I don't think I can get this much originality and integrity from any other whisky channel. I am hands down a lover of less speak and more show and the only way good distilleries show are in the quality of their product instead of doing stunts like these. Huge Respect to Ralfy!
I'm actually relatively new into scotch whisky, but the way this Ardbeg ridiculous circus is going, with their super "rare" committee bottles, and the way online reviewers are holding them up into heavens, I'm really glad that I'm keeping myself distant from all that. I'm going to my trusted online review, such as Ralfy, to get well formed, articulated, independent and honest oppinion.
Well I for one am Voting with my wallet .. thank you Ardbeg and Lagavulin for showing us new paths to take, and to find our passion and enjoyment elsewhere .. there is always something new and exciting elsewhere .. and new adventures can really show us some beautiful experiences .. thanks for telling it like it is Ralf! .. Slángè frae Montreal
After the NFT nonsense and seeing the 25 year old priced at a ridiculous £817 a bottle (not that I'm in the market for that kind of thing), it just feels like they're now asking themselves "How much can we charge for a bottle of whisky?" rather than "What is the value of the whisky in the bottle?" and that Ardbeg has become a brand not a whisky. It just puts me right off buying future bottles of Ardbeg.
Distillers will be rooting around for any old casks lying about the joint that can be sold off at a stupid price. Top class video here ralfy, good to see a great passion here about the topic.
The greatest liquid I’ve ever drank was a bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail from about 5 years ago. It was perfect in almost every way, it was “thick” in feel, smoky, sweet, savory with a hint of tartness to finish it all off. It sucks to think I may never have it’s equal ever again 😞
Hi mate. I have a 02.2022 batch of Uigeadail and is on par with batches of 5 or 6 years ago. Is funky, oily, damp, dark peat, is thick that you can allmost chew on it, its fantastic. I need to stock some bottles on this batch. Not gonna lie, the 2018/2019/2020 bottles was sort of dissapointments.
@@shugaroony port charlotte 10 is one of my favorite peated single malts in my bar, solid stuff and crazy good in the 10/12 years old peated single malts.
My reaction when I saw this in the news: Nope, I just don't get it, never will. I have a bottle (opened and appreciated) of Ardbeg 1975, which in all likelihood could be from the same original spirit, and which could have aged in the same set of casks up until 1999, when it was bottled, as this, which was kept and later transferred to undoubtedly a good sherry cask. OK, so I get the economics/maths behind buying a cask at £16m and then bottling 440 bottles and selling them at over £36,000 a shot. However, is anyone who actually buys a bottle ever going to open it, and if they do, appreciate it £35,940 worth more than I appreciate my little £60 1975 Ardbeg. If they open it, they're mad, if they don't they're mad, if they buy it they're mad. I just don't get it. Slàinte!
I’ve really come to appreciate your extras vlogs. Where once I would seek out your videos to look up a particular Whiskey, or find one worth hunting, I now look to them for insight on how to recognize where brands, and the industry are headed. I have come to believe that disappointments like these Ardbeg bottlings are happening across the industry. I first perceived this with Westland American single malt last year, and then noticed that later batches of Glen Scotia 15 weren’t spectacular anymore. I was shocked when I tried a 2021 bottling of Glen Scotia 18, and found it without detectable distillery character, and finished in an awful seasoned sherry cask. It was almost like Loch Lomond had begun to place its wet cardboard and dog kibble character on its acquisition. This was just before you panned a Glen Scotia seasonal release. Since then, I’ve tasted both batch variation, and the pushing of poor cask inventory in other distillery brands. Bruichladdich, The very embodiment of integrity, has disappointed as well. The Port Charlotte 10 2018 bottling was of exceptional quality, and my favorite peat smoke flavor profile, but had been rather two dimensional. However, 2020/early 2021 bottlings had a portion of red wine maturation casks that made it a 90+ malt. But a later 2021 bottling proved to be a complete collapse. Anemic smoke, almost undetectable red wine, and an unbalanced grassy bitter note. A strikingly similar diminution to that of Westland. My latest purchase was your 2021 whiskey of the year, and the overall winner of the 1st annual OSWAs. The early 2022 Listerine bottling of Arran 10, with the recycled brown grocery bag label, paled at first, to the 2018 lemon-zest bottling I enjoyed last year, and even more so, to the first Arran Master of Distilling release. After a week of sampling and continuous open-bottle oxidation, and a few drops of water, I was finally able to coax out a ghost of that once dominant zesty note, and a nice barley sweet-spicyness emerged from behind a grassy, dog-biscuity bitterness either absent, or subtly in the background before. This was far more work to salvage a supposedly easy, accessible malt than your Balblair ‘time in the glass’ vignette. What resulted with all that effort was comparable with my experience with Craigellachie 13, back when it was $40. The old Arran 10 was also $40 in early 2020, but this new release was $55. Thus I paid 37% more to then fuss with it for an entire week. I’m starting to see connectedness in what’s happening across this industry. Billy Walker fluffing up Glendronach, then the new owners chill filtering it. The old owners of Glen Scotia puffing up its inventory, the new owners releasing spectacular batches and winning awards, then pushing out mediocre and poor stocks ahead of the looming end of the boom/inflationary cycle. It all seems to confirm what you have been saying in your extras. I wonder what will happen, as these pessimistic trends are accompanied by optimistic ventures, with numerous new distilleries opening, or coming into maturity, and behemoth Diageo responding so late to the boom, by bringing back several mothballed distilleries. Whatever the forecast, I shall vote with my feet and not purchase from brands that treat their customers with indifference. Ledaig 10 has not disappointed, and it is $45 here! (I hope that lasts.) Edradour’s peated Ballechin 10 was interesting, and quickly responded to oxidation. A 15 year CS version is on my list. As is Port Askaig. I’ll continue to seek independent bottlings, perhaps even an Arran.
I love your insight Ralfy into the tricks of Marketing rubbish. A friend and I visited Islay in between the lockdowns in 2020. Only three distillery tours were open, the two new excellent distilleries and Lagavulin. We purchase two bottles of 20 year old Feis ile 2020 bottle numbers 5309 and 5382 from the later for £90 each. The last time I looked at their value last year was £500 each! If anybody had a better reason to visit such a distillery like this then do so because you can purchase bottles only at the distillery, and its limited. Great idea. I love Islay - no better place to visit in the UK. And it now has nine distillery's. Keep up the great work Falfy, but please look into the sub titles on this 936 extras video as they are far from the correct spelling. Regards John Herbert
It breaks my heart, but I really have to agree with you. I’ve been drinking scotch now for over 30 years and I’ve been increasingly disappointed lately with what I used to think of as bottles I could count on. Thank you for speaking out for all of us.
Ralfy, you are 100% correct!! Here in the USA the most recent Ardcore is sitting on the shelf at $300 a bottle. I really am disappointed in Ardbeg, they were so wonderful in days past. Ardnamurchan is going to get my loyalty from now on, a truly Exciting, Great Value whisky worthy of our attention! Thanks buddy for another great program
I tried the Ardcore blind a couple of months ago now when I went to collect a bottle of Kilkerran HP #6 (I was handed it with a "what do you think of this?"). Without knowing what it was, I thought it was quite pleasant, and at £45 or so I'd have taken a bottle for some summer dramming. I ended up walking out without picking anything else up other than what I went in for. RRP was more than double what I felt the contents of the bottle were worth, which I felt was quite disgraceful. $300 (~£250) your side of the pond is a complete sham. Also, putting out 2 bottles of the same juice, one at 50.1% and another watered down to 46%, with the same name AND PRICE (!!!) is a joke as well.
Had a wee dram earlier this afternoon actually. Not a peaty one, it was one I aged myself actually. Last year a friend of mine dropped off some homemade new make, and instead of going straight to aging it in toasted oak, I first steeped the wood in Imperial IPA beer as an experiment. He told me his favorite IPA, and I steeped it in that. After a couple or so weeks of that, then used that wood to age the homemade new make for 3 months. Just tasted it today. The bitterness came through nicely but not overpowering. I’m not into IPA beer so I’m not sure what to think, other than if you like IPAs, you’ll likely have liked this. So I gave the bottle to my friend since he gave me the new make no cost to begin with. So while it wasn’t peaty, it was pretty strong, just in a different way. Speculation destroys all industries, and the products & services they render. Just like the Ardbeg whiskey itself in that cask might have been average at best, those LV handbags are likely of a lower quality made from cheap materials and, frankly, overseas slave labor. Like Phil Knight had an epiphany many years ago, corporations realized customers aren’t buying the product; they’re buying the brand. That’s the only thing that matters, and it’s very unfortunate for the rest of us who just want a well-made product or well-rendered service at a good price. The mainstream media is all too happy to help, as Ralfy pointed out. Gaslighting is the perfect term for it. Several episodes ago, Ralfy pointed out there’s a difference between a customer and a consumer. I _think_ I now know: the customer buys the product, the consumer buys the brand. Perhaps that’s it. Speaking of (a plummeting decrease in) quality, I was in the liquor store today, saw a GlenDronach 12. Unlike in the past, I _did not_ see the term “non chill filtered” on the box. I've seen it before, so I looked over this one pretty good. It was also $6 more expensive. It's now upon us, folks. RIP GlenDronach.
