Bladsa or Blasphemy? What the hell has Ardbeg done to this time? What could they have possibly been thinking? Alright, alright, everybody calm down and get your panties out of a bunch. Ardbeg decided to throw a curveball...ok, maybe a knuckleball and turn out a bottling that is tamed to 8ppm and unusually for this distillery, 'chill-filtered' at 40% ABV. (Ardbeg is generally around 50 ppm).
Going into this adventure, I knew that it would be much lighter than any other Ardbeg expression, so I wasn't expecting the usual mighty peatiness. With that in mind, this is a delicious Islay malt that works best as an aperitif. Because the peat is cut down, it allows you experience the underlying Ardbeg qualities that you might normally not see in the rest of their range. If you can open your mind and put your 'man-peat' card down, I'm confident that you will really enjoy this fantastic single malt. By the way, in Gaelic, Blasda means 'sweet and delicious'; welcome to the lighter tasted of Islay!
Ardbeg Facts:
- Ardbeg is the peatiest and smokiest of all Islay malts at approx. 50 ppm. (Laphroaig - 35 ppm, Lagavulin - 25 - 30 ppm)
- They do 12 mashes a week using 54 tons of malt.
- They produce hundreds of thousands of liters a year.
- Their water supply is drawn solely from Loch Uigeadail which is naturally filtered through peat bogs and contributes to the whisky’s complex aromas. This means that the water is peaty even before the peating process!
- Ardbeg was once owned by John MacDougall, then John Ramsay who owned Laphroig and Lagavulin. It is now owned by Glenmorangie.
NOSE: Light peat, sweet vanilla fields and almond butter
PALATE: Sweet sugary almonds on top of french silk pie. Very silky texture.
FINISH: Light menthol with a short caramelized apple finish.
RATING: 3.7
Ardbeg
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