2020 marked the 20th Anniversary of the Ardbeg Committee, a fan club of Ardbeg enthusiasts and a way for the distillery to stay in touch with fans of the brand. Every year in the spring, the distillery will release a special Committee Release. While available to non-Committee buyers, members hear about the upcoming whisky first and sometimes have a chance to buy it before retail. The 2020 Committee Release is the Ardbeg Blaaack. The name references a black sheep, depicted on the cover amidst a sea of white sheep. The sheep are there because the whisky was matured in ex-pinot noir casks from New Zealand, another island nation known for having an extremely high number of sheep.
Distillery: Ardbeg
Region: Islay
Age: NAS
Strength: 46%
Price: $119.99
Maturation: ex-pinot noir casks from New Zealand
Location: Port Ellen
Nose: Sweetness, meaty smoke, peat, honey, lemon oil, red fruit
Palate: Charred meat, tobacco, leather, vanilla, sour cherry, peat
Finish: Charcoal, smoke, black tea
Comments: Water is not needed. While it can take a little of the front edge off the nose, it strengthens the taste of black tea and mutes many of the other flavors.
Adam – For those familiar with the distillery, the Ardbeg Blaaack offers something both familiar and refreshing. The nose begins with sea spray but quickly transitions to the lemony tang so often buried in Ardbeg. If you are persistent enough, some of that delightful meat smoke dances with a little honeyed sweetness, almost reminiscent of the Wee Beastie in that regard. The peat in the nose is very subtle but comes out eventually, distinct from the smoke. The palate is a little bit of a surprise, with tobacco and leather riding the core before finishing with smoky char that doesn’t thankfully overwhelm the senses, leaving an earthy peat reminiscent of black tea. I love the nose on this one but find the leather and char a little too omnipresent for my preference, making me wish some of the elements from the nose would reappear on the palate. It’s hard to tell the cask influence because the base spirit is so dominant. Still, these are minor complaints and this remains a unique Ardbeg.
Kate – The Ardbeg Blaaack is fresh. You can inhale like on a spring morning with the dew and the flowers. Subtle is not a descriptor I ever use for Ardbeg but the nose here is. The nose is like a homemade lemon candy, with a little waxy to go with the lemon oil. Or a lemon bar. The flavor is meditative. The finish is the warm glow from embers, a little subtler than the normal Ardbeg heat.
Subtle is not a descriptor I ever use for Ardbeg but the nose here is.
Henry – A complex and layered nose of citrus zest, peat, subtle wine notes, and campfire smoke. Smoke backs off with air, leaving more red fruit in its wake. Palate leads with heavy char. Very heavy, almost burnt turf, which reluctantly yields to a hint of brine and light sweetness. Char lingers in the finish. I know there’s sweetness in there, but I want more.
Kristin – The Ardbeg Blaaack is definitely fresh.
Ben – This tastes more like the dirt and less like the smoke. I took a sip and the flavor came around slowly, and came around back and smacked me on the butt. But I enjoyed it.