We just concluded our scotch tour. Our favorite distillery was Balvenie. 3 hour long tour. Very genuine people and really made me a new fan with their history and quality of scotch. I used to be an Ardbeg fan but this pushed me over.
@@jbennison5672 like all distilleries, there are good and bad casks. I would recommend you try the balvenie french oak 16, Portwood 21 and if you are up for a good marriage, try the Portwood 25. All smoothe finishes with varying experiences.
I just dont like that you have to sell a limb to get integrity bottlings of Balvenie though. Nearly 120 AUD these days for the 12yo @ 40%? That's a pass from me.
@@thomaswalton4262 Portwood 21 is 40% and £300 here. No way am I spending that if they can't even be bothered to bottle at 46%. For me the ABV speaks volumes (pun intended) about their commitment to producing quality whisky. I'd rather buy 6 or 7 bottles of my favourite 12/13 year olds.
Wish I had seen it before I bought a bottle of Corryvreckan, have been pretty disappointed with that one. Thank you Ralfy for saving me from future pain. Loving the Laphroaig 10 year cask strength though. All is not lost in Islay.
Thank you Ralfy for this refreshing look on the Ardbeg bullshit marketing machine and their mediocre maltcrap these days. They should be ashamed on themselves for cheating! No Ardbeg for me (anymore).
Thanks for sharing your opinion. In our newspaper they said, the money is a blessing for Islay. But i think, it will only make Bernard Arnault 16 millions richer.l
way to go Ralfy, the truth well spoken, how to dismantle an entire marketing dept in 15 mins, love your in-depth analysis and thoughts from the taste buds.
Being my favorite distillery and imbibing quite a few wee tipples over the years, tend to agree the 5 yr Beastie and the standard 10 yr have deteriorated- I’ve gotta say, the Uigeadail has stayed fairly consistent (and great)…BTW totally agree a £16m cask is reedick
Ardbeg was my favorite distillery for about three decades until recently - I do believe the quality declined some in the core range but mostly it was the constant marketing bs that put me increasingly off the brand with each annual release. My regular store put aside the Ardcore for me but I think I’ll probably pass as the final nails in the coffin are the shameful NFT scam and now this barrel sale. I get much more suspicious with all excessive marketing claims and I definitely don’t spend my money once those claims are proven false and pure hype. Way too much other worthwhile stuff for my cash!
just opened a bottle of Ardbeg 10 from 2018. Superb stuff! It's gonna last me at least half a year. At the same time I take a glance at my half a dozin bottles of Ledaig 10 I bought this January (thanks Ralfy}. Life can be good even without Ardbeg...
I've been waiting for this review! Well said, as always! Many distilleries have changed their 'path' I think. They have a good reputation, good name, for their old whiskies and now their getting more into marketing than investing into quality. They are trying to get more people that they are not whisky drinkers or just started (which is a good thing) and make them pay a lot of money for a cheap product without even giving an 'age statement'. Many Macallan (and not only) NAS bottles are selling way more expensive than Age Atatement bottles and this is because of the marketing. I believe that this will be a boomerang to those distilleries at some point though. Now days people investigate more when they like something and thanks to people like you we can learn A Lot! Always geat to watch your videos and value your opinion! Many thanks! 👍
Wow Ralfy, that was fantastic. I,m fortunate enough to allow myself a budget of £25 a month, to be able buy good spirits. As it stands now i,m getting 2 good bottles a year. For the past 18 months i have been considering, abandoning the scotch market altogether, and going for good bourbons. It breaks my heart, but i feel i,m being mugged off too much by these profit driven, kiss me arse, shallow companies. Keep up the good work Ralfy, oh and by the way, you seem like a different man, since you,ve had them cats. Cheers.
Berry Bros, blended Islay whisky. Around £35 a bottle. This is the way that we budget drammers need to go Quality whisky and affordable. Also Thompson Brothers SRV5, 8 year old blend £35 and a cracking dram with a wee bit smoke
The Uigedail once convinced a friend of mine to get into whisky. After Ardcore we're both done with Ardbeg. Only standard bottlings for now. If they don't drop in quality as well. I substitue-bought last and this years Laphroaig Cairdeas instead, and dang, last years i already opened and love it.
Good, honest commentary. Well done Ralfy. Rare luxury goods are increasingly used as money laundering tools - easier to hide the source of funds. Something to keep in mind. Likely nothing to do with the whiskey at all.
The Wee Beastie can be seriously weak tasting, I don't know how it is possible with its ABV. Young peat works great with Caol Isla, the Port Askaig releases dumpster Ardbeg's 5 and 10yos at the moment.
Wee Beastie seems to suffer highly with batch variation. The first bottle I had was seriously great value compared to the 10. The second seemed dull and lifeless by comparison, so I used to to cure a side of bacon. Cheaper than the normal Laphroaig would use - which incidentally is another brand that needs to take a hard look at themselves.
@@discordia013 I thought it might have been a bait and switch--putting out undisclosed higher vintage to draw people in--but with such short timeframes involved I do think it's just incompetence as you describe.
Dear Ralfy, You have guided me so well on my "Journey" since I started recently in 2019 but your Glenallachie 12yr whisky of the year has to be one of the most fortunate finds for me. Since that first bottle I've traced some quality drams as I followed you. There's a constant chorus of the decline of distilleries most notable for me is Glendronach to have seen it first hand is still shocking but true for me. Now Ardbeg.....? My go to dram from Ardbeg is Corryvreckan. I have a few bottles with a date of 2020 on them. The one I've got down to middle of the bottle is still a fabulous treat for me! Is that my ignorance? if so, I guess it is bliss cause I will never know what I missed. I understand the outrage at all the garbage being put out by the Marketing Dept. But am I to believe that Corryvreckan is BAD? I've shipped around and never paid more than $82 for it and still have 2 bottles unopened I think it is fabulous stuff....Please correct me if I'm wrong. For $82 I feel I've done quite well not having a time machine or the ability to obtain past Corryvreckans. Please, I look forward to any help in my viewpoint.
I still have had no reply concerning Ardbeg Corryvreckan. I just got 2 bottles at 78€ and as much as I can agree with the huge chorus of "they're going to a bad place," I would really appreciate someone telling me that Corryvreckan is not worth the price I've been paying. Whatever Ardbeg is doing, and I do get a real blast out of the graphic novel "Planet Ardbeg"... what a hoot, I really want some feedback on Corryvreckan. There are many places that have it way overpriced near $120 a bottle. There are also many places that have Corryvreckan at well under $100 a bottle and I've collected 4 bottles that remain unopened. Please talk to me about Corryvreckan.
Ardbeg 25 Years sold out in 2 hours on MOM today at £807 a bottle . An ever increasing percentage of Whisky’s are purchased by speculative buyers with no interest in what’s in the bottle. The soul purpose of the purchase is to mothball it and cash it in at a later date. As always thanks for your efforts Ralphy . The OSWA’s was a remarkable achievement . It’s only going to be through platforms such as yours that the knowledge will be shared of affordable, enjoyable integrity whisky and also to let us know when distillery’s are beginning to take advantage of their loyalty fan base. Slainte Ralphy 🥃
Yep - we live in New Zealand and good scotch is 2 arms and a leg. The missus and I stopped drinking the Ardbeg 10, 3 years ago. Our standard dram is now the Port Charlotte Heavily Peated. Better taste and better value. Ralfy - tell it like it is mate. We get you opinion before spending our hard earned.
PCHP isn't as good as the Ardbegs from 2019 and earlier in my opinion. Not bought one after 2019 so can't commrnt on how it stacks u against the PCHP now.
I feel, after watching this excellent review, that after all gas crisis and other economical-shit crisis, THERE R COMING VERY, VERY SAD TIMES for true Whisky-fans and lovers... Let's hope, it will take just an year or some few months! DUM SPIRO, SPERO!!!!!! THANK YOU, RALFY, FOR THE HONEST ANALYZE OF THE ACTUAL SITUATION IN WHISKY WORLD!!!
Not long back from a week on Islay, second year in a row. Entirely agree with ralfy’s comments here. Nearly every distillery felt like a sell out to commercial marketing with nothing special on offer beyond standard offerings I can get cheaper from supermarkets and Amazon. Islay whisky is what brings me back, not funky imagery (Ardcore), luxury brand alignment (Bowmore and Aston Martin) and high volume young and NAS expressions. Locals I spoke to expressed dismay at many of this years Feis Ile bottling’s being nothing special and bottled in non-exclusive volumes. The luxury and quality of single malt whisky comes from the cask. Not some creative in a city office selling me brand imagery. Is it possible to kill a brand through over exploitation …?
