Category Archives: Ardbeg April

Ardbeg April: Ardbeg Smoketrails Manzanilla Edition (46%, OB, Batch No. SP/MZL: 2022/01-ST, 1000 ml)

Lets close off this Ardbeg April and the entire month of April without recycling earlier material, simply because the Ardbeg at hand is not part of the NAS special releases. This 1000 ml bottle is part of a travel retail series called Smoketrails, of which, at the time of writing, there have been three releases. First this Manzanilla Edition in 2022 (Manzanilla Sherry, a pale and dry Fortified Wine from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain), a Côte Rôtie Edition in 2023 (French Red Wine from the Northern Rhône, mostly Syrah and some Viognier) and finally a Napa Valley Edition in 2024 (Red Wine from California USA, Cabernet Sauvignon). Nothing was released (yet) after these three. Maybe the short series got discontinued or maybe sales were slow, and they are waiting to release a new one, only after the old stock sells (out) some more. I really don’t know. Where the special releases are often not very much liked (not all of them anyway), these travel retail litre bottles get even less love from the “discerning” public. Because of this I was a little bit weary diving into this one expecting a bit of a weak Ardbeg.

Manzanilla is a fortified wine similar to a Fino Sherry. It is made in the same way. It ages under flor, which is a cap made of indigenous yeast. This cap protects the ageing Wine from oxidation. Due to the local microclimate (low temperatures and high humidity) Manzanilla ages under a thicker flor, than a Fino Sherry, which results in a fresher and more crisp Sherry. Manzanilla stands for chamomile infusion because it is one of the aroma’s of this Wine. Apart from this, Manzanilla has a savoury and salty flavour. The grapes that can be used for a Manzanilla are Palomino, Pedro Ximénez, Moscatel de Grano Menudo and Moscatel de Alejandría, and these grow on chalky soil, probably the origin of the salty flavour.

Color: Light Gold.

Nose: First whiff is youth, these young Malts often have this milky smell. Ardcore had the same and luckily in both occasions it dissipates quickly, unless you start rolling the Whisky your glass, than it happens all over again, but only for a short while. In this respect Ardcore and Smoketrail share a common marker. After the initial note(s), smoke comes next, as the name already promised us, and as is often the case with Islay Whiskies, smoke is never far away. Notes of burnt (news)paper. Now it also shows a more spicy (and soapy) feel to it. The “soap” adds to the whole. It’s not a problem. Also the wood starts to play its role, and I do like the wood in this one. Slightly mineral and quite pleasant overall. Definitely not very complex. However, I do like what I smell. So far so good. All in all, this has a very likeable, friendly and well balanced nose.

Taste: What can I say, youth is here as well, like in the nose. Milky again (initially), with smoke and a lot of the now easily recognizable liquorice notes, most, if not all, Ardbeg April whiskies seem to have. Nice sweetness, which fits this profile. The liquorice also develops a sort of peppery edge to it, again, very nice. This has more to offer than people led me on to believe beforehand. Definitely young, and maybe even simple and again slightly soapy, but also very, very drinkable, it tastes like a 43% ABV Whisky, kind of soft so that’s nice. Sweetish, with sometimes a rather artificial winegum kind of note to it. But the sweetness in the taste is well balanced between it and the wood and the liquorice. I guess the occasional wine gum note, as well as a particular part of the spiciness comes from the Manzanilla, otherwise this is definitely not an Ardbeg that is dominated by the Sherry, not at all. The Manzanilla is used with taste, or not a lot is used at all.

Based on comments from my surroundings, this was supposed not to be all that good, but actually, it might be simple, but there is also nothing wrong with it. No off notes whatsoever, and apart from that it has some nice aroma’s to give. This is very affordable and for that you get a Whisky that is young, but also not un-finished. It never feels like something that has been bottled too early, and its a litre bottle to boot. I say go for it! A valid option if you find all those NAS-ers too overpriced.

