🥃 Whisky Auctioneer

Green industrial peat, not really to my taste

Rye-Cask? Really now? I would never have guessed from a blind tasting. Maybe even a rum barrel. Well: the nose is great, even if it's not really Ardbeg-like. The creaminess on the tongue is fun, even if it could have been a little less pointed on first contact. Unfortunately, it bends too quickly in the finish, so you have something of an Ardbeg 10 longer. An "ok" Ardbeg, we'd rather spread the pirate cloak of silence about the price.

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2021/03/28/mini-spotlight-on-kornog-glann-ar-mor/ If you’re wondering, it’s spelt using seven ‘r’s. As for the price of this NAS release, a bottle-split dram worked out at £13.50!! It is the Ardbeg Committee release, however, wholly matured in ex-rye casks – a first for Ardbeg. N: After the Kornog duo, this smells decidedly ordinary and even displeasing. Then again – Perpetuum, Grooves, Auriverdes – it’s not like I haven’t been here before. When I say ‘ordinary’, I really mean highly competent whisky [and it's those nut oils where I found some joy],.. but the price, the fanfare,… Here’s another release that won’t/can’t live up to the hype, and I haven’t even tasted it yet! T: Unremarkable, and what of all that salty < sourness? How many times do I [we] end up comparing these special [annual] releases to the standard 10yo? And what of the rye? Its influence might be found in the butter-melting mouthfeel on the turn into the finish, but there’s plenty of plain savoury-sourness to wade through before you get there. F: Thank goodness for some [rye-iinduced?] caramel to balance the sourness, but boy, tough gig. As usual, my view is not shared by the many. C: A worthy farewell to Micky Heads? I’m sure he has his own plans. Scores 85 [at best], in line with the Perpetuum [for example], but personally, I find both equally decent and dislikable at the same time. I’d just as happily drink the far more affordable Wee Beastie [WLP], and certainly more of that young Kornog.

The second time I try it, I don't think it's that bad, of course there have been better bottlings and I don't really understand the choice of this bottling as Mickey's Farewell Ardbeg, but you can enjoy it quite well. But there is also no question that the PLV is not really good, because for 150 € you can get other things that are not only easy to drink ;-)

Nothing special, no big influence from the cask, no special notes, just another boring NAS whisky from Ardbeg that tastes the same. Stick to Ten, Uigeadail or Corryvreckan to save your money.

Sharp, pepper, very smoky.

i do feel and like the rye influence on this one, not bad

Spicy and herbal. Added by mistake some Coke and the result was the most amazing whisky Cola ever tasted.

Great nose - too bubbly on the palate and the finish is unfortunately bitter and short. It's a shame somehow ..

A classic example of what can go wrong in the whisky world. You can find the detailed review here: https://keinehalbendrinks.de/2021/09/22/ardbeg-committee-releases/

Fruity iodine. I don't know if it's pineapple or greengage plum, mirabelle plum or banana, or maybe all of the above. Cereals grow behind, rye or barley? I can say it's delicious, fresh, bocage, on young wood, bread dough, yeast, sage leaves, Turkish delight. The smoke finally appears, rather light, it seeks to agree rather than impose itself, unusual for Ardbeg. Chouquettes, bread crust, white crumb. Flour. With the addition of water, a little vanilla settles in. We stay in cereals, puffed wheat, popcorn. Laurel. On the palate, white fruits, on the plum, it's very pleasant, light spices, curry, turmeric, ras el hanout, then a few grains of salt. Nice finish, which seems to rise to the top of a tree, first the bark, then the branches, the leaves, finally the hazelnuts, acorns, nuts. Coal and dirt, of course, and a little cola. Long enough, without being overwhelming. Soda. Lemonade. A good Committee Release, if you ask me. There is a wonderful balance. https://ilikesky2020.blogspot.com/2021/12/ardebg-2007-arrrrrrrdbeg-committee.html

N:20 T:20 F:20 B:23

Nice to drink. It would be a delicious daily dram if you could afford it.

Starts very reserved on the nose. Seems kinda like a slightly drunk Ten with a little less smoke to me. Lots of vanilla and light fruit. Dusty dry nose. Is that the Rye influence? The smoke is nicely integrated. Sweet entry of smoky butterscotch on the tongue. But then quickly very quickly becoming very dry. ripe banana. tonka bean. But at the same time a fresh, citric note. He's tasty, you have to give him that. The smoke increases significantly compared to the nose. No complexity monster. But nice interplay. complacent

A successful combination of peat and mildness.

Contrary to my normal detailed reviews, I'm not going to bother writing a long one for this, because what happened here is so transparent it doesn't deserve a long take. Just take Ardbeg Ten and add a hint of that spiciness that is present in every rye whisky ever, and you have this "special edition". It's not a bad whisky, but it's tame and bland for what was supposed to be Micky Heads' swansong, and feels like not much thought went into it. Actually, so little thought went into this that somehow a whisky called Arrrrrrrdbeg is NOT finished in a rum cask. Why? Well, because of Ardbeg Drum, obviously, but the famous marketing department really dropped the ball here. I feel like the cask has kind of flattened out Ardbeg's distillate. The finish is dead on arrival, and the palate is tepid. Somehow they managed to make a dime-a-dozen travel retail ready bottling.

Blindly tasted it as a sample in the whisky advent calendar and actually immediately recognized it as Ardbeg. Typical, tasty, but nothing more.

Very flat, maybe my sample was too old.

Well