Hard to argue with you Ralfy, on a recent visit to Islay, sipping on the latest Ardcore Committee Release I just burst out laughing, it was the damp squib of the entire wonderful week!
I suppose I'm lucky in a way, I recently bought a bottle of Ardbeg 10 an thought it was really good but like you say Ralfy I haven't got a point of reference to compare it to so I haven't experienced the decline in quality!
Hello Ralfy! Your videos are a treasure for everyone that loves whisky. May God give you strength to continue! I believe that Port Charlotte 10 is a better choice than the Ardbeg at this time.
Great stuff Ralfy. Monologue could have gone on longer. Irish whiskey even worse. Gold Spot by Mitchell and Sons 9 year old, 128 euro. Ardbeg are the tip of the iceberg.
Indeed.€128 for a new release 9 yo pot still. Disgraceful. And worse..€475 for a Yellow spot special edition single cask 12 or 13yo. The reality check will come very soon.
I"m a Mendacious Malty-media Millionaire! 😀 Although I don't think I'd buy that cask even if I had the money, I have a dram here and I'm just going to go ahead and give my opinion of the nose (because it's too expensive to drink). Whiff...I'm picking up notes of snake oil, flim-flam, dog and pony, and... a hint of humbug.
That was Ardcore, Ralfy, not Ardbog. The pantomime. I own an Ardbog from the 2013 Feis Ile and will put it up for sale for my grandson's wedding. He is one year old now.
Thanks, Ralfy. Sad, that after Glendronach Ardbeg also seems to be going downward. I personally had experienced a disaster with a fresh bottle of the Lagavulin 16 of late... could you talk about Japanese whisky, Kavalan and also Rye whiskies sometime? That`s where I am looking lately.
There is plenty of Islay out there. There is Kilchoman, Port Charlotte. And there is peated whisky outside of Islay too. Ardbeg don't have a monopoly over this.
It hurts a great deal to see what is happening especially when you are a veteran in the industry with passion for the whisky Ralfy. We can all take comfort in the fact that there are plenty of quality options and new distilleries always coming up. No need to mortgage your home or to jeopardize life's belongings to chase and buy the "hyped" products from whoever the distillery is. No way!
That is exactly what I am worrying about : the big hype. For many years , Ardbeg in is recognized as stablely cheap, good and unique in Taiwan- the second largest scotch single malt whisky market in the world. But in the past few years Ardbeg in China doubled the retailing price suddenly to everyone’s surprise. I believe some people is operating this and for sure it will affect the market price of Ardbeg whiskey in Taiwan and everywhere.After I saw this crazy-cask-news , I believe more. As we can see , people in Asia are crazily buying more than 20yo and cask strength rare whiskies for their investments which raised greatly the price and we know Ardbeg is a distinguished distillery with relatively low productivity, which makes it a good hypeing target.(?) Maybe this news is a hint, and all I can do is to buy enough Ardbeg core range stuff to put in my warehouse that is enough for me to drink till I die.(price is ok so far actually) In Asia, Rolex is not watch, it’s a kind of currency, and whisky as well. Cheers to this crazy world~
Spot on Ralfy My last Ardbeg 10 was lacking mouthfeel and something else that I can't quite put my finger on - but it is not the same -it is lacking-It's like saying a RC 116 and a Supercub are both Honda 50s so just buy it and shut up. Islay lost to Mull a couple of years ago in my estimation -and stash- (although PC10 is showing distinct promise) and although it has lost a bit we are talking acceptable batch variation. I have noticed other brands with Gucci-fied adverts that give a cocktail recipe to "best enjoy our whisky" when I see that on a £100+ bottling it raises two alarm bells in my head, firstly what is the quality like that they have to recommend it as a cocktail mixer, and secondly it makes it clear to me they are not interested in the informed whisky drinker but rather what I call the "visible consumer" - who wants to be seen drinking a brand for the sake of being seen drinking the brand.
Marketing wankery is like rust on a car. If you don't keep on top of it and reign it in as soon as it pops up, it starts taking over the entire thing and you find yourself having to cut out and replace entire sections; and if you really let it run rampant, before long you'll find that the bottom falls out and the entire thing's a write-off.
Let alone 10 yo, but the downhill of Uigeadail and Corryvreckan is a very interesting topic. Inspired by Serge, I once went on a quest to find pre-2014 Uggies and Corries. I found a few 2013 Uggies and 2012 Corries. When I put them side by side with the same versions from around 2020, I could not believe they're the same whiskies. I guess it would be a good topic for your extras Ralfy, to do the comparison like that. Just sayin' :P
Yes, you are right. Batches from 2018/2019/2020 was some sort of dissapointments. But i see improvement, i have now a 02.2022 bottle and i think is almoast on par with older batches. I need to stock on this 2022 bottles. The juice inside is again fantastic. Cheers!!!
We come for your passion, Ralfy. Keep it up! Ardbeg got me into whisky about a year ago. Sad to hear I missed their peak and that things are deteriorating. Have not even gotten around to buying the Ugi yet! Is it too late for an Ugi now in 2022?
Ardbeg site - "Majestic aromas of smoked cream and earthy bonfires are masterfully interwoven with layers of pine and fragrant candle wax. Hot pepper rises on the palate, twisting around lemon sherbet sweetness, while hints of carbolic soap and tar flow into a long aftertaste characterised by delicate aniseed entwined with lingering cream and fudge." sounds like my mum describing my artwork to a friend...... when i was six.
As a relative newbie on the whisky journey this is very interesting and candid, so I thank you for your valued perspective. I’ve not tried Ardbeg so can’t comment but I have had some real crackers from another Islay distillery namely Bruichladdich such as Classic Laddie, 12yo, Port Charlotte 10 etc. Disappointing to hear this about Ardbeg. The fat cats must get their cream though!!!
I've said it before and I'll say it again. God bless ye Ralfy!! Where would we be without ye? Out of pocket and drinking Lillian Gish!! I'm not alone in working long and hard to have spare cash to spend on a nice bottle now and then. Give it to them tight Ralfy, spivs and wretches every last Man Jack of them.
Ralfy spitting fire as always... Of the distilleries on Scotland I've visited, Ardbeg definitely felt the most American. While I appreciated the effort at the time, I think these are great points to consider about the hidden costs (re: quality) on marketing
Some people have more money than common sense. After Fermutation I stopped buying the Ardbeg Committee Releases as it seems the marketing department is now running the show. For now I’ll stick with the core range.
"There are some things money can't buy; for everything else, there's Ralfy's opinion from his bothy". Certainly saved my hard earned pennies from being wasted on Ardbeg. Thank you for such an honest opinion Ralfy - one I fully agree with you on.
By the way, I bought Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14, Glen Scotia 15 and Glencadam 15 after your reviews. These are now in my top five. I guess I have to be very careful with Ardbeg Corryvreckans. What I have drunken from that was very good. Also have a complete serie of NAS, but I have bought that long before the complaints. I even have a prior style label Corryvreckan. Stay closed, apparently.
Thank you for the warning before watching this refreshingly different whisky review. My dram of choice was between an Ardbeg Uigeadail and a Laphroaig Lore, both purchased in 2019. The Lore was already open so I went with that. All's well in the Log Cabin with the AC on. Yes, it hot here. I see that it's only around 18C where you are. Does it always stay fairly cool there in the Summer?
Thanks Ralfy! The moment I saw Ardbeg at Costco a few years ago, I instantly pulled back. I have no proof that it's related, but I'm willing to go with my gut.
I trust what you say Ralfy always unless my personal experience tells me otherwise! I did get the chance to taste the Ardbeg Fermutation and I have to say that it was amazing. That might be the last great whisky they put out at a decent price lol. We shall see
I am a young scotch aficionado in comparison to most, 51 years old, but only started appreciating whisky 4 yrs ago. There is so much to learn. But, the one thing, the most important thing I have learned is how much does the distillery/parent company care about the health of the cask that the whiskey is aged, be it Bourbon, Rye, Scotch, or Irish. And more and more, I see what might be considered 'craft' distilleries (like in the States), are taking the time and spending the money to prepare and to procure casks that are worth the cost. It hurts my heart when I drink standards, like Laphroaig 10 or Ardbeg 10, and the spirit is just not the same. Corners are being cut, and it shows (thankfully not as much in the cask str versions). We, as consumers, must be more discerning with our purchases and maybe a little less forthcoming with our recommendations. Which is disappointing. Sharing scotch recommendations is fun, and sharing a bottle with friends is more fun.
