ArdbegThe Founders Series takes advantage of Scotchology’s founders meeting to celebrate our 10th Anniversary in August of 2023. Since we can’t meet in person as often as we were able to when the club first started, we decided to make the most of our time together and sampled a truly broad, exciting range of whiskies in some semblance of batching. The second batch features Ardbeg, a Scottish single malt that for some of us helped kick off our initial love of whisky and an early favorite in the nascent days of the club. As of this publication, we have reviewed more whiskies from Ardbeg than any other distillery. Yet even that metric does not quite convey how often we go back to the proverbial well in between reviews, or the special place it holds in both our estimation and personal collections. Hence, one of the things we wanted most out of our Anniversary time was the ability to take a deep dive into Ardbegs we have never had a chance to visit with the full group and share at least a little of our reactions. This series will expand whenever we gather to continue focused explorations of brands or concepts.

There is a difference between like and love, interest and passion. We had all begun our scotch journeys years before meeting in 2012. We each had a handful of bottles, step above the normal gateway single malts that invariably begin with Glen. But something really magical happened in those first forays together at our homes or an amazing pub in Minneapolis over several months early in our collective friendship. We went from liking scotch to loving it, and maybe not only that, but loving the time we had together sharing it. That was the magic zest. And while we sampled many different drams over those early meetings, some of the ones we fell deeply in love with were from Ardbeg, perhaps none so storied and as formative as the Ardbeg Ardbog. Our current review of this whisky does not begin to do it justice because it is not just about the scotch itself but when we encountered it and who we shared it with. For many of the club’s early years, it served as a reference to a mountaintop experience. Some of us realized how special the bottle was early enough to squirrel away an extra one or two. Several years later, long after that original club bottle was gone, we revisited this old friend. We tasted perhaps with a little reservation; given how much we’ve sampled and analyzed and honed our skills over the years, we were afraid our early estimation of it might have fallen short of the reality. Thankfully, this proved not to be the case and every Ardbeg we’ve had carries an extra sparkle. You never forget your first love, after all.

Kildalton (2014) Mix of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry 46%
Meyer lemon, sweet grass, iodine, peat, char with an overarching Sherry sweetness on the nose. Campfire char and brine come quickly on the palate, and stay the course through the lush finish, which also introduces notes of tobacco and salt. Heat builds assertively from a gentle start through the palate, but relaxes into the finish. A particularly gentle beginning which contrasts with a loud and jumbled conclusion of char and brine.

Kelpie (2017) Russian Oak (Circassia/Adyghe)
Honey sweetness, lemon, brine, and char on the nose. Campfire smoke and gentle wafts of smoked fish and rich turf on the palate, with a charry, spicy finish with traces of green and black peppercorns and burnt oak.

Traighbhan batch 2 (2020) 19 yr, 46.2%
Mandarin orange, fresh peat, and an undertone of salt air and iodine on the nose. Leather and brine with subtle peaty brown sugar sweetness at the front of the palate, which slowly evolves into a mouthwatering savory smoke, with a long, juicy, lingering finish of lemon and sweet cigar tobacco.

Supernova (2020) ex-Bourbon, 53.8%
A nose of red grapefruit, fresh cut turf, light brine, and seaweed. Palate is a journey into the world of peat – layers of sweet smoke transitioning to campfire and gently charred wood. Finish is tannic and warm. One must love peat to really appreciate the complexity and depth of the peat in this one. This is not a peat monster. It is a peat Clark Gable. Or the entire male cast of Outlander. In kilts. And nothing else.

Hypernova (2022) even peatier than Supernova (170 ppm phenols) 51%
No citrus here – salty/sweet smoked meat, with wet bog, seaweed and strong iodine on the nose, like New England in a glass. Sweetness enters on the palate, followed quickly by citrus, spice, lemon, and tobacco. Dark honey, lemon, and pipe tobacco on the long, satisfying finish.

Reviewed Ardbegs
Ardbeg 5 yr. Wee Beastie – One of our favorites of the current core lineup.
Ardbeg 10 yr. – The core of the distillery’s core for a reason.
Ardbeg Anthology: The Harpy’s Tail – 13 years and a Sauternes maturation creates a layered, evolving twist.
Ardbeg An Oa – Salt and spice and everything nice, Islay style.
Ardbeg Ardbog – There can be only one.
Ardbeg Ardcore – A little punk, a little funk, a little BBQ.
Ardbeg Auriverdes – Championship Islay. Gooooooal!
Ardbeg Black – Pinot noir influences render a surprisingly suble dram.
Ardbeg Corryvreckan – Delivers what the 10 promises.
Ardbeg Dark Cove – The best wintergreen Lifesaver of your life.
Ardbeg Perpetuum – What baby dragons might drink. Liquid glory.
Ardbeg Scorch – An ideal Ardbeg for summer.
Ardbeg Uigeadail – Peat and sweet, tars and leathers you. 

Conclusion: We don’t need to put a disclaimer on our site stating that reviews, no matter what is being discussed, are fundamentally subjective. That being said, the breadth and length of experience is our best aid in keeping a sense of perspective when we aim our lense on the products of a distillery to which we have devoted so much time, energy, and liver enzymes. Ardbeg has successfully placed itself in a unique position among Islay, if not Scotland as a whole, in terms of reputation and niche marketing. Simply that alone compels us to check ourselves when we write about it. We have not received any gifts or compensation from Ardbeg – or any distillery – in exchange for our words. We simply believe, and have conducted extensive research to support this, that they produce damn good whisky which we think you should try. Every expression is unique, of course. Likewise every Scotch drinker. We are sure you have your favourite producer(s) as well, and would love to hear from you on that very subject. If you love Ardbeg as much as we do and wish to virtually join us at the tasting table, send us your opinions and join the discussion.