I think you're one of the sanest reviewers of Ardbeg special releases amongst whisky-tubers. That's probably due to your refreshingly down-to-earth approach spiked with a mildly devilish deadpan irony. Great combination, in my opinion. You've picked up on all the points which remind me exactly why I avoid these releases like the plague, while at the same time giving the juice a fair go. These days it's the core range that's my daily fare, spruced up with the occasional age-stated release (yes, Ardbeg have done well in the last couple of years with the 5yo, the 8yo "For Discussion", the 19yo Traigh Bhan and the 25yo). The big age statement releases are too expensive for my taste (and wallet) but the younger releases have been surprisingly good and make a great addition to the core range. So, Ardbeg are doing a lot of things right, in my view, I just wish they weren't the annual playtoy of Louis Vuitton Hennessy's marketing department! Cheers.
Thanks Russell! You can't really go wrong with the core range. It's great that they offer 46% and NCF right from the bottom. I've never tried the Traigh Bhan or 25yo. I almost pulled the trigger on the Traigh Bhan but it's just too much money for a 19yo bottle of whisky IMHO. Thanks for watching and your thoughts. Cheers!
I almost pulled the trigger on some Traigh Banh, but then I saw this at an end of bin discount. I’d tried the 46% version (and also the Signet) at a whisky bar and enjoyed it, so I was happy to give this one a go. Committee releases aren’t easy to find in shops where I am.
I've lost count of the number of times I've *nearly* bought Traigh Bhan 😉 it's a lot of money, even for 19 years. Well done for finding a Committee Release in the wild. I live out in the sticks and very far from any Ardbeg Embassies so it's not something I see either.
Hmm - just did a show on this myself. Very similar experience. Ah, glad you made a comparison to the grain side of the equation, as that might explain why I don't dig it as much as other Ardbegs. Hope you're doing well!
Hi! I'll check out your show if it's still on your channel. Ardcore is a very underwhelming whisky IMHO. I'm hoping for something different (and reasonably priced!) for their next Committee Release. Cheers!
Thanks for the in depth review, very insightful. It doesn't sound very exciting, still I think is interesting and will get it, I love Signet, the hope of them being similar is what captured my imagination. Your comment about getting a mezcal like note is very interesting.
Thank you! The thing about these Committee Releases is that even when they're not great they're still interesting 🙂 and that alone makes them worth trying. If you really liked Signet and you're after those dark chocolate and coffee notes then there's a fair chance that this will work for you too.
@@WhiskyLock I’m on call to get it but honestly I won’t open it or review it. Kind of done with Ardbeg especially with NFT. With exception of Corry I’ve moved on. Too gimmicky for me. I’ve recently sold all my Ardbegs at auction.
@@justwhisky wow! I can understand your feelings. IMHO with everything other than the core range you're paying some level of premium for the brand. And that NFT nonsense... pfft. Seems like a shameless cash grab.
Since Scorch I’ve sworn off Ardbeg. I came into some extra cash and found a bottle of Ardbeg 21 for significantly less than secondary market prices.(yes i’m a sucker. ) The cory and Ugi are climbing above 100$ and that is disturbing. Ardbeg has become too much of a cult brand…. Tis a shame. The 10 over preforms for it’s price point and I’ll always have a bottle on hand. I still want to pull my hair out when someone mentions the “Dark Cove”. That is one malt that I will regret not getting my hands on , as it seems to be a favorite among enthusiasts. Oh well. Thanks your for money saving research !
I've always thought the standard 10 to be the best value and possibly just the outright best modern Ardbeg. The 10 (not the Committee Releases) is the reason why I love Ardbeg. Cheers!
Funny when I hear all the hoops you have to go through to get these committee releases all bet you are able to get them when released. These Ardbeg committee releases always show up on the shelves where I live in Canada about 4-6 months after release. This year they had cases of the Scorch committee release.
Artificial Scarcity is always a possibility and there's probably no way for us to tell how real it is. Just like the Port Ellen and Brora super limited edition casks that lasted just long enough for them to announce the re-opening of those distilleries... I've not really seen any Committee Releases for sale in the wild. Although my nearest 'Ardbeg Embassy' is a 4 hour round trip. I'll definitely be on the hunt if I'm ever in Canada. I'd probably buy another Scorch CR if it was at RRP. Not Ardcore though.
@@MadScientist7 I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be tempted. I do love Brora. The 37yo 14th Release is one of two whiskies that I've given an A+.... but bloody hell.. those prices!