Fire and brimstone!!!! Thanks for the eye opener. I like Ardbeg but I do notice the decline. Do you have have any thought on Ardbeg or any other brand that has fallen off that has been bottled by an independent bottler? I.e Gordon & MacPhail, Douglas Laing
It is the same thing that happened to wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux Ralfy. These appelations have become the favorites of the new Chinese millionaires. The demand exceeded the supply; thus, making these once great wines into the most mediocre of the vat. I remember buying Chateau Pichon ay 65$ in the 90s. It was art. I recently bought one at 150$ and fell like a total idiot. Money does not necesarily translate into quality, but they are quaffing these expensive mediocre wines as a symbol of status. Thank you so much for your integrity Ralfy. We need it more than ever.
I spent a week on Islay 3 year's ago, visited every Distillery, except Bowmore because I got ripped off with a bottle I bought in Moffat, the 3 Ardbeg's I bought were the last I bought (£2500.00 that visit) I was so sickened with what I saw on site, made me realise; as early in my Whisky Journey I was; I wasn't important (the Customer) to Ardbeg so much as their BS marketing and way they conducted themselves.
I remember a time when I tried brands of aftershave lotions to put on in the morning, but every time my wife said "that doesn't go with your metabolism". Wondering what would really go with my metabolism I arrived at Ardbeg 10 which I would put a small drop of on my neck on a regular basis. I suspect that's what gave Louis Vuitton the idea of investing...
Thank you very much for this superb comment and rant about Ardbeg. It is a shame how LVHM and the marketing is behaving and what they are doing with the Ardbeg brand. I am really sad and I took the decision to stop buying the Committee and special releases from now on. I really admired Ardbeg for its quality, integrity and their history, but my love affair with Ardbeg come to an end. Let's hope that Ardbeg will come up with better whisky in the future and that they will stop their bullshit marketing. Long may king Ralfy rule. Cheers from Germany
Dear Ralfy! I DO find this refreshingly different! I was wondering about your opinion on that cask. No one could have said it any better than you. Thank you. Lucky me I've enough stuff from yesteryear in my stache...
Sounds like you need to box a couple of Ardbeg ears. I used to like the 10yr and uigeadail, but I find myself searching alternatives, Kilchomen and Bunnahabain, less money interesting flavors.
I have enjoyed Ardbeg over the years. A bottle of 1990 bottled in 2008 was my introduction, and I enjoyed it. I sometimes order Ardbeg 10 in a bar. The bottles there are a few years old, and they are still good. I'll have to see what happens after the older ones run out and new ones come in. It sounds like I'll be disappointed. Big corporations and their insidious marketing departments seem to ruin everything they touch. I hope the smaller producers that are doing good work remain independent of this scourge. As the years go on, the whisky industry in Scotland may start to face some serious competition from elsewhere in the world. Youthful but good quality single malts have appeared in many countries over the last decade or so. Imagine what will happen after these upstarts accumulate some older stock and gain some experience. We might find great malt whisky coming from unexpected places. If the big brands in Scotland continue to go downhill in quality, someone else will be looking to satisfy the experienced whisky drinkers.
Right on about the point of reference. Just starting out and I managed to get 1980-1990 JW Black Labels, we younglings don't have the privilege of a historical palette. Missing out on something we can pretty much never experience. (Unless we win the lottery.)
Thanks for speaking out so frankly, I couldn't agree more. It's one of the downsides of that huge whisky boom, that it attracts so many false and greedy people who are only after the quick money and probably don't give a damn about the product itself. But experience tells me these times won't last forever. What goes up must come down...
got some time ago the corryvreckan, very good dram, i would have loved to see more virgin oak in there, as im a fan of that but quite good, havent had a newer release yet and i wasnt motivated to do so, there are alot more interesting expressions out there
Question for Ardbeg fans? I’m newish to whisky - was never much of peat fan but had Ardbeg 8 For Discussion and loved it. Is this a typical representation of Ardbeg whisky taste profiles?
Yes, quite. I rather liked the sample i got, but i don’t like immature whiskys, so i did not buy a bottle. Would go well splitting one among friends over a cold winter day, tho.
To bad to hear The Ardbeg 10 was my favourite 10year. I have a finlaggan Batch strength 50% that I think is a young Ardbeg, this is very Cheap and good... Related to taxes, only around 30€£ BenRiach and Deanston and Ledaig is on my radar lately, and I want to try the Breath of the Isles Adelphy and Highland Park 18.
Ralfy - Bang on mate. Myself and Malt Mates have had the same convos. Ardcore was straw that broke the camel's back. Not tomorrow but at a future time there will be a bonfire of the vanities for these marketing toss pots. Spreadsheets, growth forecasts and projections are all fine and dandy but they're predicated on mugging consumers. There's the rub. We are off. Keep it up Big Man
Great perspective given on an astronomical amount paid for a cask, which if I’m right is a blend of spirit originally maturing in two separate casks. So is this whisky finishing in the Sherry Butt since 2014 or the spirit in a multi-cask maturation? Hopefully, Ardbeg may listen to their community of customers and use the new found fortune to right the reported wrongs in their wood management protocols etc. I have fears that the Scotch whisky market, has already become a millionaires playground similar to the English Premiership, where a few elite distilleries or whiskies will be purchased which is then followed up be competitors forcing price hikes as well as inferior quality being sold for way over the valuation.
@@thewhiskybothy I totally foresee that as well. The higher the peaks, usually have a reflective trough. I hope the industry realise they are pricing themselves toward another burst bubble. High mark ups ain’t good. All it takes is for a better quality product from another source (England, Wales, Canada, India or Rum) to then come in at affordable accurate pricing.
Wow Ithought I was the only one who noticed that WEE Beastie had changed in taste and quality in my last two bottles, such that I chose a different bottle ARRAN last weekend and it was nice..
Nailed it. LVMH are purporters of ultra high margin lifestyle products. It's not about the product, it's about the label and the superficial lifestyle image that certain individuals want to be associated with. Thanks for blowing this crock of shite out the water Ralfy.
Honestly I've gone cold turkey on Ardbeg, after the NFT garbage I want nothing to do with them. I'll happily finish the bottle of 10 year and Uigeadail I have on hand, but no more. Several of my friends have done the same. I'd rather spend slightly more and get Bruichladdich/Port Charlotte.
I fell into ardbeg after going there for feis Ile. Loved the place and the whisky. I’m not a huge peat lover. I found a dark cove online and great deals on the twenty something’s. Then I started buying the limited releases, prices climbed, results were mixed. So I just stopped buying ardbeg all-together. As Ralfy says, “good luck to them.”
$16m divided by 88 bottles = $18 18 18.18 on my calculator per bottle. In China, 18 is a very lucky number: "In China the number 18 is considered a very auspicious number. It is associated with someone who is going to have great success and prosper! " Smacks of marketing bullshit. Well said, Ralfy!
ralfiy I have washed my hands with all the distilleries and make my own. Its not that hard. A good recipe, quality grains and malts, A experience in distilling and good timber. F the big distilleries and high government taxes.
I don't think I can get this much originality and integrity from any other whisky channel. I am hands down a lover of less speak and more show and the only way good distilleries show are in the quality of their product instead of doing stunts like these.
Huge Respect to Ralfy!
I'm actually relatively new into scotch whisky, but the way this Ardbeg ridiculous circus is going, with their super "rare" committee bottles, and the way online reviewers are holding them up into heavens, I'm really glad that I'm keeping myself distant from all that. I'm going to my trusted online review, such as Ralfy, to get well formed, articulated, independent and honest oppinion.
😊👍
Well I for one am Voting with my wallet ..
thank you Ardbeg and Lagavulin for showing
us new paths to take, and to find our passion and
enjoyment elsewhere .. there is always something
new and exciting elsewhere .. and new adventures
can really show us some beautiful experiences ..
thanks for telling it like it is Ralf! ..
Slángè frae Montreal
Brilliant and accurate rant Ralfy, love you for your honesty and calling it out!
After the NFT nonsense and seeing the 25 year old priced at a ridiculous £817 a bottle (not that I'm in the market for that kind of thing), it just feels like they're now asking themselves "How much can we charge for a bottle of whisky?" rather than "What is the value of the whisky in the bottle?" and that Ardbeg has become a brand not a whisky. It just puts me right off buying future bottles of Ardbeg.
I love your forwardness and opinions! Keep up educating us Ralfy. You are the BEST!
You are one of the few people out there that tell it as it is. Thank you it’s refreshing .
Distillers will be rooting around for any old casks lying about the joint that can be sold off at a stupid price.
Top class video here ralfy, good to see a great passion here about the topic.
The greatest liquid I’ve ever drank was a bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail from about 5 years ago. It was perfect in almost every way, it was “thick” in feel, smoky, sweet, savory with a hint of tartness to finish it all off.
It sucks to think I may never have it’s equal ever again 😞
Hi mate. I have a 02.2022 batch of Uigeadail and is on par with batches of 5 or 6 years ago. Is funky, oily, damp, dark peat, is thick that you can allmost chew on it, its fantastic. I need to stock some bottles on this batch. Not gonna lie, the 2018/2019/2020 bottles was sort of dissapointments.
