Official bottling | 46% ABV

An Open Letter To Ardbeg

I consider myself a whisky enthusiast, some would even say a whisky geek, on par with a lot of people reading these pages. I discovered whisky only about five years ago. I had enjoyed some before that, but never really tasted it. It was a glass of Ardbeg 10 year old that blew me away and fueled my curiosity about the discovery of flavour that only malt whisky can offer.

For the first time ever in my life, it tasted of something else than just “whisky”. I could get smoke, and maybe some coastal notes, without any previous experience nosing quality spirits.

A short time after that, I tried Ardbeg Uigeadail. This was around 2020, so the bottle was recent, not even close to the revered early batches, but still, it blew my mind. I was hooked by its intensity and barbecue-like, smoked bacon notes.
Today, it’s safe to say I love whisky. And it was Ardbeg that started this passion for me. As such, it’s a brand and distillery I’ve grown very fond of. I’ve been evangelising about whisky ever since I tried it. I’ve started to work in wine & spirits retail partly because of the experience I’ve had with Ardbeg. I’ve started giving masterclasses and teaching soon-to-be spirits retailers about whisky partly because of the experience I’ve had with Ardbeg. The first time my nose approached a Glencairn filled with Ardbeg 10 was, in hindsight, a real life-defining moment. When I started to write for Dramface, it was evident to me that the first whisky I had to review was Ardbeg 10.

Even today, as my tastes widened and my collection grew to become quite varied, when curious friends say they’ve never tried good scotch, or even whisky, it’s often Ardbeg 10 I pull out of the cupboard, in the hope it’s going to have the same effect on them as it did on me. But here’s the issue.

While the core range remains in the realm of fair play, Ardbeg special editions have been under-delivering, and at a premium price. I’ve not bought one myself, but I’ve tried a few and never felt it was worth the money. A sentiment which I feel is generally shared by many in the community. And then, last week, a press release coming from the Glenmorangie company announced the revival of the legendary Ardbeg 17 years old.

Nothing wrong with doing that, it absolutely is a good idea, and on paper, before further reading said press release, I was excited and looked again at the date of Whisky Live Paris, to know when I’d be able to try it, even though I was sure it was going to be outside of my budget.

But then I noticed the cynicism. 40%, chill-filtered. As the original was. £160.

It’s even worse than that. We don’t even need to search for the price of the legacy version of Ardbeg 17. It’s written plainly at the bottom of their press release. Recommended retail price in 1997 was £29.99. Adjusted for inflation, that’s £57.30 in July 2024, according to the Bank of England calculator.

I know the whisky world has changed quite a lot since, and that 17 year old whiskies tend to be valued a bit more these days, often retailing for around £100, sometimes more. Still, £160 for a chill filtered, diluted, neutered malt is nothing short of an insult. If you’re going to release a 17 years old “like it used to be” as you said, do it for real. Make it good value. If the original was so successful back in the day, it’s because it tasted great, sure, but it’s also because people could buy it. It wasn’t such a luxury item back then.

This is symptomatic of the disconnect between the industry and the fans, the enthusiasts, the actual people drinking the stuff. And don’t tell me that we geeks are not the target for this release. Casual whisky drinkers never heard of your precious 17yo, and they’re not spending £160 on a bottle.

Whisky geeks made Ardbeg. If the brand is successful, it’s because of word of mouth, whisky bloggers, and knowledgeable people recommending it to newbies. This is your target. We are your target. And you have been taking advantage of us for far too long. As we say in French, this is the drop of water that makes the vase overflow.

Dear Dr. Lumsden and Mrs Macdonald, if you really want to “allow a new generation of whisky lovers to experience an iconic Ardbeg that they’ve heard so much about”, try putting out a good whisky at an affordable price. The new generation of whisky lovers today are made up of people who know much more than drinkers did twenty years ago. And I don’t believe that a lot of people in this new generation routinely spend £160 on chill-filtered whisky. They want a good tasting whisky. The tone in the patronising press release is sickening. Do you think you can really explain to us that chill filtration is going to make this whisky better?

If you’re willing to charge us £250 for your 19 years old, £815 for your 25 years old and £160 for a fiddled with, dare I say, purposely, cynically and knowingly counterfeit whisky, I’m afraid it is time for us to say no. At least it is for me.

I’ve always had Ardbeg 10 on the shelf. I still have one, and it’s three quarters full. I’ll drink it. I’ll share it. It will hopefully spark interest in someone else. But when the last drops spill from the bottle neck, I’m going to toss it in the recycling bin, and refrain from buying another. For a while now, the fact that the 10 year old, the An Oa, the Uigeadail and the Corryvreckan were available for a decent price was an excuse for us to forgive you for the insane pricing on the special editions. For me, that stops now, at least for the foreseeable future. I can’t continue to condone such practices.

