tasted after the 10 and An Oa which I think may have muted the Peat a bit but brought through the other flavours a bit better. A really good dram, big flavours here with the Sherry complementing the smoke beautifully. Slightly edges the 10 as it's just more complex and has a touch more to it

Score

82 / 100
0-50 Subpar 51-60 Drinkable 61-70 Decent 71-80 Good 81-90 Great 91-100 Fantastic

Ardbeg Corrywreckan



Tasted as part of an Ardbeg tasting session with Paul Malone. Matured in Bourbon and virgin French Oak.

0.7 (Amber)

Nose

big toffee nougat with glacé fruits notes, caramel sweetness

Palate

toffee and dark chocolate gives way to a sweet smoke, buttery and spicy, the higher abv really shines here and shows the quality of the casks used. A thick mouthfeel, almost chewy, salted caramel

Finish

looong finish, chocolaty and spicy and the sweetness of the smoke sticks around

Last tasting of the night which I think muted down the Peat a bit. This is a cracker of a dram nonetheless, the high abv is absolutely perfect for what they're trying to achieve here. It's flavourful, chewy, sweet, spicy smokey all in one glass and that's not easy to achieve. The virgin French oak gives it that something extra that sets it apart from the rest of the core range

Score

89 / 100
0-50 Subpar 51-60 Drinkable 61-70 Decent 71-80 Good 81-90 Great 91-100 Fantastic

4 30ml samples, consisting of 10, An Oa, uigeadail and corryvreckan.

List of tastings