@@sorinsrn5442 Thats good to hear, I bought an Oogie this year as not had one in a while. Will finish my Port Charlotte first before opening it.
@@shugaroony port charlotte 10 is one of my favorite peated single malts in my bar, solid stuff and crazy good in the 10/12 years old peated single malts.
@@sorinsrn5442 get you some Ledaig 10 and compare blind, the results may surprise you.
@@gregb8824 is better then Ardbeg 10? You tried them side by side? I didnt try it yet, i will give it a go.
My reaction when I saw this in the news:
Nope, I just don't get it, never will. I have a bottle (opened and appreciated) of Ardbeg 1975, which in all likelihood could be from the same original spirit, and which could have aged in the same set of casks up until 1999, when it was bottled, as this, which was kept and later transferred to undoubtedly a good sherry cask. OK, so I get the economics/maths behind buying a cask at £16m and then bottling 440 bottles and selling them at over £36,000 a shot. However, is anyone who actually buys a bottle ever going to open it, and if they do, appreciate it £35,940 worth more than I appreciate my little £60 1975 Ardbeg. If they open it, they're mad, if they don't they're mad, if they buy it they're mad. I just don't get it. Slàinte!
I’ve really come to appreciate your extras vlogs. Where once I would seek out your videos to look up a particular Whiskey, or find one worth hunting, I now look to them for insight on how to recognize where brands, and the industry are headed. I have come to believe that disappointments like these Ardbeg bottlings are happening across the industry.
I first perceived this with Westland American single malt last year, and then noticed that later batches of Glen Scotia 15 weren’t spectacular anymore. I was shocked when I tried a 2021 bottling of Glen Scotia 18, and found it without detectable distillery character, and finished in an awful seasoned sherry cask. It was almost like Loch Lomond had begun to place its wet cardboard and dog kibble character on its acquisition. This was just before you panned a Glen Scotia seasonal release.
Since then, I’ve tasted both batch variation, and the pushing of poor cask inventory in other distillery brands.
Bruichladdich, The very embodiment of integrity, has disappointed as well. The Port Charlotte 10 2018 bottling was of exceptional quality, and my favorite peat smoke flavor profile, but had been rather two dimensional. However, 2020/early 2021 bottlings had a portion of red wine maturation casks that made it a 90+ malt. But a later 2021 bottling proved to be a complete collapse. Anemic smoke, almost undetectable red wine, and an unbalanced grassy bitter note. A strikingly similar diminution to that of Westland.
My latest purchase was your 2021 whiskey of the year, and the overall winner of the 1st annual OSWAs. The early 2022 Listerine bottling of Arran 10, with the recycled brown grocery bag label, paled at first, to the 2018 lemon-zest bottling I enjoyed last year, and even more so, to the first Arran Master of Distilling release. After a week of sampling and continuous open-bottle oxidation, and a few drops of water, I was finally able to coax out a ghost of that once dominant zesty note, and a nice barley sweet-spicyness emerged from behind a grassy, dog-biscuity bitterness either absent, or subtly in the background before. This was far more work to salvage a supposedly easy, accessible malt than your Balblair ‘time in the glass’ vignette. What resulted with all that effort was comparable with my experience with Craigellachie 13, back when it was $40. The old Arran 10 was also $40 in early 2020, but this new release was $55. Thus I paid 37% more to then fuss with it for an entire week.
I’m starting to see connectedness in what’s happening across this industry. Billy Walker fluffing up Glendronach, then the new owners chill filtering it. The old owners of Glen Scotia puffing up its inventory, the new owners releasing spectacular batches and winning awards, then pushing out mediocre and poor stocks ahead of the looming end of the boom/inflationary cycle. It all seems to confirm what you have been saying in your extras.
I wonder what will happen, as these pessimistic trends are accompanied by optimistic ventures, with numerous new distilleries opening, or coming into maturity, and behemoth Diageo responding so late to the boom, by bringing back several mothballed distilleries.
Whatever the forecast, I shall vote with my feet and not purchase from brands that treat their customers with indifference. Ledaig 10 has not disappointed, and it is $45 here! (I hope that lasts.) Edradour’s peated Ballechin 10 was interesting, and quickly responded to oxidation. A 15 year CS version is on my list. As is Port Askaig. I’ll continue to seek independent bottlings, perhaps even an Arran.
I love your insight Ralfy into the tricks of Marketing rubbish.
A friend and I visited Islay in between the lockdowns in 2020. Only three distillery tours were open, the two new excellent distilleries and Lagavulin. We purchase two bottles of 20 year old Feis ile 2020 bottle numbers 5309 and 5382 from the later for £90 each. The last time I looked at their value last year was £500 each! If anybody had a better reason to visit such a distillery like this then do so because you can purchase bottles only at the distillery, and its limited.
Great idea. I love Islay - no better place to visit in the UK. And it now has nine distillery's.
Keep up the great work Falfy, but please look into the sub titles on this 936 extras video as they are far from the correct spelling.
Regards
John Herbert
It breaks my heart, but I really have to agree with you. I’ve been drinking scotch now for over 30 years and I’ve been increasingly disappointed lately with what I used to think of as bottles I could count on. Thank you for speaking out for all of us.
Ralfy, you are 100% correct!! Here in the USA the most recent Ardcore is sitting on the shelf at $300 a bottle. I really am disappointed in Ardbeg, they were so wonderful in days past. Ardnamurchan is going to get my loyalty from now on, a truly Exciting, Great Value whisky worthy of our attention! Thanks buddy for another great program
I tried the Ardcore blind a couple of months ago now when I went to collect a bottle of Kilkerran HP #6 (I was handed it with a "what do you think of this?"). Without knowing what it was, I thought it was quite pleasant, and at £45 or so I'd have taken a bottle for some summer dramming. I ended up walking out without picking anything else up other than what I went in for. RRP was more than double what I felt the contents of the bottle were worth, which I felt was quite disgraceful. $300 (~£250) your side of the pond is a complete sham. Also, putting out 2 bottles of the same juice, one at 50.1% and another watered down to 46%, with the same name AND PRICE (!!!) is a joke as well.
Had a wee dram earlier this afternoon actually. Not a peaty one, it was one I aged myself actually. Last year a friend of mine dropped off some homemade new make, and instead of going straight to aging it in toasted oak, I first steeped the wood in Imperial IPA beer as an experiment. He told me his favorite IPA, and I steeped it in that. After a couple or so weeks of that, then used that wood to age the homemade new make for 3 months. Just tasted it today. The bitterness came through nicely but not overpowering. I’m not into IPA beer so I’m not sure what to think, other than if you like IPAs, you’ll likely have liked this. So I gave the bottle to my friend since he gave me the new make no cost to begin with. So while it wasn’t peaty, it was pretty strong, just in a different way.
Speculation destroys all industries, and the products & services they render. Just like the Ardbeg whiskey itself in that cask might have been average at best, those LV handbags are likely of a lower quality made from cheap materials and, frankly, overseas slave labor. Like Phil Knight had an epiphany many years ago, corporations realized customers aren’t buying the product; they’re buying the brand. That’s the only thing that matters, and it’s very unfortunate for the rest of us who just want a well-made product or well-rendered service at a good price. The mainstream media is all too happy to help, as Ralfy pointed out. Gaslighting is the perfect term for it.
Several episodes ago, Ralfy pointed out there’s a difference between a customer and a consumer. I _think_ I now know: the customer buys the product, the consumer buys the brand. Perhaps that’s it.
Speaking of (a plummeting decrease in) quality, I was in the liquor store today, saw a GlenDronach 12. Unlike in the past, I _did not_ see the term “non chill filtered” on the box. I've seen it before, so I looked over this one pretty good. It was also $6 more expensive. It's now upon us, folks. RIP GlenDronach.
We just concluded our scotch tour. Our favorite distillery was Balvenie. 3 hour long tour. Very genuine people and really made me a new fan with their history and quality of scotch. I used to be an Ardbeg fan but this pushed me over.
Only tried the Balvenie, think it was the triple cask and it was below average. Not impressed so never went back to try more.
@@jbennison5672 like all distilleries, there are good and bad casks. I would recommend you try the balvenie french oak 16, Portwood 21 and if you are up for a good marriage, try the Portwood 25. All smoothe finishes with varying experiences.
I just dont like that you have to sell a limb to get integrity bottlings of Balvenie though. Nearly 120 AUD these days for the 12yo @ 40%?
That's a pass from me.
@@TasmaniaIsAHole Triple cask at 40% is £90 here in China. Yes it's 16 YO, but how good are those casks? From my experience, not very good.
@@thomaswalton4262 Portwood 21 is 40% and £300 here. No way am I spending that if they can't even be bothered to bottle at 46%. For me the ABV speaks volumes (pun intended) about their commitment to producing quality whisky. I'd rather buy 6 or 7 bottles of my favourite 12/13 year olds.
