A limited edition Ardbeg released during the Fèis Ìle whisky festival. Aged in a combination of bourbon as well as some Manzanilla sherry casks, it was produced for 'Ardbog Day', which was celebrated around the world on 1st June 2013.
This bottle was part of a private collection - if you'd like more detailed photos just get in touch!
Sea salt and brine with some dark fruit and hints of barbecue. Maple syrup, plum, orange, mint and more herbal notes with a touch of tomato vine. White coffee develops.
Big - it feels like all the moisture is being sucked out of your mouth at first but in a good way(!). Salt crusted raisins, rich nuttiness, pickled onions. Sounds odd but it’s honestly superb!
There's red chilli heat on the finish as well as paprika.
Ardbeg should be celebrated for their measured use of Manzanilla casks here - one of the best bottlings at Fèis Ìle 2013.
Drumroll, please. I have anticipated this liquid like Britain anticipates the little Katelliam. And so, my baby daughter is finally sleeping, it's time to dig in. The Nose. The unmistakably-Ardbeg whiff of damp stables serves the first ball of the match, then it gets a return from flavours much more fresh and mild, like candies and green tea … It's a long rally, where the more syrupy notes get the edge and win the first game by eventually converting a break-point. We're approaching the end of the first set with some apple skin and camomile honey (the one that mom used to make during the summer in the country - if yours didn't, just think regular honey). You sit down for a breather and find some toffee lost in a grass - perhaps a ballboy has dropped it from his pocket. Is it starting to sound a little awkward? OK, let's finish all this tennis-talk by just saying everything of the above has that subtle yet ever-present racquet-slice of peat lingering in the air. Some sauna stones and a well as well. The Taste. Is it still relevant to talk in tennis terms? The answer is quite simple: NO. It's the whole different game now. It's huge, so huge it feels like a reason the word 'huge' was invented. You take a sip and then your senses think they're about to cling onto something, it's just a matter of fractions of a second before you will identify the flavours…uh oh - BAM… it knocks you out before you can get your thoughts around it; it's like getting punched while kissing. It's an avalanche with Big Foot riding it on two snow tigers. Except it's HOT, very hot, bloody hot, it burns like bonfire and feels like putting a torch into your mouth. Somebody call the fire brigade. … And then some saltiness, caramelised salty peanuts; carrot juice (hello, Quarter Cask). This is a whisky that doesn't negotiate. It's a malt you cannot invite for a drink, show up in summery shorts and say 'hey there', no, you have to make an appointment and buy some regular trousers. In fact, if you're reading this in shorts, you seriously should be ashamed of yourself. It's like Magelan siding with Marty McFly and travelling in a time-machine to wrestle with the dinosaurs. The woody finish is so long it could time-travel barefoot, without needing any machines. From the Ardbeg range, Ardbog is closest to Corryvreckan; only more straightforward, honest and down-to-earth. If Corryvreckan is Zidane, Ardbog is Cantona. But don't get it wrong - it has the same complexity, it's just that probably it's the fiercest Ardbeg there is. 'Bog is the sort of dram a conquistador, a bearded braveheart explorer would take on a trip. It's like a book; you have to sit, shush, and read it from cover to cover, until you find the meaning of life - or at least, find out why the dinosaurs have extinguished (there was a hint in there somewhere). Is it a great whisky? Yes. Was it challenging enough? Probably not. It is complex and powerful, but it's the sort of Ardbeg you would expect from Ardbeg. So ... the real question is: why spend a lot more, when you can get something very similarly great in Uigeadail and Ten.
Ardbog is a great whisky and it was well worth the wait in my opinion. I agree that Corry and Oogie are in the same ball park and pound for pound Oogie is hard to match. However, for the interest and excitement generated by Ardbog Day and the fun drinking it.... top marks to Ardbeg. By the way you should try 'Pink Laphroaig Islay Festival 2013' lovely drop!
Ardbog is not bad but it's plaing wrong for a one-dimensional and flat noted dram like this to carry such a price tag (talking about local retail price of bit over 80 euros, at the abovementioned 180 euros a purchase would be nothing short of lunacy - idiotic lunacy). Both Corry and Uige are explosions of glorious aromatic richness with intense, satisfactory flavours. Following a Corry glass with the 'bog, there's nothing the 'bog can say the Corry can't match and surpass. The 'bog is certainly not the worst thing I've tasted but it did let me down some.
Ardcheese... i.e. what it is when it sells out quickly and you don't get a bottle!! Fortunately I've got an Ardbog waiting for me at the Whisky Shop, picking it up later for £72 (that's minus my member discount, makes it easier to swallow the pricetag), though gutted I hesitated buying a 2nd bottle on here yesterday, already sold out! Again! I've not tasted it yet, but if it's a drier version of the Corry or Oogie I'll be a very happy indeed... happier than a pig in ... bog.
LOL - why not mix all three bottles and create your own limited edition expression! Try calling it Ardlines!................anyone else got some name suggestions?
