Ardbeg Mor Review - Ardbeg Kelpie Review- Ardbeg Galileo Review


“Ardbeg Special”

Most of you know that I mainly use samples and miniatures when preparing my Reviews. At the request of many of my readers I give preference to more recent expressions. As a result, my backlog of older samples has increased quite a bit. To do justice to those samples I will review them in the format of Specials. These specials will deal with a specific distillery like today or with specific bottlers, countries or regions. The reviews in these Specials will concentrate on the Whisky and won't touch too much details about distilleries, maturation etc. I do hope you will like these Specials just as much as my regular reviews and I look forward to your reactions and suggestions. In this special I will review three random Ardbeg Single Malts. Enjoy!
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Image result for ardbeg mor 46%
Whisky Review # 806

Country: Scotland
Region: Islay
Brand: Ardbeg Mor 2nd Edition - Distilled 1998 - Bottled 2008 - Limited Release
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 10 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46%
Maturation: Ex-Bourbon Cask
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 600 - 800 (March 2019) - 4,5 liter Bottle
Buying Advice: 😋Very nice young Ardbeg.  P/Q ratio: 👎 Absurd prices!

Colour:

Chardonnay (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Very pleasant and well-balanced young Islay Malt. Campfire Smoke and Coastal Peat are quite present but certainly not in an annoying way. The Nose is not at all complex but if you like young Islay whisky you will love it. I wouldn't say it's better on the Nose than the regular 10 Years but it does have more balance. I like it a lot!

Main Aromas:

Toasted Barley, slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Campfire Smoke, Coastal Peat, Smoked Fish/Shellfish sprinkled with Lemon, Tart Apple, Pear, Ashes, Tar, Polished Leather Upholstery and Bitter Chocolate with a very high percentage of Cacao.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Heather-Honey, Brown Sugar, Salt Water, Ocean Spray, Wet Sand, Pineapple, Nectarine, Smoked Ham, Iodine and Almond Marzipan.



Palate:

The relative youth of the Spirit is more noticeable at this point and also in the Finish. Still it's very pleasing and warming and it makes a great dram to enjoy on a cold and windy Islay day after a walk from Port Ellen to the distillery.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Barley, Burnt Toast, Cold Cigar Smoke, Clay, Tar, Ashes, Soot, Iodine, Toffee, Fish & Shellfish, Lemon, Leather, Pepper and Cocoa Powder.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Vanilla, Tart Apple, Pear, Banana, Salt Water, Cinnamon, Almond-Marzipan, Dusty Warehouse, Licorice, Menthol and a hint of Rubber/Plastic.

Finish:

Quite Long, Sweet at first but with a little more Bitterness towards the Dry end. It's a little Edgy thanks to its relative youth. I find Toasted Barley, Cold Cigar Smoke, Wet Clay, Ashes, Tar, Toffee, Cheese, Lemon, Salted Fish and Shellfish, Salty Bacon, Toasted Almonds, Leather, Pepper, Cinnamon, Aniseed, Licorice, Menthol, Espresso and a hint of Rubber/Plastic.

Drinking Advice:

The Mor does not benefit from added Water. The ABV of 46% is spot on.

Rating: 87

Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 21.5 - Overall: 21.5

Drinking Experience:

Good

Conclusion:

The current Distillery was founded in 1815 by John MacDougall close to the little town of Port Ellen on the island of Islay. In 1997 the distillery was bought by The Glenmorangie Company (part of French based Moet Hennessy) from the previous owners Allied Distillers. This company closed Ardbeg between 1981 and 1989 and only produced yearly during 2 months between 1989 and 1997. As a result, Ardbeg is lacking older stocks and is almost forced to launch Limited Editions while maintaining a very limited core range that consists of the 10 Years, Corryvreckan, An Oa and the Uigeadail. Like Glenmorangie, Ardbeg likes to experiment with Wood, Toasting and NAS expressions. In 2018 Ardbeg will produce around 1,4 million liters of Alcohol.

The Ardbeg Mor First Edition was launched in 2007 and was bottled at Cask Strength. At the moment you will have to pay around U$ 1200-2000 for a 4,5 liter bottle. That's crazy!

The Ardbeg Mor Second Edition that I'm tasting today was released in 2008 and bottled at the usual Ardbeg 46%. By the way, the Gaelic word Mor means big or magnificent. Quite an appropriate name for a 4,5 liter bottle.