Interesting review. Thank you. It was great to see Ardbeg come back but their pricing structure has stripped me of all my good will. The elephant in the room - Too expensive for what it is.
Thanks Kes! I'm glad that Ardbeg is back too and I agree with your thoughts on their pricing but as long as they keep the 10yo how it is (including the price) then I'm not too upset. A lot of their non-core range products do seem to be 'halo products'.
For me it does taste very, very young. Blaaack was great, Scorch was ok - nothing good compared to the Alligator (imho). But this Ardcore is dissapointong, I really hate the anise-note. One CR for the collection. Thats enough. Great review by the way 👍
It does taste very young. I did wonder if it's on purpose to try to preserve the flavours from the black malt that might be lost with too much aging. But yes, too young!
You bought a bottle, I knew you would. Secret confession here, and I'm ashamed of myself, I would have too if I could be bothered reading my emails and not having had a bonkers couple of weeks distraction, including Covid catching up at long last. I'm kind of relieved I avoided the temptation and hype because I'm fairly certain I bought a couple of better bottles last week. Ah, yes, Black Malt - ooh! Glenmorangie Signet, which tastes like Speyside malt eaten alongside a chocolate bar. Take away the chocolate bar and add £120 for the experience. Dr Bill's responsible for that little honey too. 'Ardcore', we're (h)ARD on the street (it's just for fun) churning out £100 bottles of NAS whisky and keeping it fun and real whilst providing excellent returns to our shareholders. Seriously, it's just above 50% to give it some credibility but I recently bought Benromach's Cara Gold Malt for less than half the price and if you want interesting malt and peat you can't go wrong with Port Charlotte's excellent, age statement, bottlings. Seriously, why does this cost more than twice the price of Ardbeg 10? It's absurd. Excellent tasting notes my friend and, boy oh boy, am I glad I didn't buy this. Dr Bill and Ardbeg continue to take the piss. They know they can dish out anything and folk will chase it down for ownership rites. Some cute marketing and watch the cash roll in.
Yeah they got me 😉 although as per the review I am a little disappointed with this one. A constant downward trend with these recent Committee Releases (with the exception of Fermutation that I really really like but is very overpriced) puts this Ardcore firmly into the 'nice' category. Poor show. I hope you're weathering Covid well. I'm still avoiding it successfully but then being an antisocial old git helps with that. That's a very apt description of Signet. I wasn't overly impressed with that one either judging by my tasting notes which is why I was tempted to give Ardcore a miss and really only got it out of curiosity and for the review. Low expectations were met. You undoubtedly made a wiser choice with Cara Gold. I've loved Benromach for a long time and have several of their previous expressions on my shelf. Even that 40% 'Benromach Traditional' at 40% in the early days of G&M ownership showed promise and character.
I neverpick up Ardbeg Committee releases due to high price NAS. However, you also get high ABV and natural color and non chill filtering which can't be said for for 90% of the other malts available on the shelf. I'm at a point in my whisky journey where it's no longer really about how 'good' or how much 'value' a whisky has to me. I buy more for what is 'interesting'. Sure I could buy two Ardbeg 10's and get more smiles / $ from a pure drinking standpoint, but no one is excited to come over and try Ardbeg 10. Everyone has had it a milliion times. Ardbeg made with chocolate malt is a talking point and makes for an interesting tasting experience so I'm tempted to buy a bottle. So is it overpriced? Hard to say, but as long as people are willing to buy something, it isn't overpriced. Value is entirely derivative of consumer perception unless a product is being delivered at cost. So long as enough people think $120 is a reasonable price to buy every bottle, then technically, it is
@@eurly93 I agree that with Ardbeg you're at least getting a decent presentation. And yes at least they're offering things that are different and (key word) interesting. Some distilleries are outright taking the piss with their special releases and offering little in return. Fingers crossed that the next Ardbeg CR is better than Ardcore 🤞
I think you're one of the sanest reviewers of Ardbeg special releases amongst whisky-tubers. That's probably due to your refreshingly down-to-earth approach spiked with a mildly devilish deadpan irony. Great combination, in my opinion. You've picked up on all the points which remind me exactly why I avoid these releases like the plague, while at the same time giving the juice a fair go. These days it's the core range that's my daily fare, spruced up with the occasional age-stated release (yes, Ardbeg have done well in the last couple of years with the 5yo, the 8yo "For Discussion", the 19yo Traigh Bhan and the 25yo). The big age statement releases are too expensive for my taste (and wallet) but the younger releases have been surprisingly good and make a great addition to the core range. So, Ardbeg are doing a lot of things right, in my view, I just wish they weren't the annual playtoy of Louis Vuitton Hennessy's marketing department! Cheers.