Points: 85

Batch No. SP/MZL: 2022/01-ST:

  • SP = Spain
  • MZL = Manzanilla
  • 2022 = Year of release
  • 01-ST = First edition of Smoketrails

Ardbeg April: Ardbeg Ardcore (46%, OB, Black Malt, 2022)

I do have to admit, I really am a sucker for the Ardbeg visuals, and yes, the marketing does play its part in that. Even I am susceptible to that, there is no escaping from it! I just love the classic Ardbeg bottle, its shape, the green glass, and all those many different labels it now comes with. So having a few of those side by side on my lectern makes for a nice look, somewhat akin to me really liking the look of the wall of books in my living room. Also a stunning visual. People are collectors by nature, so gettin g a few of these is quite normal, also I do like the explore the different takes on Ardbeg, however I’m not a completist, I do not necessarily need to have them all, although more is definitely more. If I pass on one or the other it is mostly based on price.

For this fourth instalment in Ardbeg April, lets do even some more recycling shall we: A lot of Ardbeg special releases are different in many different ways. For instance, some of the ones I previously reviewed use casks that previously held different kinds of liquids, like fortified Wines of the Pedro Ximénez (Spain), Marsala (Sicily, Italy) or Port (Portugal) kind. Some have a more out of the box idea behind them, like BBQ casks (!), double charred casks, casks with toasted virgin oak lids (funny business with casks) or using a high density mash (funny business during production). For Ardcore, Ardbeg did a hardcore roasting, ending up with black malt. A process more common in the world of Beer. Just think of Beers like Porters and Stouts. A stage before black malt is called chocolate malt (slightly less roasted). A malt that is used by Dr. Bill for Glenmorangie Signet.

Color: Light straw.

Nose: Initially malty, milky, young. Not particularly the nicest of smells. Barley, barley sugar. Soon after the first sniff a more balanced, less young and more spicy profile emerges. Spicy wood and maybe some a-typical woodsmoke. Roling the Whisky around in my glass brings out this youth again for only (and luckily) a brief moment. Sweet yellow fruits, not ripe per se. Nice fruity notes, like peach and apricots. Fruit balanced with paper and something a bit soapy. Interesting, but not a problem though. So heavy mash was supposed to add more tropical fruit notes to “Smokiverse”, but didn’t, and now barley that has been roasted to (almost) a crisp, does. Amazing. I guess these experiments show us some different results to what we might have expected, (all this obviously based on nose alone). So these experiments supply us with some essential data, another reason why it is pointless to be so highly critical to these bottlings (apart from their pricing maybe). If the price was lower, more people could learn a thing or two from these experiments. Now this NAS-series might be somewhat elitist because of their price and how many there are. That’s why quite a few of these reviews were from bottle shares, mostly done with Nico. Between Smokiverse, Spectacular and Ardcore, and absolutely smelling past the youthy bit mentioned above, I like the nose of Ardcore best. Forget about the first whiff though…

Taste: Sweet entry, initially a bit simple. Smoky and nutty, but it quickly gains momentum and opens op nicely. A very nice effect. The typical Ardbeg liquorice is present again, yet in this one it doesn’t overpower the rest of what you can taste as it did in some others reviewed before. In the others it was maybe a bit mono, here is it quadraphonic, making for a bigger stage (well, at least stereo, let’s settle on that). Ashes, charcoal, soft peat and soft smoke, but with an added bitter/burnt edge to it. Dark chocolate, pencil lead and ear-wax. Not over the top, so it is a nice addition, giving the fruit a bit of a backbone. These notes (not the fruity ones) are amplified if you have this one after dinner or late in the evening when your palate is saturated or tired. Clay (of the artificial kind that children play with). Again, very nice. Very fruity, with all these strict edges. Wonderful combination. Great balance between the more astringent notes, the sweetness and the fruit. Nice balance as well with the nose in  mind. Also worth another mention is this wonderful development. Classy. For those who wonder based on the previous reviews, nope, this one is actually not a big gulper, this one can be sipped just fine. For me it worked best as an aperitif and not an after dinner dram. Combined with the initial whiff, this is a Whisky that needs a bit of an user manual, so its not an easy one. Slightly bitter in its aftertaste (especially with a tired palate), that’s the black malt, dark chocolate bit of this Ardbeg