Wish I had seen it before I bought a bottle of Corryvreckan, have been pretty disappointed with that one. Thank you Ralfy for saving me from future pain. Loving the Laphroaig 10 year cask strength though. All is not lost in Islay.
Thank you Ralfy for this refreshing look on the Ardbeg bullshit marketing machine and their mediocre maltcrap these days. They should be ashamed on themselves for cheating! No Ardbeg for me (anymore).
I totally agree with you. Ardbeg lost me for good as well
Thanks for sharing your opinion. In our newspaper they said, the money is a blessing for Islay. But i think, it will only make Bernard Arnault 16 millions richer.l
way to go Ralfy, the truth well spoken, how to dismantle an entire marketing dept in 15 mins, love your in-depth analysis and thoughts from the taste buds.
Tell it the way it is Ralfy, you are a breath of fresh air Thanks for your opinion 👍
I knew this video was coming and I've been eagerly waiting since the moment I read the article. 😆🍿
Being my favorite distillery and imbibing quite a few wee tipples over the years, tend to agree the 5 yr Beastie and the standard 10 yr have deteriorated- I’ve gotta say, the Uigeadail has stayed fairly consistent (and great)…BTW totally agree a £16m cask is reedick
Ardbeg was my favorite distillery for about three decades until recently - I do believe the quality declined some in the core range but mostly it was the constant marketing bs that put me increasingly off the brand with each annual release. My regular store put aside the Ardcore for me but I think I’ll probably pass as the final nails in the coffin are the shameful NFT scam and now this barrel sale. I get much more suspicious with all excessive marketing claims and I definitely don’t spend my money once those claims are proven false and pure hype. Way too much other worthwhile stuff for my cash!
. . . the 'fake' marketing is pissing off the faithful big time.
@@thewhiskybothy Indeed! Sadly, I’m done with Ardbeg after so many years.
Must agree entirely. One of my favourites but will not spend my money on it now
just opened a bottle of Ardbeg 10 from 2018.
Superb stuff!
It's gonna last me at least half a year.
At the same time I take a glance at my half a dozin bottles of Ledaig 10 I bought this January (thanks Ralfy}.
Life can be good even without Ardbeg...
yes ledaig 10 is great at the moment
It's the quintessential post-steak dram!
Thank you Ralphy, THANK YOU!
ralfy - a man of dignity - I raise my glass of Lidl malt to you
I've been waiting for this review! Well said, as always! Many distilleries have changed their 'path' I think. They have a good reputation, good name, for their old whiskies and now their getting more into marketing than investing into quality. They are trying to get more people that they are not whisky drinkers or just started (which is a good thing) and make them pay a lot of money for a cheap product without even giving an 'age statement'. Many Macallan (and not only) NAS bottles are selling way more expensive than Age Atatement bottles and this is because of the marketing. I believe that this will be a boomerang to those distilleries at some point though. Now days people investigate more when they like something and thanks to people like you we can learn A Lot! Always geat to watch your videos and value your opinion! Many thanks! 👍
Wow Ralfy, that was fantastic. I,m fortunate enough to allow myself a budget of £25 a month, to be able buy good spirits. As it stands now i,m getting 2 good bottles a year. For the past 18 months i have been considering, abandoning the scotch market altogether, and going for good bourbons. It breaks my heart, but i feel i,m being mugged off too much by these profit driven, kiss me arse, shallow companies. Keep up the good work Ralfy, oh and by the way, you seem like a different man, since you,ve had them cats. Cheers.
Berry Bros, blended Islay whisky. Around £35 a bottle. This is the way that we budget drammers need to go Quality whisky and affordable. Also Thompson Brothers SRV5, 8 year old blend £35 and a cracking dram with a wee bit smoke
The Uigedail once convinced a friend of mine to get into whisky. After Ardcore we're both done with Ardbeg. Only standard bottlings for now. If they don't drop in quality as well.
I substitue-bought last and this years Laphroaig Cairdeas instead, and dang, last years i already opened and love it.
Good, honest commentary. Well done Ralfy. Rare luxury goods are increasingly used as money laundering tools - easier to hide the source of funds. Something to keep in mind. Likely nothing to do with the whiskey at all.
The Wee Beastie can be seriously weak tasting, I don't know how it is possible with its ABV. Young peat works great with Caol Isla, the Port Askaig releases dumpster Ardbeg's 5 and 10yos at the moment.
yup, port askaig 100 proof is great and well priced
Wee Beastie seems to suffer highly with batch variation. The first bottle I had was seriously great value compared to the 10.
The second seemed dull and lifeless by comparison, so I used to to cure a side of bacon. Cheaper than the normal Laphroaig would use - which incidentally is another brand that needs to take a hard look at themselves.
@@discordia013 I thought it might have been a bait and switch--putting out undisclosed higher vintage to draw people in--but with such short timeframes involved I do think it's just incompetence as you describe.
Dear Ralfy, You have guided me so well on my "Journey" since I started recently in 2019 but your Glenallachie 12yr whisky of the year has to be one of the most fortunate finds for me. Since that first bottle I've traced some quality drams as I followed you. There's a constant chorus of the decline of distilleries most notable for me is Glendronach to have seen it first hand is still shocking but true for me. Now Ardbeg.....? My go to dram from Ardbeg is Corryvreckan. I have a few bottles with a date of 2020 on them. The one I've got down to middle of the bottle is still a fabulous treat for me! Is that my ignorance? if so, I guess it is bliss cause I will never know what I missed. I understand the outrage at all the garbage being put out by the Marketing Dept. But am I to believe that Corryvreckan is BAD? I've shipped around and never paid more than $82 for it and still have 2 bottles unopened I think it is fabulous stuff....Please correct me if I'm wrong. For $82 I feel I've done quite well not having a time machine or the ability to obtain past Corryvreckans. Please, I look forward to any help in my viewpoint.
I still have had no reply concerning Ardbeg Corryvreckan. I just got 2 bottles at 78€ and as much as I can agree with the huge chorus of "they're going to a bad place," I would really appreciate someone telling me that Corryvreckan is not worth the price I've been paying.
Whatever Ardbeg is doing, and I do get a real blast out of the graphic novel "Planet Ardbeg"... what a hoot, I really want some feedback on Corryvreckan. There are many places that have it way overpriced near $120 a bottle. There are also many places that have Corryvreckan at well under $100 a bottle and I've collected 4 bottles that remain unopened.
Please talk to me about Corryvreckan.
Ardbeg 25 Years sold out in 2 hours on MOM today at £807 a bottle . An ever increasing percentage of Whisky’s are purchased by speculative buyers with no interest in what’s in the bottle. The soul purpose of the purchase is to mothball it and cash it in at a later date. As always thanks for your efforts Ralphy . The OSWA’s was a remarkable achievement . It’s only going to be through platforms such as yours that the knowledge will be shared of affordable, enjoyable integrity whisky and also to let us know when distillery’s are beginning to take advantage of their loyalty fan base. Slainte Ralphy 🥃
Yep - we live in New Zealand and good scotch is 2 arms and a leg. The missus and I stopped drinking the Ardbeg 10, 3 years ago. Our standard dram is now the Port Charlotte Heavily Peated. Better taste and better value.
Ralfy - tell it like it is mate. We get you opinion before spending our hard earned.
PCHP isn't as good as the Ardbegs from 2019 and earlier in my opinion. Not bought one after 2019 so can't commrnt on how it stacks u against the PCHP now.
Isn't the stuff in that cask pish anyway? There was a reason Ardbeg was closed down in '81.
I feel, after watching this excellent review, that after all gas crisis and other economical-shit crisis, THERE R COMING VERY, VERY SAD TIMES for true Whisky-fans and lovers... Let's hope, it will take just an year or some few months! DUM SPIRO, SPERO!!!!!! THANK YOU, RALFY, FOR THE HONEST ANALYZE OF THE ACTUAL SITUATION IN WHISKY WORLD!!!
Not long back from a week on Islay, second year in a row.
Entirely agree with ralfy’s comments here. Nearly every distillery felt like a sell out to commercial marketing with nothing special on offer beyond standard offerings I can get cheaper from supermarkets and Amazon.
Islay whisky is what brings me back, not funky imagery (Ardcore), luxury brand alignment (Bowmore and Aston Martin) and high volume young and NAS expressions. Locals I spoke to expressed dismay at many of this years Feis Ile bottling’s being nothing special and bottled in non-exclusive volumes.
The luxury and quality of single malt whisky comes from the cask. Not some creative in a city office selling me brand imagery.
Is it possible to kill a brand through over exploitation …?
Hard to argue with you Ralfy, on a recent visit to Islay, sipping on the latest Ardcore Committee Release I just burst out laughing, it was the damp squib of the entire wonderful week!
I suppose I'm lucky in a way, I recently bought a bottle of Ardbeg 10 an thought it was really good but like you say Ralfy I haven't got a point of reference to compare it to so I haven't experienced the decline in quality!
