Let The Drink Talk

[Spirit of Islay]

Picked up the new Ardbeg 1990 16yo “Airigh Nam Beist” over the week-end and here’s my thoughts on it .....
I’ll start with the packaging (strange you might think…..) , first off it’s very nice , it has a gold celtic chain on it in similar style to the “A” on the Uigeadail but it doesn’t say “The Ultimate Islay Malt” !
Have the marketing men / women been at it ? it does on the box however say “Ardbeg , the Untamed Spirit of Islay “ ….Hmmm…new tag line ? The box / bottle does have a nice map and info as to how it has received it’s name and you know where it has the recycle symbols etc , there’s a nice little one of shorty saying “Islay Nosed” !

Right to the whisky ……a lovely bright gold colour and really oily (it’s got Legs and knows how to use them …..) , a very complex nose , creamy fudge , lemon (citric) , peat smoke , slight cocoa but I can’t get the much mentioned Pine nuts (we use them quite a bit in cooking and they don’t smell of much to me ....) . Later on there is a lot of coastal ozone (the seaweedy , at the seashore type of smell) .
On the palate a great wallop of peat ! Followed by smoke , pepper , creamy chocolate fudge and a very refined smoothness .
The finish is amazing , very long , peat , creamy and cocoa .
Boy what a dram !
It has touches of the 1977 about it and also the Ten , extremely well balanced IMHO , this is a superb addition to the range , it is priced competitively , I thought they might have charged somewhat more than the £45 after the recent 1975’s and 1965 !
It appears to get bigger the more you taste it .....
A Peet-heeds delight !
Release the beast it says on the Bottle ....too bloody right !

Slainte
Gordon
_________________
Homer's Hypothesis - One can never own too many Ardbegs.......

And a dedicated Islay Forum !!!!

[staffen sand]

Although I haven't recieved the bottles I ordered, I have seen the packaging for the new Ardbeg. I am a little sceptical regarding this "new look". Particularly I'm thinking of the way the "Airigh Nam Beist" comes swaying in from the right side of the label. When I first fell for the Distillery and it's liquid bliss there weren't a thing I disliked about it. I would go as far as saying that a botlle of Ardbeg, to me, is the quintessence of aesthetics. For a long time it has been a perfect example of inner and outer beauty. Eventhough the Airigh nam beist is a teenager I'd rather see it in a less funky "outfit". Funky doesn't come to mind when I think of Ardbeg, on the contrary I think of heritage, craftmanship and stormy seas. Not a marketing scheme in the world beats that.. Final verdict; If it aint broke...

That said, there's nothing I look forward to more than trying this new Ardbeg vintage. People seem to like the beast.

Best regards from Denmark

[Spirit of Islay]

Hi staffen ,
I wouldn't exactly say it was a new look seeing the Uigeadail had a similar appearance , i think the "Airigh Nam Beist" coming in from the right side of the label is meant to be a bit of fun , the "Airigh nam Beist" escaping (release the beast !) rather than entering . Even though i don't agree with your description of the box been funky , i do like the Ardbeg packaging on the whole , very distinctive and luckily the contents have always supassed the packaging !

Slainte
Gordon
_________________
Homer's Hypothesis - One can never own too many Ardbegs.......

And a dedicated Islay Forum !!!!