Well, Ardcore suits me just fine, this is right up my alley, its fruity and offers a lot more. Develops like crazy, development also quick right out of the gate. I can’t wait to get me one of those Committee bottlings, bottled at 50.1%, which can be an ideal drinking strength, like all those Old Malt Casks from the previous two decades, especially since I feel 46% might be slightly too low for this profile. Yes this Ardbeg makes me very enthusiastic! Dr. Bill please consider this experiment a success. What about an addition (also in ABV please) to Uigeadail and Corryvreckan in the core range based on the Ardcore experiment, only slightly longer aged, to get rid of the first whiff? Oh, that would be so nice! Please? This one really seems to work best as an aperitif rather than as a digestif, it loses quite a bit of its magic after dinner. This one is meant for a fresh palate and not a tired one.

Points: 87

By now, and for now, we can identify the following three main groups for the special NAS-sers I have reviewed up until now:

1. (Part) Maturation in non-bourbon casks, easy peasy, not unusual, lots of options here,
2. Experiments with casks, experiments, nice, experiments are definitely a learning experience,
3. Experiments in production, even more experiments, how very nice, excellent!

2022 Ardbeg Ardcore: (Extremely) roasted black malt (3)
2014 Ardbeg Auriverdes: Toasted virgin oak lids (2)
2023 Ardbeg BizarreBQ: Double charred casks, Pedro Ximénez casks & BBQ Casks (1) & (2)
2012 Ardbeg Galileo: Bourbon + Marsala (1)
2015 Ardbeg Perpetuum: Bourbon + Sherry (1)
2025 Ardbeg Smokiverse: High gravity mashing (3)
2023 Ardbeg Spectacular: Bourbon + Port (1)

Ardbeg April: Ardbeg Smokiverse (48.3%, OB, High Gravity Mashing, 2025)

Last week we started off Ardbeg April with the “new” Ardbeg 17yo. This time around we are going to have a look at one of the many Ardbeg NAS bottlings.  This bottling was released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Ardbeg Committee. A lot of Ardbeg special releases are different in many different ways. For instance, some of the ones I previously reviewed use casks that previously held different kinds of liquids, like several fortified Wines of the Pedro Ximenez or Marsala kind. Some have a more out of the box idea behind them, like BBQ casks (!), double charred casks or casks with toasted virgin oak lids.

This Smokiverse is one of these out of the box ones. No funny business with casks this time, but funny business with mashing. This time we are talking about high gravity mashing, which means that the wort is highly concentrated or more dense and subsequently contains more (acetate) esters, giving flavour, or better, which áre the flavour. Less water, more grain, and to cut a long story short, this would result in a more (tropical) fruity and maybe sweeter Ardbeg. Also no mention at all about the casks used on the box or the label, so lets assume (refill) Bourbon casks before starting off, careful with that assumption, Eugene…

Color: Straw.

Nose: Some smoke, with citrussy yellow fruits, so definitely fruity. Recognizable Ardbeg peat, earthy and funky. Also a little bit of funky organics going on within the peat smell. Fans of Ardbeg will recognize it immediately. Hints of burnt plastic, like melting cables. Luckily a mere hint, because if this would have been a more dominating smell, we would be in for a problematic journey. Hints of sulphur in the smell. Tea and moss. Is it overly fruity? No, I wouldn’t say so. Based on the marketing I expected slightly more fruit. The fruit, by the way, is all citrus, I have a hard time finding any kind of tropical fruit in it, and most definitely no ripe tropical fruit. All in all, the nose is quite restrained and also a bit simple. It doesn’t attack my nose when it nears the glass. It helps to warm the glass inside in your hand for a while, to get more out of it. Warming mocha pastry type of smell, maybe even mocha cake made with cream. For me a well behaved Ardbeg. The focus here lies on the dense mash, and with that the fruit, yet the name focuses on smoke. I have to admit that the smoke has a larger role in this one than even the peat does. For me these two definitely do no define this Ardbeg, both don’t dominate the nose of this Ardbeg, something else almost does. Please read on. I guess the marketing department read a story about it, in stead of tasting it. Personally, I would have used images of alone drinker in an armchair and a fireplace instead of a galaxy. I guess the galaxy came in when someone read the word “gravity”, not bothering to ask someone with a nose how this actually smells. But hey, I might be way ahead of myself here, I’m rambling, ranting almost, without even tasting it, so let’s do that now, shall we?