Ardbeg 10 2021 have quite good reputation in our Ardbeg fan group actually.
Hello Ralfy! Your videos are a treasure for everyone that loves whisky. May God give you strength to continue!
I believe that Port Charlotte 10 is a better choice than the Ardbeg at this time.
Great stuff Ralfy. Monologue could have gone on longer. Irish whiskey even worse. Gold Spot by Mitchell and Sons 9 year old, 128 euro. Ardbeg are the tip of the iceberg.
Indeed.€128 for a new release 9 yo pot still. Disgraceful. And worse..€475 for a Yellow spot special edition single cask 12 or 13yo. The reality check will come very soon.
Noticed Yellow Spot dropping off as well. Very expensive for the quality.
I"m a Mendacious Malty-media Millionaire! 😀 Although I don't think I'd buy that cask even if I had the money, I have a dram here and I'm just going to go ahead and give my opinion of the nose (because it's too expensive to drink). Whiff...I'm picking up notes of snake oil, flim-flam, dog and pony, and... a hint of humbug.
That was Ardcore, Ralfy, not Ardbog. The pantomime. I own an Ardbog from the 2013 Feis Ile and will put it up for sale for my grandson's wedding. He is one year old now.
Thanks, Ralfy. Sad, that after Glendronach Ardbeg also seems to be going downward. I personally had experienced a disaster with a fresh bottle of the Lagavulin 16 of late... could you talk about Japanese whisky, Kavalan and also Rye whiskies sometime? That`s where I am looking lately.
There is plenty of Islay out there. There is Kilchoman, Port Charlotte. And there is peated whisky outside of Islay too. Ardbeg don't have a monopoly over this.
Kilchoman and port charlotte are so much better than ardbeg these days.
It hurts a great deal to see what is happening especially when you are a veteran in the industry with passion for the whisky Ralfy. We can all take comfort in the fact that there are plenty of quality options and new distilleries always coming up. No need to mortgage your home or to jeopardize life's belongings to chase and buy the "hyped" products from whoever the distillery is. No way!
Very well said Ralfy! Thanks!
That is exactly what I am worrying about : the big hype.
For many years , Ardbeg in is recognized as stablely cheap, good and unique in Taiwan- the second largest scotch single malt whisky market in the world. But in the past few years Ardbeg in China doubled the retailing price suddenly to everyone’s surprise.
I believe some people is operating this and for sure it will affect the market price of Ardbeg whiskey in Taiwan and everywhere.After I saw this crazy-cask-news , I believe more.
As we can see , people in Asia are crazily buying more than 20yo and cask strength rare whiskies for their investments which raised greatly the price and we know Ardbeg is a distinguished distillery with relatively low productivity, which makes it a good hypeing target.(?)
Maybe this news is a hint, and all I can do is to buy enough Ardbeg core range stuff to put in my warehouse that is enough for me to drink till I die.(price is ok so far actually) In Asia, Rolex is not watch, it’s a kind of currency, and whisky as well.
Cheers to this crazy world~
Spot on Ralfy My last Ardbeg 10 was lacking mouthfeel and something else that I can't quite put my finger on - but it is not the same -it is lacking-It's like saying a RC 116 and a Supercub are both Honda 50s so just buy it and shut up. Islay lost to Mull a couple of years ago in my estimation -and stash- (although PC10 is showing distinct promise) and although it has lost a bit we are talking acceptable batch variation. I have noticed other brands with Gucci-fied adverts that give a cocktail recipe to "best enjoy our whisky" when I see that on a £100+ bottling it raises two alarm bells in my head, firstly what is the quality like that they have to recommend it as a cocktail mixer, and secondly it makes it clear to me they are not interested in the informed whisky drinker but rather what I call the "visible consumer" - who wants to be seen drinking a brand for the sake of being seen drinking the brand.
Example: Glenmorangie "X"; label says "perfect for cocktails" ... not much further down to go than that 😕.
Marketing wankery is like rust on a car. If you don't keep on top of it and reign it in as soon as it pops up, it starts taking over the entire thing and you find yourself having to cut out and replace entire sections; and if you really let it run rampant, before long you'll find that the bottom falls out and the entire thing's a write-off.
Let alone 10 yo, but the downhill of Uigeadail and Corryvreckan is a very interesting topic. Inspired by Serge, I once went on a quest to find pre-2014 Uggies and Corries. I found a few 2013 Uggies and 2012 Corries. When I put them side by side with the same versions from around 2020, I could not believe they're the same whiskies. I guess it would be a good topic for your extras Ralfy, to do the comparison like that. Just sayin' :P
I enjoyed my bottle of Corry from 2019. The 2020 Uige was a disappointment though.
Yes, you are right. Batches from 2018/2019/2020 was some sort of dissapointments. But i see improvement, i have now a 02.2022 bottle and i think is almoast on par with older batches. I need to stock on this 2022 bottles. The juice inside is again fantastic. Cheers!!!
@@sorinsrn5442 you didn't say what 2022 bottle you have thou' 🤔
We come for your passion, Ralfy. Keep it up! Ardbeg got me into whisky about a year ago. Sad to hear I missed their peak and that things are deteriorating. Have not even gotten around to buying the Ugi yet! Is it too late for an Ugi now in 2022?
Many stores still stock old bottles. Thats the good news!
@@geo5291 Good advice, thank you.
I must find out how to identify an older bottle of Ugi then 👍
Ardbeg site - "Majestic aromas of smoked cream and earthy bonfires are masterfully interwoven with layers of pine and fragrant candle wax. Hot pepper rises on the palate, twisting around lemon sherbet sweetness, while hints of carbolic soap and tar flow into a long aftertaste characterised by delicate aniseed entwined with lingering cream and fudge."
sounds like my mum describing my artwork to a friend...... when i was six.
As a relative newbie on the whisky journey this is very interesting and candid, so I thank you for your valued perspective. I’ve not tried Ardbeg so can’t comment but I have had some real crackers from another Islay distillery namely Bruichladdich such as Classic Laddie, 12yo, Port Charlotte 10 etc. Disappointing to hear this about Ardbeg. The fat cats must get their cream though!!!
I've said it before and I'll say it again. God bless ye Ralfy!! Where would we be without ye? Out of pocket and drinking Lillian Gish!! I'm not alone in working long and hard to have spare cash to spend on a nice bottle now and then. Give it to them tight Ralfy, spivs and wretches every last Man Jack of them.
Ralfy spitting fire as always... Of the distilleries on Scotland I've visited, Ardbeg definitely felt the most American. While I appreciated the effort at the time, I think these are great points to consider about the hidden costs (re: quality) on marketing
Some people have more money than common sense. After Fermutation I stopped buying the Ardbeg Committee Releases as it seems the marketing department is now running the show. For now I’ll stick with the core range.
"There are some things money can't buy; for everything else, there's Ralfy's opinion from his bothy". Certainly saved my hard earned pennies from being wasted on Ardbeg. Thank you for such an honest opinion Ralfy - one I fully agree with you on.
By the way, I bought Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14, Glen Scotia 15 and Glencadam 15 after your reviews. These are now in my top five. I guess I have to be very careful with Ardbeg Corryvreckans. What I have drunken from that was very good. Also have a complete serie of NAS, but I have bought that long before the complaints. I even have a prior style label Corryvreckan. Stay closed, apparently.
GLENCADAM 15 WAS AWESOME. Even the 13, a but strange and unusual - but great with some focus and time in the glass.
Thank you for the warning before watching this refreshingly different whisky review. My dram of choice was between an Ardbeg Uigeadail and a Laphroaig Lore, both purchased in 2019. The Lore was already open so I went with that. All's well in the Log Cabin with the AC on. Yes, it hot here. I see that it's only around 18C where you are. Does it always stay fairly cool there in the Summer?
. . . yes, cool, bright, and breezy.
Bravo 👏 dear Ralfy! Grazie 🙏 ciao 👋 S.
Thanks Ralfy! The moment I saw Ardbeg at Costco a few years ago, I instantly pulled back. I have no proof that it's related, but I'm willing to go with my gut.
I trust what you say Ralfy always unless my personal experience tells me otherwise! I did get the chance to taste the Ardbeg Fermutation and I have to say that it was amazing. That might be the last great whisky they put out at a decent price lol. We shall see
I am a young scotch aficionado in comparison to most, 51 years old, but only started appreciating whisky 4 yrs ago. There is so much to learn. But, the one thing, the most important thing I have learned is how much does the distillery/parent company care about the health of the cask that the whiskey is aged, be it Bourbon, Rye, Scotch, or Irish. And more and more, I see what might be considered 'craft' distilleries (like in the States), are taking the time and spending the money to prepare and to procure casks that are worth the cost. It hurts my heart when I drink standards, like Laphroaig 10 or Ardbeg 10, and the spirit is just not the same. Corners are being cut, and it shows (thankfully not as much in the cask str versions). We, as consumers, must be more discerning with our purchases and maybe a little less forthcoming with our recommendations. Which is disappointing. Sharing scotch recommendations is fun, and sharing a bottle with friends is more fun.
