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1257 Kensington Road NW
1 (403) 283-8000 / atyourservice@kensingtonwinemarket.com
$132.99
This Ardbeg, pronounced (pronounced ‘Oog-a-dal’), is a mariage of ex-Bourbon and ex-sherry casks. It takes it's name from the mysterious Loch that also happens to be Ardbeg Distillery's water source. It is bottled at 54.2%, but is still very approachable and savoury with the melding of sherry notes to Ardbeg's classic style.
700 ml
Andrew's Tasting Note - Sampled for Whisky Advent 2016
Nose: salty Dutch licorice, coal fired kitchen stove, burnt bacon dripped in maple syrup and seared dates and figs; big dark chocolate with cayenne spice, cinnamon hearts and raw new leather.
Palate: very big, bold, fruity and chewy; smooth smoke drifting over plump wet malted barley; rich spices emerge: fennel, clove and anise leading the way to firm oily peat and Cuban cigar smoke; candied fruits and Christmas cake with bacon infused spicy dark chocolate; underneath the whisky's bold outer shell are soft fruits: orange, melon, banana and mango; the salt and smoke come back as the whisky comes full circle.
Finish: big, long, oily and coating; more juicy malt, coal smoke fading in and out of earthy peat; the fruits, chocolate and bacon notes are all there too.
Comment: this whisky changes a little from batch to batch; once named World Whisky of the Year by he who shall not be named; but vary as it does, it never disappoints: always sherried, peaty and meaty, and who doesn't love that!
Distiler's Tasting Note
Nose: Rich and weighty with heady and smoky aromatics, this expression of Ardbeg is both intensely flavoured and perfectly integrated. At full strength, the initial aroma is a beguiling mix of warm Christmas cake, walnut oil and parma violets fused with fresh ocean spice, cedar and pine needles falling from the Christmas tree. A smouldering smoky coal fire and the deep scent of well-oiled leather brings warmth to the scene. The sweetness of treacle toffees and chocolate-coated raisins bring indulgence through the smoke.
Palate: Full flavoured and rich with a deep mouth-coating texture, the taste is an intriguing balance between sweet, spicy and deep smoky flavours. The flavour is initially sweet as Christmas cake begins to soak into the tongue. A burst of winter spices sets off a smoky-spicy explosion countered by a sumptuous mid-palate of honey glazed smoked food and chewy treacle. Waves of deep smoky tones and rich aromas build up on the palate like a fine Montecristo cigar.
Finish: Amazingly long and chewy with lingering raisiny, deep mocha tones and rich aromatic smoke into the perfectly integrated finish.
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Evan here - I am not going to get into Ardbeg’s history or location or ownership too much. It is old, and it is on Islay. To say more is to preach to the choir for the most part. If you are keen to know more, just mispronounce the name as ‘Ardberg’ within the hearing of Andrew or Curt. You will quickly be corrected and then likely be given the chronological timeline of the distillery in question as well as a thorough essay on why it is perhaps the best distillery on Islay, if not in Scotland itself.
Anyhow. For a relatively small distillery, Ardbeg’s releases have become relatively prolific over the past few years. The distillery can boast about having the most rabid fan base in the world of Single Malt Scotch, and many of its releases correlate with this. Just about every limited edition bottle of Ardbeg is released to Ardbeg Committee Members first. Membership is free and allows you to find out when the next Ardbeg Limited Release is, well, released.
The core range of Ardbeg is strong. If you like you want a taste of what all of the fuss is about when it comes to Ardbeg, the regular Ardbeg 10-Year-Old is a great place to start. If you want a bottle that is a wee bit sweeter and goes in a few more directions when it comes to flavour profile, Ardbeg An Oa should suit you. The combination of peat Sherry is your thing? Then go for the Ardbeg Uigeadail. If you want the Ardbeg-ness of Ardbeg dialled up to 11, go for the Corryvreckan. And now, if you find yourself craving a release of Ardbeg that has an age statement, but you already have the Ardbeg 10, you can go for the Wee Beastie!
$174.99
The 2023 Ardbeg Day special release, Heavy Vapours, is bottled at 46%, from a parcel of spirit made without Ardbeg's spirit purifier.
Producer Description
"A missing purifier. A dram forsaken. Who will restore the balance? Something weird has been going down at the Distillery. The legendary purifier on the still – responsible for Ardbeg’s exalted balance – is nowhere to be seen. And this whisky – Ardbeg Heavy Vapours – is the consequence. The familiar harmony between peat and floral fruitiness has been disrupted. What have risen are the untamed darker flavours and notes, gathering and filling the senses. It is an ominous dram of dramatic, aromatic pungency. Heavy Vapours will rise. Non chill-filtered at 46% ABV."
$86.99
The latest core release in the Ardbeg stable is Wee Beastie, a 5-year-old Ardbeg that was created to be the rawest and most peaty Ardbeg ever bottled. The whisky is matured in a mix of ex-Bourbon and Oloroso Sherry casks. 47.4%.
Producer Description
"Ardbeg Wee Beastie is the latest permanent expression to join the Distillery’s Ultimate Range. At just five years old, Wee Beastie is a feisty young creature with a formidable taste."
More from Ardbeg
"Our whisky creators set out to make the rawest, smokiest Ardbeg ever. The result is Ardbeg Wee Beastie and this tongue-tingling, beautifully smoky dram is the youngest Ardbeg we’ve ever made. On the snout, intense aromas of cracked blacked pepper mingle with sappy pine resin and a sharp tang of smoke. Suddenly, an explosive mouthfeel bursts forth with chocolate, creosote and tar. Savoury meats sink into the palate before the long salty mouthcoating finish slinks away… revealing the inner beast of this Islay icon. Young and intensely smoky, this is a dram untamed by age. Matured in ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks, Wee Beastie is perfect for enjoying neat or as the mouth-watering main ingredient in a powerfully smoky cocktail."
$152.99
The Corryvreckan started out as a replacement for the Airigh Nam Beist but has become a legend in its own right. The whisky has a unique sweet and spicy twist which blends well with the whisky's peaty maritime backbone. Bottled at 57.1% this whisky is often amongst the highest scoring with whisky critics and reviewers. It gets its sweet and spicy characteristics from the French oak in which some of the vatting is matured.
$154.99
The Ardbeg Committee celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year, with the release of Ardbeg Smokiverse. This Ardbeg Day bottling has been bottled at 48.3% from a batch of spirit produced from a high gravity mash. According to Ardbeg "This process unlocks a fruitier, more intense Ardbeg. Layers of muscovado sugar, ripe barley, and toasted sourdough bread, culminate in a burst of ripe tropical fruits and sweet peat." Limit 2 Per Customer!
Producer Description
"As we celebrate 25 years of the Ardbeg Committee in 2025, we venture further into space once more… Behold the immense magnetism of Ardbeg’s mash tun. Responsible for converting our malted barley into fermentable sugars (mashing), all life at Ardbeg revolves around the tun. This time, however, it has become a force to be reckoned with, as we concentrate its power to materialise a new frontier of flavour for Ardbeg.
"Experimenting with a process called ‘high gravity mashing’, our intrepid whisky creators vastly decreased the amount of water in the mash tun, then packed more grain into the mix than ever before. Crushing and compressing every drop of liquid, this unconventional mash has magnified the intensity of flavour-active acetate esters. Ramping up the density of wort to astronomical levels, we’ve drawn in fruitier, sweeter flavours from the deepest corners of the mash tun."
