On the 15th February 2010, the release of Ardbeg Rollercoaster was met with palpable excitement. The 50,000 Committee Members were keen to get their hands on the 15,000 bottles and apparently the veritable stampede took down the entire Ardbeg website for some time!
The whisky is almost a memoir for the first incredible decade since the founding of the Ardbeg Committee. It's been an eventful few years, seeing the peaty whisky going from cult favourite to mainstream success - so much so that most of the Ardbeg range is becoming quite hard to get hold of! This liquid CV features a portion of malt distilled in every year from 1997 to 2006, and this is what's inside...
1997 Cask: Second Fill Barrel
1998 Cask: Refill Hogshead
1999 Cask: First Fill Barrel
2000 Cask: First Fill Barrel
2001 Cask: Refill Barrel
2002 Cask: Refill Barrel
2003 Cask: First Fill Barrel
2004 Cask: First Fill Barrel
2005 Cask: Second Fill Sherry Butt
2006 Cask: Refill Hogshead
Though this is a great whisky, we're afraid it's not quite in the same stellar leagues as previous Committee Bottlings. However, this is still Ardbeg we're talking about, and they don't release bad stuff!
This bottle was part of a private collection - if you'd like more detailed photos just get in touch!
Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt
Nose A mix of malt, cold wood smoke and a hint of new make. Has a very young feel - similar to Talisker 10 in this respect. Balanced, striking sweetness.
Palate Quite big with a peat tingle, though it doesn't quite take off as expected. Instead, it rests on its laurels in a sea of spices, tangy starburst sweets (we often find these in Ardbeg) and oily smoke. Light new make character remains.
Finish More coastal at the finish, sweetness, cool smoke, medium to short.
Overall Rollercoaster is a good whisky; it's balanced and offers plenty of house style, but it is missing a little oomph and before you know it you're off the Rollercoaster and you're already perusing the gift shop...