Taste: Well, “nutty” was the first wordt that sprang to mind when tasting this for the first time. Smoke and liquorice next, liquorice is a main marker, it pops up everywhere, and is especially present in the finish and aftertaste, aided again by some smoke. Slightly sweet, but not in a fruity way, yet more like a sweetness coming from the liquorice. The taste is a bit thin again, so again, I feel this is an Ardbeg that needs a bigger gulp, like the 17yo from the previous review did. By the way, this review is written on a entirely different day than that of the 17 yo’s, in case you might wonder. The next sip was indeed a bigger gulp, and yes that’s it, this brings it out way better! I immediately poured some more in my glass. Proper gulping needs more volume. If you have one open, and you are reading this, please join me. The bigger gulp offers us much more depth, more sweetness and yes more liquorice. The whole comes together way better, also achieving a better balance. Chewy sweetness and yes finally, with more ripe fruits as well, with this tiny smoky backbone holding it al together. Interesting development.

48.3% ABV is slightly higher than most of these NAS bottlings which are bottled at 46% ABV I believe. I also understand why. This well behaved Ardbeg needed a bit of a boost, only, 48.3% ABV is still not enough, it’s still too quiet and maybe too well behaved, or it is what it is and we need to accept that this is its nice character. Letting it stand for a while, more of the Islay traits emerge, smoke, peat and tar. The Ardbeg smoke we all know, but not more or different from other Ardbegs, so to especially use the word “smoke”in the name is in my opinion slightly misplaced. Let it go, it’s not important really.

This almost turned out to be a review of a marketing idea instead of the Whisky. I’m sorry for that. Don’t worry, this is only a minor distraction. This is again most definitely not a bad Ardbeg, like many of the other special NAS releases, that somehow get a lot of negative reviews. Granted, Uigeadail and Corryvreckan are very, very good, high in ABV and cost (much) less. And the Ten is not bad either. Still I like Smokiverse. It’s a contemplative Malt, not one for a (big) group of people to have together, but one for you by yourself in your armchair before a cosy fire. To finish things off, haters will be haters, but for me this “yet another NAS” has more than enough interesting things that I like.

Points: 86

 

Ardbeg April: Ardbeg 17yo (40%, OB, Committee Exclusive, 2023)

The first of April is no joke this time. It is the start of Ardbeg April, one month which will be solely dedicated to some more recent bottlings of Ardbeg. Since there are already quite a few Ardbeg’s reviewed on these pages, the history of Ardbeg has already mostly been covered. For this review we first have to go back to 1996 when Ardbeg was put on sale and was bought by Glenmorangie Plc. for £7 million just a year later. Ardbeg distillery was in a bit of a state, so quite some renovations were necessary for which money was dearly needed. Also because of this, the most recent fase of Ardbeg’s modern history starts in 1997. Not only did Glenmorangie buy the distillery in that year (February 27th), with Dr. Bill Lumsden entering the Ardbeg scene, but also production was restarted (June 25th) and to bring in some money Ardbeg 17yo was released quickly thereafter.

Bottled at a mere 40% ABV (for the domestic market?), yet luckily there also was a 43% ABV version (for other markets or travel retail?). I tried several of both, and the extra 3% most definitely made a difference. Other landmarks were the releases of the 10yo (TEN) in 2000, Uigeadail in 2003 and Corryvreckan in 2008. These three form the true current backbone of the range. There are obviously a lot more releases since 1997, but in the day, these three together with the 17yo were “Ardbeg”. Alas the 17yo was discontinued in 2004, most likely, since Ardbeg was distilling intermittently, not a lot of stock for a 17yo was available anymore, hence the move to two NAS bottlings for the core range, though both boasted a higher strength than deemed normal for a core range. But hey, fans of Ardbeg are not normal folk. Then came 2023, the rebirth of the 17yo, return of a legend, bottled again at 40% ABV and commanding a hefty price. Both parameters made me pass up on a bottle of my own, but I did participate in a bottle-share with Nico and also Andy was so kind to provide me with a sample.

