An Ardbeg by Chieftain’s. Chieftain’s is one of my least favourite bottlers out there because of the weird finishes I’ve tried from them. Usually those finishes almost destroy a whisky to a point that it just doesn’t taste anything like it should. I’m thinking about a Brora from a couple of years ago that was finished om cream sherry casks.
This Ardbeg, while being a 1994 one and thus supposedly a good one, went into Barolo casks. Normally I would have skipped this one because of that, but since I got this sample from whisky buddy Bennie, I gave it a try. (and many thanks to Bennie!)
Nose:
Meaty at first and definetly a red wine finish. Sweet grapes almost to the level of ‘pourriture noble’. The usual smokiness of Ardbeg has been pushed back very far.
Taste:
The flavour is also very sweet. A little too sweet for me. At first it’s also a bit thin for some reason, but after a few seconds it gets bone dry with flavours of wine and wood. So dry it almost cuts your tongue. For some reason, then it goes smooth all of a sudden.
Finish:
I didn’t pick up any new flavours during the finish which makes this dram a little one directional.
Tasted blind I would have never said this was an Ardbeg. The typical salty smokiness with citrus background is nowhere to be found. In short: not my cup of tea. There aren’t many finishes that I really enjoy apart from sherry casks. There are of course a couple of nice Octomores and the Longrow Gaja Barolo cask is a stunner too. This one isn’t.
Ardbeg 17, 04-1994 – 09-2011, Chieftain’s, 49.1%, cask #90542
Malt Fascination 
You say Sjoerd that Chieftains make whisky taste not like it should. But how ” should” whisky taste? And who gets to say how it ” should” taste?
I did like how you said ” too sweet for me”. Thats impartial. But saying whisky does not taste as it should is not impartial. You are being prosecutor, judge and jury here.
Beauty or tastiness is in the eye or mouth of the beholder my friend.
Respectfully,
Jock Shaw
Good comment Jock, but what I meant (and always try to do) is publish an/my opinion. I try to be impartial, but to write everything on this wee blog with all escapes built in wouldn’t make it more readable.
What I just meant to state was that I am not a big fan of all kinds of finishes, not that Chieftain’s kills whisky.
On how whisky should taste: Read it like ‘how I would expect and like it to taste’.
Thanks!
OK Sjoerd:-). Got it.
Chieftains and Dun Bheagan are either hits or misses I find. Bsck in the 90’s I adored the Rum finishes on Islay whiskies Chieftains were doing and many people liked them. Anthony Macallum brought them back by popular request. But many others didnt like them at all. When an independant bottler brings something new out, its allways his or her personal taste and they are allways a hit or miss with the Anoraks.
Murray McDavid get criticised for the many finishes as well. But ” The Alchemist” got criticised by someone else for not doing finishes and not distinguishing himself from the O.B. enough.
But dont get me wrong Sjoerd. I love debating taste and be assured you ” should” say what you like.
Warm regards,
Jock