It’s been since I visited the Hielander Whisky Festival in Alkmaar that I tried an Ardbeg. This doesn’t surprise me much, actually, since I am not a huge fan of their new releases, with a few exceptions of course (Corryvreckan for example). Usually I find what they bottle a bit too one dimensional or just too focussed on the smoky part.

I made this whisky part of the Bottle-Share because I thought it would be a good way to try a heavily sherried one, since you don’t see those all that often. Sherry and smoke can be a good combination if done right, and it’s fairly rare. All good reasons, right?

Nose:
Sweet, with some sherry, not as much as expected by the deep colour. Sweet tropical fruit, salty fish and ashes. It does leave the salty part pretty quickly and becomes sweeter with fresh peaches and syrup. Apple and ripe pear are showing up late too. All this is on a background of smoke and ashes.

Taste:
Spicy with a lot of smoke and ashes, and burnt heather. Still slightly salty but the sweetness is back as well. The pear and peaches make up the fruity part. Strangely enough, I find a bit of a floral thing going on as well, more like I would expect in a Bowmore.

Finish:
Very dry, it makes my mouth feel like leather and sand paper at once. Pretty sharp and fruity, but again the unexpected floral flavours are very present too. Also some sherry wood, but it doesn’t display the heavy sherry flavours I expected by the colour. It’s a lighter, more fruity kind of way.

I’m not sure what to think of this one. It’s quite fruity and shows some sherry wood quality as well. I’m not too big a fan of the fishy part in combination with it. Usually the salty Islay style of sherry is quite appealing, but without the fish bit. Very weird. It’s a high quality dram though, and still quite delicious. The price was fairly low too, for an indie Ardbeg!

Ardbeg 11, 08-1998 – 06-2011, SMWS, 33.109 ‘Delightful intensity of sherry and smoke’, Refill ex-sherry Butt, no longer available at the SMWS, but cost € 78.