Single Malt
Scotland
No
Yes
This stunning expression from Islay's Ardbeg distillery on the Kildalton Coast is named after a nearby loch (pronounced "Oog-a-dal"). It's the perfect example of how sweet and savoury notes can work together spectacularly - you'll find Ardbeg's maritime salinity intact here, combined with dried fruit notes imparted by time spent in sherry casks. Kind of like when you mix sweet popcorn and salty popcorn together, it results in something absolutely wonderful.
Multifaceted, notes of peat and little flourishes of dark sugar, freshly ground espresso beans, cereal notes and a most sophisticated tar.
Led by sweet, ripe fruit and black forest honey. A good helping of malt. The throne then usurped by a powerful peat and smoked barley.
Very long, caramel and malt weave their way through peat smoke and dark sugar and just a hint of fresh espresso coffee before it finally peters out.
Such deft balance! How wonderful to sample Ardbeg so beautifully complimented by sherry.
Such an enjoyable dram. Don't take it neat, in my opinion, the alcohol level is just too high for your palate to appreciate it. It litteraly numbs the nerve endings and thereby lowers sensitivity. A splash of water opens up this Ardbeg and reveals its complexity and sweet notes together with the wonderful peat-smoke.
The nose is smokey with a distinct smell of gunpowder and black tea, iodine, and fresh rubber. The phenolic content of this whiskey isn't overpowering, as the character of the peat is more floral than earthy, finding an excellent balance with the smoke. The flavor is also unique, as the peat and smoke are more pronounced at the back of the mouth and throat than at the tip of the tongue; those flavors really seems to weave out from the initial tastes of rubber and alcohol, tempering the stronger flavors by numbing the tongue. There's also a distinct sweetness that is difficult to pin, but lingers like the whisper of vermouth ought to in a perfect martini. This is my first peated whiskey, and I'm not quite sure what to say. I recognize the reasons why it is such a well loved bottle, and that the balance of flavors is nearly perfect with the sweetness of the cask, the smokiness, and the peated flavors, but I'm not sure if I'm fond of the overall flavor of Islay whiskeys. The medicinal aspects of the cresols are a little overpowering to my palate, and certainly sit on the tongue for many hours - eating a piece of bacon brought back the distinct smokiness an hour after my first glass, but also the cresols flavors that remind many people of band-aids or Lysol. That being said, I'm very happy that I purchased the Uigeadail rather than the Ardbeg 10yo or a Talisker 10yo, as with the Uigeadail you'll have no doubts that you're getting a truly authentic experience with an Islay whiskey.
absolutely incredible, nothing will ever compare to this. Old or new statements, doesn't matter, this whisky is beyond measure. I won't even get into the notes because there are so many here who have already hit the nail on the head. If you are a lover of Islays and are tired of sherry casks all tasting the same and letting you down, look no further
Wow! Powerful and muscular. I drink everything straight so this cask strength beauty really delivers a knock-out punch. A glorious whisky!
the complexity of the wine, both on nose and palate, is simply stunning!! it's powerful, yet delicate and elegantly introverted. for a moment i felt tears rolling in my eyes with layers and layers of flavors attacking my taste buds. can't miss the wine!