Thanks Russell! You can't really go wrong with the core range. It's great that they offer 46% and NCF right from the bottom. I've never tried the Traigh Bhan or 25yo. I almost pulled the trigger on the Traigh Bhan but it's just too much money for a 19yo bottle of whisky IMHO. Thanks for watching and your thoughts. Cheers!
I almost pulled the trigger on some Traigh Banh, but then I saw this at an end of bin discount. I’d tried the 46% version (and also the Signet) at a whisky bar and enjoyed it, so I was happy to give this one a go. Committee releases aren’t easy to find in shops where I am.
I've lost count of the number of times I've *nearly* bought Traigh Bhan 😉 it's a lot of money, even for 19 years. Well done for finding a Committee Release in the wild. I live out in the sticks and very far from any Ardbeg Embassies so it's not something I see either.
Thanks for the great and honest review!
Thanks for watching! Always honest :-)
Hmm - just did a show on this myself. Very similar experience. Ah, glad you made a comparison to the grain side of the equation, as that might explain why I don't dig it as much as other Ardbegs. Hope you're doing well!
Hi! I'll check out your show if it's still on your channel. Ardcore is a very underwhelming whisky IMHO. I'm hoping for something different (and reasonably priced!) for their next Committee Release. Cheers!
Thanks for the in depth review, very insightful. It doesn't sound very exciting, still I think is interesting and will get it, I love Signet, the hope of them being similar is what captured my imagination. Your comment about getting a mezcal like note is very interesting.
Thank you! The thing about these Committee Releases is that even when they're not great they're still interesting 🙂 and that alone makes them worth trying.
If you really liked Signet and you're after those dark chocolate and coffee notes then there's a fair chance that this will work for you too.
Doesn’t sound like it “Clashed” enough….heard London might be calling.
Aha I see what you did there ;-) More 'Clash' would have been nice, it's a little too pop punk. Will you be reviewing this one?
@@WhiskyLock I’m on call to get it but honestly I won’t open it or review it. Kind of done with Ardbeg especially with NFT. With exception of Corry I’ve moved on. Too gimmicky for me. I’ve recently sold all my Ardbegs at auction.
@@justwhisky wow! I can understand your feelings. IMHO with everything other than the core range you're paying some level of premium for the brand. And that NFT nonsense... pfft. Seems like a shameless cash grab.
@@WhiskyLock yup I’ll stick with Corry… other channels echoing similar sentiment in regards with Ardbeg special releases .
Thanks for your review, saved me some $$$. We need another Dark Cove
You're welcome Tom. I'd be up for something like Dark Cove too. It'd be a nice change of pace. As would another age statement release.
Since Scorch I’ve sworn off Ardbeg. I came into some extra cash and found a bottle of Ardbeg 21 for significantly less than secondary market prices.(yes i’m a sucker. ) The cory and Ugi are climbing above 100$ and that is disturbing. Ardbeg has become too much of a cult brand…. Tis a shame. The 10 over preforms for it’s price point and I’ll always have a bottle on hand. I still want to pull my hair out when someone mentions the “Dark Cove”. That is one malt that I will regret not getting my hands on , as it seems to be a favorite among enthusiasts. Oh well. Thanks your for money saving research !
I've always thought the standard 10 to be the best value and possibly just the outright best modern Ardbeg. The 10 (not the Committee Releases) is the reason why I love Ardbeg. Cheers!
Funny when I hear all the hoops you have to go through to get these committee releases all bet you are able to get them when released. These Ardbeg committee releases always show up on the shelves where I live in Canada about 4-6 months after release. This year they had cases of the Scorch committee release.
Artificial Scarcity is always a possibility and there's probably no way for us to tell how real it is. Just like the Port Ellen and Brora super limited edition casks that lasted just long enough for them to announce the re-opening of those distilleries...
I've not really seen any Committee Releases for sale in the wild. Although my nearest 'Ardbeg Embassy' is a 4 hour round trip. I'll definitely be on the hunt if I'm ever in Canada. I'd probably buy another Scorch CR if it was at RRP. Not Ardcore though.
@@WhiskyLock speaking of Brora…quite o few stores here have the Brora 34 and 38 yr but expensive
@@MadScientist7 I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be tempted. I do love Brora. The 37yo 14th Release is one of two whiskies that I've given an A+.... but bloody hell.. those prices!
