October 2006
The Forth Edition of "A Whiff of Peat Smoke...." , Why ? because i can !
Airigh Nam Beist
Picked up the new Ardbeg 1990 16yo “Airigh Nam Beist” and have now had a few drams of it so here is my opinion on it I’ll start with the packaging (strange you might think…..) , first off it’s very nice , it has a gold celtic chain on it in similar style to the “A” on the Uigeadail but it doesn’t say “The Ultimate Islay Malt” ! Have the marketing men / women been at it ? it does on the box however say “Ardbeg , the Untamed Spirit of Islay “ ….Hmmm…new tag line ? The box / bottle does have a nice map and info as to how it has received it’s name and you know where it has the recycle symbols etc , there’s a nice little one of shorty saying “Islay Nosed” ! Right to the whisky ……a lovely bright gold colour and really oily (it’s got Legs and knows how to use them …..) , a very complex nose , creamy fudge , lemon (citric) , peat smoke , slight cocoa but I can’t get the much mentioned Pine nuts (we use them quite a bit in cooking and they don’t smell of much to me ....) . Later on there is a lot of coastal ozone (the seaweedy , at the seashore type of smell) . On the palate a great wallop of peat ! Followed by smoke , pepper , creamy chocolate fudge and a very refined smoothness . The finish is amazing , very long , peat , creamy and cocoa . Boy what a dram ! It has touches of the 1977 about it and also the Ten , extremely well balanced IMHO , this is a superb addition to the range , it is priced competitively , I thought they might have charged somewhat more than the £45 after the recent 1975’s and 1965 ! It appears to get bigger the more you taste it ..... A Peet-heeds delight ! Release the beast it says on the Bottle ....too bloody right !
A Fistful of Laddies
More details have been released about the impending bottlings from Bruichladdich on their site (you must know where it is by now.....) . As well as the one everyone wants , well i want , the PC5 Evolution , there's a new version of the 3D containing some Octomore . It's a tribute bottling to Norrie Campbell , the last of the traditional Islay peat cutters , there's also a 2nd edition 12yo from 100% bourbon casks , the ace'd 1970 (125th aniversary bottling) , the "Blacker Still" , a new Legacy and a new "Infinity" ....... not forgetting the "Wave" ..... i think that's it ! Need more shelves........