I've said it before and I will say it again. Limited Distillery Editions should be bought at the distillery as soon as released. After a while the bottles become scarce and prices rise through the roof. In this case that's a real pity cause this Mor is a great young Islay Malt and I would love to buy bottles of this quality at a reasonable price to be able to enjoy this Arbeg Mor and Mor. Unfortunately, only a limited number of Ardbeg fans will have access to the Mor 2nd Edition at the current price level. As a small comfort, we do still have the regular 10 Years!


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Image result for ardbeg kelpie

Whisky Review # 807

Country: Scotland
Region: Islay
Brand: Ardbeg Kelpie
Type: Single Malt Whisky - Limited Edition - 60.000 bottles
Age: NAS
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46%
Maturation: Mix of Bourbon Casks and Virgin Black Sea Oak Casks
Chill-Filtration: No
Price Range: 140-230 (March 2019)
Buying Advice: 😑Average Young Malt. P/Q ratio: 👎Way too expensive!

Colour:

Golden Straw

Nose:

This is quite different from your regular Ardbeg. Not as much Peat and only mild Smoke. It's quite Sweet but not really in a Fruity way. It's more the Vanilla of the Virgin Oak. It's a rather Light Nose and there's a Young feeling to it as well. It's not really unpleasant but a bit artificial.

Main Aromas:

Toast and Margarine, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Brine, A Manure/Straw mixture, Dusty Earth, Dough, Gooseberries, Smoked Fish/Shellfish, Driftwood, Herbal Tea, Cheese, Lemon, Pepper and Cocoa Powder.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Sweet Barley, Heather-Honey, Toffee, Marzipan, Nectarine, Banana, Band-Aid, Wet Rocks, Plastic, Rubber, Motor Oil, Soot, Mushrooms, Ginger and Nutmeg.


Palate:

I wouldn't call it Watery but it is rather Thin. The relative Youth of the Spirit is crystal clear. The Palate is a combination of Sweet, Salty, Bitter and Green notes. Lots of Pepper, Menthol and Grassy notes.

Main Flavours:

Burnt Toast, Vanilla, Toffee, Wet Earth, Cold Cigar Smoke, Soot, Ashes, Iodine, Brine, Grass, Smoked Fish/Shellfish and Bacon, Lemon, Driftwood, Grapefruit, Pepper, Cinnamon, Cloves, Menthol and Bitter Chocolate.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Sweet Barley, Treacle, Heather-Honey, Dough, Dusty Track, Licorice, Rubber, Plastic, Herbal Tea, Nectarine, Marzipan, Nutmeg, Caffe Latte and Cheese.

Finish:

Quite Long and very Sweet. A bit of Woody Bitterness towards the Dry end. A little on the Light side. This is very Young Whisky in my opinion. I find Burnt Toast, Salty Toffee, Wet Peat, Grass, Brine, Tar, Ashes, Soot, Dough, Cigar Smoke, Wet Newspaper, Iodine, Rubber, Plastic, Lemon, Grapefruit, Green Apple, Smoked Fish/Shellfish, Cured Meat, Marzipan, Driftwood, White Pepper, Cinnamon, Clove, Licorice, Menthol, Caffe Latte, Green Tea, Cheese and Cocoa.

Drinking Advice:

The Kelpie does not improve with added Water as it dangerously moves towards New Spirit.

Rating: 82.5

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 20.5

Drinking Experience:

Okay

Conclusion:

The Kelpie I'm reviewing today was released in 2017 on the occasion of Feis Isle 2017. This one was bottled at 46%. A Committee Release bottled at 51.7% was released as well. According to the legend a Kelpie is a mysterious Water Spirit that might take the form of various animals such as Horses, Bulls or Dogs. The Kelpie 46% was partly matured in Ex-Bourbons Casks (around 55%) and Virgin Black Sea Oak casks from the Adyghe Republic in the Caucasus (Around 45%). The latter casks were imported by Bill Lumsden, distilling Director or Ardbeg and Glenmorangie.

I'm a big fan of Ardbeg and three of their whiskies are in my Top 20 so far. You can look it up here. But lately too many of their Limited Editions do not convince me. Let's take the Kelpie. It's a younger version of the 10 Years "enriched" with Spirit that matured in exotic Virgin Wood and sold at more than double the price of the standard 10 Years. Does that make sense! No, No and No in my opinion. I advise you to leave this stuff alone. It's not worth your money! Let's end this Review on a positive note. I do like the fact that new forms of Wood are tested and I congratulate Ardbeg in this respect. But these new ways should always seek to enhance the mature Spirit. Unfortunately, that's not the case with the Kelpie!