@@WhiskyLock the prices of $3000 cad just can’t be justified
Interesting review. Thank you.
It was great to see Ardbeg come back but their pricing structure has stripped me of all my good will. The elephant in the room - Too expensive for what it is.
Thanks Kes! I'm glad that Ardbeg is back too and I agree with your thoughts on their pricing but as long as they keep the 10yo how it is (including the price) then I'm not too upset. A lot of their non-core range products do seem to be 'halo products'.
The best way to find out ..blind tasting!
Ardbeg 10 vs Ardcore blind tasting would be a great video. I think I know which would win!
For me it does taste very, very young. Blaaack was great, Scorch was ok - nothing good compared to the Alligator (imho). But this Ardcore is dissapointong, I really hate the anise-note. One CR for the collection. Thats enough. Great review by the way 👍
It does taste very young. I did wonder if it's on purpose to try to preserve the flavours from the black malt that might be lost with too much aging. But yes, too young!
👍🏻
Agree 100%🥃🥃
. . . Irish like . . .mezcal like . . . NO THANKS ! ! . . . wait for that Phoeey Foid *RDBEG ! !
I'm waiting for Fon Fhoid too. Waiting for the price to drop by about 95% ;-)
You bought a bottle, I knew you would. Secret confession here, and I'm ashamed of myself, I would have too if I could be bothered reading my emails and not having had a bonkers couple of weeks distraction, including Covid catching up at long last. I'm kind of relieved I avoided the temptation and hype because I'm fairly certain I bought a couple of better bottles last week.
Ah, yes, Black Malt - ooh! Glenmorangie Signet, which tastes like Speyside malt eaten alongside a chocolate bar. Take away the chocolate bar and add £120 for the experience. Dr Bill's responsible for that little honey too. 'Ardcore', we're (h)ARD on the street (it's just for fun) churning out £100 bottles of NAS whisky and keeping it fun and real whilst providing excellent returns to our shareholders.
Seriously, it's just above 50% to give it some credibility but I recently bought Benromach's Cara Gold Malt for less than half the price and if you want interesting malt and peat you can't go wrong with Port Charlotte's excellent, age statement, bottlings. Seriously, why does this cost more than twice the price of Ardbeg 10? It's absurd.
Excellent tasting notes my friend and, boy oh boy, am I glad I didn't buy this. Dr Bill and Ardbeg continue to take the piss. They know they can dish out anything and folk will chase it down for ownership rites. Some cute marketing and watch the cash roll in.
Yeah they got me 😉 although as per the review I am a little disappointed with this one. A constant downward trend with these recent Committee Releases (with the exception of Fermutation that I really really like but is very overpriced) puts this Ardcore firmly into the 'nice' category. Poor show.
I hope you're weathering Covid well. I'm still avoiding it successfully but then being an antisocial old git helps with that.
That's a very apt description of Signet. I wasn't overly impressed with that one either judging by my tasting notes which is why I was tempted to give Ardcore a miss and really only got it out of curiosity and for the review. Low expectations were met.
You undoubtedly made a wiser choice with Cara Gold. I've loved Benromach for a long time and have several of their previous expressions on my shelf. Even that 40% 'Benromach Traditional' at 40% in the early days of G&M ownership showed promise and character.
I neverpick up Ardbeg Committee releases due to high price NAS. However, you also get high ABV and natural color and non chill filtering which can't be said for for 90% of the other malts available on the shelf.
I'm at a point in my whisky journey where it's no longer really about how 'good' or how much 'value' a whisky has to me. I buy more for what is 'interesting'. Sure I could buy two Ardbeg 10's and get more smiles / $ from a pure drinking standpoint, but no one is excited to come over and try Ardbeg 10. Everyone has had it a milliion times. Ardbeg made with chocolate malt is a talking point and makes for an interesting tasting experience so I'm tempted to buy a bottle. So is it overpriced? Hard to say, but as long as people are willing to buy something, it isn't overpriced. Value is entirely derivative of consumer perception unless a product is being delivered at cost. So long as enough people think $120 is a reasonable price to buy every bottle, then technically, it is
@@eurly93 I agree that with Ardbeg you're at least getting a decent presentation. And yes at least they're offering things that are different and (key word) interesting. Some distilleries are outright taking the piss with their special releases and offering little in return. Fingers crossed that the next Ardbeg CR is better than Ardcore 🤞