On the back of the box it is mentioned that for this release Dr. Bill Lumsden meticulously crafted this new 17yo to mirror the original, that is quite the statement, because the original 17yo has quite a reputation and proved to be highly popular and the available Whiskies at Ardbeg to create the original are very different from the Whiskies available today. I guess the original 17yo is a hard act to follow. For Ardbeg 17yo, Whiskies were used that matured in Bourbon and Sherry casks.

Color: Straw

Nose: Lightly peated, lively and very fruity. Light overall, so I guess the reduction to 40% ABV did its trick here as well, but I maybe getting ahead of myself here. Pour it and keep it under a lid for a moment, and then smell, works wonders. Comparing the old 10yo to the old 17yo. the 10yo was always more raw, peaty, just more of a beast. The old 17yo, was a way more refined and elegant Ardbeg. The smell of this new one is definitely soft, fruity and elegant, ther is a lot coming up from my glass. Pretty pleased with this one so far. Is it the same as the old 17yo? Hard to say without a head to head. Its been a really long time ago I had one full sized bottle open on my lectern. Does it smell like an older bottling? Sure, yes I believe so. So based on the nose alone I would say well done, getting this profile from more modern stock. Very soft and sweet smoke, combined with an almost sweet and citrussy fruitiness. After some breathing Iodine becomes noticeable. Very distant and very soft wood note (slightly salty smelling, yes salt has a smell as well). It is even more dusty than it is woody. Again, still very lively and fresh. The reduction is also noticeable that even after extensive breathing not a lot is happening anymore. No oozing of layers. Well balanced it is though. Extensive breathing also brings out more of a modern feel. Very nice nose. Well done.

Taste: First sip is almost like drinking water, I was prepared for some reduction, but not as much as this. OK, reset my expectations and palate and try again (just in case this is a big gulper, I splashed a little more in my glass for the second sip). Update: it is a big gulper, definitely! (This means, don’t drink this in small sips, this doesn’t work). The nose was quite “big” so this greeting was kind of unexpected. Second sip/gulp, still very thin. Slightly sweet, old peat, crushed beetle, slightly smoky and fruity again, exactly the same as the nose. Hints of cold black tea with yellow marmelade. Also hints of latex paint (minus the solvents) and a nice herbal note. Hot butter on toast. Again well balanced, but so thin. Funny enough the taste is more complex than the nose, especially when you let it sit for a while. Liquorice enters the finish, or better the aftertaste, it becomes apparent right after swallowing. Not a hard one to review.

Releasing this as a committee exclusive makes sense. This is for fans of Ardbeg (count me in). I’m a defender of all the NAS special releases, and believe me, I’ve got a lot of defending to do, even in my own Whisky-club. And just to annoy these people, then next review will be just one of those. The public in general probably haven’t tasted the old version, nor would pay the price. Aficionado’s have and will, and even better we even forgive them the reduction for historical reasons. I really like the experiment and seeing a 17yo again, and am happy I could try this. Will I buy it? Probably not, I guess the bottle-share suffices. No modern stock just doesn’t work at 40% ABV like older stock can, Great to get and older profile on the nose, but taste-wise I probably would have decided against 40% ABV even when the old 17yo was bottled at that strength, and please don’t tell me that is what the public wanted… This commands quite a hefty price, I wonder what an old 17yo bottled at 43% would cost at auction? Also, this new 17yo is a big gulper, as mentioned above, so be prepared you will finish your expensive bottle pretty quickly.

Points: 86 (It might be better than this, but it’s so thin!)

Thanks Andy: this was from your sample! I needed the lot in one sitting, also because I accidentally poured a little bit of it on my keyboard, sorry!