There are plenty of fabulous whisky bottles available for a fair price in this day and age. I don’t have the time nor wallet to buy and taste them all, but it doesn’t matter. Even sticking to peated scotch, I’d much rather support businesses like Torabhaig, Ardnamurchan, Bunnahabhain, Ardnahoe, Elixir distillers and their brilliant Port Askaig range - they have a proper 17 year old - or any of the countless independent bottlers putting out top notch Caol Ila on a regular basis. I won’t have any problem replacing the 10 with something else. Though it is a shame I feel I have to.

An argument you might have is that you create the whisky, but you’re not part of the marketing team. Well, the bottle carries your name. As does the press release. Your name is your reputation and honour. It is the only thing you own in this industry. Please don’t let shareholders play with it and drag it in the mud. Head of whisky creation sounds like a high ranking job title to me. That means you have the power to do something when you hear ludicrous suggestions from a marketing team who know little about what they’re trying to sell, or the people they’re selling it to.

In this case, your inaction is complicit and I’m holding you responsible, at least in part, for this release.

Now, I don’t know if you’re ever going to read this, but I don’t care. I’m going to stop celebrating Ardbeg, but I’ll continue to celebrate great whisky and the people making and drinking it. I'm especially going to celebrate producers respecting their clientele and their fans. Those who are now reaping the benefits of their dedication to simply deliver quality whisky, at a reasonable price.

Where to start….

Review

Hazelburn 10yo, Official release, distilled at Springbank distillery, bottle code 17.05.2023, 46% ABV
£52 paid, spotty availability

How about something that, believe it or not, is its first time to receive a review on these pages. We have reviewed quite a few Springbanks, and some Longrows as well. I even reviewed the J&A Mitchell blended scotch released every year for the Edinburgh festival. And let’s not forget Kilkerran. So why is Hazelburn so overlooked, even by Campbeltown aficionados like us?

Firstly, it is unpeated and the regular 10yo in question today is entirely drawn from bourbon casks, which I guess in this day and age isn’t the sexiest sales pitch. Hazelburn is also only produced in January every year, counting only for about 10% of the production of the distillery, so there are ultimately less bottles produced. There are also less special releases of Hazelburn, the most notable recent edition being the 15yo Oloroso.

I bought this bottle from my shop just before summer, and enjoyed a few drams from it in the past months. Let me convince you to try it.

Nose

Chalky, mineral, saline, with just a hint of engine oil, like the courtyard of an auto repair shop. Dry prunes, as well as plaster and stewed red bell pepper. Sudden burst of ripe pear juice. Cracked black pepper. Something almost meaty, like guanciale. Cider made out of ancient apples. 

With water : much more apples, orchard flowers, with still this coastal lick to it. Hint of dried hay.

Palate

Fresh, yet somewhat coating. Juicy pears and vineyard peaches, then salt & pepper, with a delightful finish on white flowers and diluted peach nectar. 

With water: slightly rounder mouthfeel, and fruitier, echoing the nose. It is a bit more subdued and finishes faster though.

The Dregs

This is a brilliant sipper. If you’re just pouring it in a social environment, it will appear as a light, fruity, fresh whisky. If you pay attention to it though, you’ll still find a hint of this funk that the Wee Toon is so famous for, even though this is triple distilled. I sipped it in contrast with a light and fruity Lochlea Sowing Edition - bourbon matured - and this really helped me get those oily, funky notes in the Hazelburn. It doesn’t need water though, or maybe just one drop. I’m going to score it a well deserved 7/10, but I almost had it at 8. In the end, the availability and relatively high price for a 10yo (outside of the UK) made me settle on 7. Read that as a high 7. 

Let’s celebrate those doing it right. Springbank have been honest, and will hopefully continue to be, in their communication, and most importantly in the presentation of the actual liquid. They are successful because of this. They are not trying to take advantage of their situation, and believe me they could. If Springbank released a 17yo at 40% and £160, it would still fly off the shelves. However they don’t. They focus on building brand loyalty through quality, hard work and respect of their customers of the past and the future. 

Distilleries don’t choose what whisky is collectible, drinkers do. A nuance too often forgotten by many. 

I appreciate however that this whisky will not be available to everyone. It can be found if you search hard enough, most of the time. The ransom of success is spotty availability I guess. Don’t worry, whisky will find a way. In the meantime, find the producers doing it right and available in your area, and speak about them; celebrate them. For as long as they are here, we shan’t need to be abused by big corporations chasing luxury positioning to be able to enjoy good whisky.

This week's musical pairing will be from Fontaines D.C.'s freshly released album, in the form of their song Desire for no other reason than I’ve been listening to it on repeat. I strongly recommend the whole album.

Score: 7/10

Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. AF

Other opinions on this:

Whiskybase
Whiskyfun (2020 bottling)
Bourbon Culture
Nice Sipper
Whisky on the West Coast (YT)
GWhisky (YT)
Whisky Vault (YT)
Ralfy (YT)
Erik Wait Whisky Studies (YT)

Got a link to a reliable review? Tell us.