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Image result for ardbeg galileo

Whisky Review # 808

Country: Scotland
Region: Islay
Brand: Ardbeg Galileo - Limited Edition - 15000 Bottles
Type: Single Malt Whisky - Distilled 1999 - Bottled June 2012
Age: 12 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 49%
Maturation: Mix of Ex-Marsala Casks (Sicily) and Ex-Bourbon casks
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 220-340 (March 2019)
Buying Advice: 😀Interesting and Different Ardbeg. P/Q ratio: 👎

Colour:

Light Amber (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Again quite different from your basic Ardbeg. The Sweet Nose reminds me more of X-mas than of the South-Eastern coastline of Islay. There is some Peat and Smoke of course but they linger in the background. The Marsala casks are certainly noticeable but they do not overwhelm at the same time. The Nose is quite introspective so be sure to give Galileo enough "space" time in the Glass. This Nose might perhaps not please all hardcore Ardbeg fans but it is an interesting experiment nevertheless.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Toffee, Caramel, (Dried) Fruit like Dark Berries, Raisins, Plums and Apricots, Red Wine, Sweet Red Apple, Fruitcake, Peat, Soft Smoke, Grass, Lemon, Salt, Pepper, Nutmeg and Cloves.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Vanilla, Honey, Shredded Coconut, Dusty Earth, Iodine, Soot, Tar, Ashes, Wet Rock and Sand, Fish and Shellfish, Cured Meat, Roasted Nuts, Banana, Peach, Pineapple, Ginger, Cinnamon, Menthol, Charred Oak, Dairy and Leather.


Palate:

Bitter-Sweet with a few Sour elements. The Islay notes are more present now. It's not a Fresh Fruity Sweetness. It reminds me a lot more of Fruit-Flavoured Candies really. The Palate is a bit of a mixed bag and I miss cohesion. I'm sure it's going somewhere but where exactly...

Main Flavours:

Sweet Barley,Toast, Salted Toffee, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Plums and Apricots, Red Apple, Fruitcake, Cold Cigar Smoke, Earthy Peat, Tar, Soot, Cured Meat and Smoked Fish, Red Wine, Toasted Nuts, Pineapple, Pepper, Cinnamon, Cloves and Ginger.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Cherry-Flavoured Cough Pastilles, Blackberry Flavoured Yogurt, Iodine, Cocoa Powder, Charred Oak, Licorice, Menthol and Leather.
  
Finish:

Middle-Long, quite Spicy & Salty, Bitter-Sweet at first but slightly Sour towards the Dry end. I find Sweet Barley, Toast, Salted Caramel, Treacle, (Dried) Fruit like Plums, Raisins and Dark Berries, Red Apple, Cold Cigar Smoke, Earthy Peat, Ashes, Soot, Iodine, Tar, Rubber, Grass, Herbal Tea, Red Wine, Charred Oak, Citrus, Smoked and Cured Meat, Gooseberries, Dairy, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger and Cloves, Cocoa Powder and Leather. A light Metallic Off-Note right at the end as well as some Roasted Coffee Beans.


Drinking Advice:

Due to the small sample I only nosed/tasted this Galileo neat.

Rating: 86

Nose: 22 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21.5

Drinking Experience:

Good and Interesting.

Conclusion:

The Galileo was launched in 2012 to celebrate Ardbeg's experiment to send a small amount of their whisky into space at the end of 2011 aiming to find out how Whisky would mature in a zero-gravity environment. The Galileo was named after the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei. Despite all this the Ardbeg Galileo does not actually contain traces of the Space Whisky.

It's not easy to judge this Galileo. It's not your average Ardbeg and at times it works a bit confusing. But it's also an interesting experiment and there's no law that says that all Ardbegs should taste the same. In fact they don't already! I wouldn't drink it on a regular basis, even if the price was reasonable which it isn't. But I do think there's a place for this type of expression in the portfolio of this distillery as not everybody appreciates drinking an ash tray. My advise to Ardbeg would be to maintain their current core range but continue to surprise us with new ideas. At a reasonable price though as otherwise the pleasures will only be shared with the happy few!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                   March 20, 2019


All Pictures were taken during our visits to Ardbeg in May 2014 and May 2017

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