Fire and brimstone!!!! Thanks for the eye opener. I like Ardbeg but I do notice the decline. Do you have have any thought on Ardbeg or any other brand that has fallen off that has been bottled by an independent bottler? I.e Gordon & MacPhail, Douglas Laing
It is the same thing that happened to wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux Ralfy.
These appelations have become the favorites of the new Chinese millionaires. The demand exceeded the supply; thus, making these once great wines into the most mediocre of the vat. I remember buying Chateau Pichon ay 65$ in the 90s. It was art. I recently bought one at 150$ and fell like a total idiot.
Money does not necesarily translate into quality, but they are quaffing these expensive mediocre wines as a symbol of status.
Thank you so much for your integrity Ralfy. We need it more than ever.
. . . very true.
I spent a week on Islay 3 year's ago, visited every Distillery, except Bowmore because I got ripped off with a bottle I bought in Moffat, the 3 Ardbeg's I bought were the last I bought (£2500.00 that visit) I was so sickened with what I saw on site, made me realise; as early in my Whisky Journey I was; I wasn't important (the Customer) to Ardbeg so much as their BS marketing and way they conducted themselves.
In my area of in USA Ardbeg Ardcores are languishing on shelves like I’ve never seen before for committee releases.
I remember a time when I tried brands of aftershave lotions to put on in the morning, but every time my wife said "that doesn't go with your metabolism". Wondering what would really go with my metabolism I arrived at Ardbeg 10 which I would put a small drop of on my neck on a regular basis. I suspect that's what gave Louis Vuitton the idea of investing...
I do this all the time btw. If I ever spill a bit, I throw it on my neck n face. I love it haha.
Thank you very much for this superb comment and rant about Ardbeg. It is a shame how LVHM and the marketing is behaving and what they are doing with the Ardbeg brand. I am really sad and I took the decision to stop buying the Committee and special releases from now on. I really admired Ardbeg for its quality, integrity and their history, but my love affair with Ardbeg come to an end. Let's hope that Ardbeg will come up with better whisky in the future and that they will stop their bullshit marketing.
Long may king Ralfy rule. Cheers from Germany
Canuck in Oz-Totally agree. That’s the problem when vacant fashionistas try their marketing techniques to a craft industry.
Dear Ralfy! I DO find this refreshingly different! I was wondering about your opinion on that cask. No one could have said it any better than you. Thank you. Lucky me I've enough stuff from yesteryear in my stache...
Sounds like you need to box a couple of Ardbeg ears.
I used to like the 10yr and uigeadail, but I find myself searching alternatives, Kilchomen and Bunnahabain, less money interesting flavors.
Thank you for being a real one, Ralfy! Great stuff!
I have enjoyed Ardbeg over the years. A bottle of 1990 bottled in 2008 was my introduction, and I enjoyed it. I sometimes order Ardbeg 10 in a bar. The bottles there are a few years old, and they are still good. I'll have to see what happens after the older ones run out and new ones come in. It sounds like I'll be disappointed. Big corporations and their insidious marketing departments seem to ruin everything they touch. I hope the smaller producers that are doing good work remain independent of this scourge.
As the years go on, the whisky industry in Scotland may start to face some serious competition from elsewhere in the world. Youthful but good quality single malts have appeared in many countries over the last decade or so. Imagine what will happen after these upstarts accumulate some older stock and gain some experience. We might find great malt whisky coming from unexpected places. If the big brands in Scotland continue to go downhill in quality, someone else will be looking to satisfy the experienced whisky drinkers.
Right on about the point of reference. Just starting out and I managed to get 1980-1990 JW Black Labels, we younglings don't have the privilege of a historical palette. Missing out on something we can pretty much never experience.
(Unless we win the lottery.)
Hi Ralfy, is always a ratio between age-smell/taste-and $$$, so make a graph age/$$$😍
AMEN!! .........thumbs up from the Netherlands!
Thanks for speaking out so frankly, I couldn't agree more. It's one of the downsides of that huge whisky boom, that it attracts so many false and greedy people who are only after the quick money and probably don't give a damn about the product itself. But experience tells me these times won't last forever. What goes up must come down...
Testament. Kreator. Nevermore.
got some time ago the corryvreckan, very good dram, i would have loved to see more virgin oak in there, as im a fan of that but quite good, havent had a newer release yet and i wasnt motivated to do so, there are alot more interesting expressions out there
Question for Ardbeg fans? I’m newish to whisky - was never much of peat fan but had Ardbeg 8 For Discussion and loved it. Is this a typical representation of Ardbeg whisky taste profiles?
Yes, quite. I rather liked the sample i got, but i don’t like immature whiskys, so i did not buy a bottle. Would go well splitting one among friends over a cold winter day, tho.
Thanks Ralfy D.S.M.S.W.
(Doctor of Single Malt Scotch Whisky) 😏
I was a big fan of Ardbeg,
WAS!!!!!.
To bad to hear The Ardbeg 10 was my favourite 10year. I have a finlaggan Batch strength 50% that I think is a young Ardbeg, this is very Cheap and good... Related to taxes, only around 30€£
BenRiach and Deanston and Ledaig is on my radar lately, and I want to try the Breath of the Isles Adelphy and Highland Park 18.
I have just recently gotten into Scotch after a long, long time away. I watch a lot of reviewers and I feel that Ralfy really lays it on the line.
Good on you Ralfy.. Appreciate your voice cutting through the nonsense & calling out the bullshit!
Ralfy - Bang on mate. Myself and Malt Mates have had the same convos. Ardcore was straw that broke the camel's back. Not tomorrow but at a future time there will be a bonfire of the vanities for these marketing toss pots. Spreadsheets, growth forecasts and projections are all fine and dandy but they're predicated on mugging consumers. There's the rub. We are off. Keep it up Big Man
Dear Ralfy, all my life I tried to stay away from FASHION as I could, so thanks for the warning, 🖖😎👍 ❗
Great perspective given on an astronomical amount paid for a cask, which if I’m right is a blend of spirit originally maturing in two separate casks.
So is this whisky finishing in the Sherry Butt since 2014 or the spirit in a multi-cask maturation?
Hopefully, Ardbeg may listen to their community of customers and use the new found fortune to right the reported wrongs in their wood management protocols etc.
I have fears that the Scotch whisky market, has already become a millionaires playground similar to the English Premiership, where a few elite distilleries or whiskies will be purchased which is then followed up be competitors forcing price hikes as well as inferior quality being sold for way over the valuation.
. . . there's worse to come !
@@thewhiskybothy I totally foresee that as well. The higher the peaks, usually have a reflective trough.
I hope the industry realise they are pricing themselves toward another burst bubble. High mark ups ain’t good.
All it takes is for a better quality product from another source (England, Wales, Canada, India or Rum) to then come in at affordable accurate pricing.
Dissapointed is the word ✅
-among others 😞
Wow Ithought I was the only one who noticed that WEE Beastie had changed in taste and quality in my last two bottles, such that I chose a different bottle ARRAN last weekend and it was nice..
Straight shooting as usual Mr M.
Nailed it. LVMH are purporters of ultra high margin lifestyle products. It's not about the product, it's about the label and the superficial lifestyle image that certain individuals want to be associated with. Thanks for blowing this crock of shite out the water Ralfy.
Honestly I've gone cold turkey on Ardbeg, after the NFT garbage I want nothing to do with them. I'll happily finish the bottle of 10 year and Uigeadail I have on hand, but no more. Several of my friends have done the same. I'd rather spend slightly more and get Bruichladdich/Port Charlotte.
I fell into ardbeg after going there for feis Ile. Loved the place and the whisky. I’m not a huge peat lover. I found a dark cove online and great deals on the twenty something’s. Then I started buying the limited releases, prices climbed, results were mixed. So I just stopped buying ardbeg all-together. As Ralfy says, “good luck to them.”
It's all down to the bean counters mate the bean counters destroy greatness for the cost of a penny.
$16m divided by 88 bottles = $18 18 18.18 on my calculator per bottle. In China, 18 is a very lucky number: "In China the number 18 is considered a very auspicious number. It is associated with someone who is going to have great success and prosper! " Smacks of marketing bullshit. Well said, Ralfy!
It's more than that, since it's £16M not $16M. xx
And what's left on Islay, whose quality and integrity presentation meets a good price (like Ardbeg 10)?
Bunnahabhain 12yo. An age statement, non-chill filtered, natural colour, above standard abv, decent price and superb smell and taste = integrity malt
ye, it's a shame ... marketing & hr departments have become such a sore in all these giant companies.
ralfiy I have washed my hands with all the distilleries and make my own. Its not that hard. A good recipe, quality grains and malts, A experience in distilling and good timber. F the big distilleries and high government taxes.