Ardbeg Fermutation

Ardbeg has been all over the place lately. And they surely have suffered a little backlash from some whisky connoisseurs here and there. One of their recent committee releases is this "Fermutation", a single malt that promises a nice backstory but it certainly makes me skeptic of what i am going to taste. Basically the story of this whisky goes like this; there was a broken boiler in 2007; as a result, distilling had to suddenly halt while the washbacks were full of fermenting wash, leaving the wash fermenting for 3 long weeks. (Usually it is between 56-72 hours in Ardbeg). That wash was later distilled and matured for 13 years, and bottled at 49.4%abv. That is how you get Ardbeg Fermutation. But, is it any good? On the nose, amazing terrible stuff. Noticeable notes of cotton socks, tennis balls, swamp and lemon. Plants, seaweed, sown land and rainforest. You get the idea by now. After a first sip, it became super yeasty. It smells like craft beer, bread and some maritime notes. Citric forest fruits. Very interesting. On the palate, starts with plastic, earth, sown land and marshmallow. This is so tasty, but you get the feeling that even if this one is so enjoyable, this can't be good for your body, lol. Aftertaste can be defined as a "Wimbledon Tennis Final": sweat, grass, tennis balls. It has this sharpie marker note. Feels so artificial, like a factory. Mr Clean chemicals. Overall, there is no reason for this thing that i have described to you to be any good... and it is not good... it is INCREDIBLE. Everything i have just described just feels amazing in every sip, it is like a whisky adventure. This is exactly what i am looking for in new single malts: something interesting and new. What a glorious dram this has been; it is 10000 times better than both "Ardcores". My score for this marvelous experience is 100 over 100, and i will find another bottle for my home bar.

This release is the result of a crazy incident in which the whisky market accidentally overheated and someone at Ardbeg turned the price dial up to 11 by mistake. This means the wee sample in my possession is probably the extent of my embrace of the latest Ardbeg one-off, so let’s put aside the price controversy and try to enjoy the moment. Lemon, salt, pineapple and cream combine on the nose to remind me of the classic teatime Lemon Puff biscuits. The overall effect is quite breezy, with lots of space between the flavors and plenty of volume to the individual notes. There’s a needle sharp prick of peat and some malty notes in the background. It’s classic 10-year-old Ardbeg territory more than anything far off the usual path, slightly reminiscent of Auriverdes if my memory serves me right. In the mouth, the spirit is crisp and citrusy at first, before it turns tangy and sour like a gooseberry or goldenberry. Those sour notes linger pleasantly for a while on the finish. There’s not much peat or smoke to speak of, but the ABV carries the flavors perfectly. We can debate the price in the comments, but that aside it’s a worthy addition to the spectrum of Ardbeg flavor profiles and I’d be quite happy to own a bottle.

Had an opportunity to try this at a Glenmo/Ardbeg event with brand ambassador Bryan Simpson. This was a mystery dram on the table that had me puzzled all evening. I have a lot of Ardbeg's in my own collection, but something about this one was different, and not something I had experienced before. Nose: Extremely creamy - strong notes of real vanilla - not the sharp fake vanilla note that Canadian whisky has. My best description is a lemon curd cheesecake. You could smell all the different parts, including the graham cracker crust. Palate: The palate was quite different than the nose. There was this incredible aged-cheese funk to it. It was almost like a sports equipment room in terms of sweaty, sour, rubbery, funky. I've never tasted anything like it in whisky before, and it wasn't a bad thing! Notes of fresh fruit and herbs came through as well. The smoke seemed to have completely dissolved. Finish: Loooooong-lasting finish. Sweet, buttery, great mouth feel. Overall, a really great bottle, and very unique. I would love to have it in my collection, but at $450CAD after taxes, I don't know that it blew my mind enough to pay that much. Would absolutely pick this up if it was closer to $250.

Sometimes experiments work. Sometimes they don’t. But if you’re Ardbeg, even failures are cash generating. It’s very uncharacteristically Ardbeg. Citrusy. Almost tart. Then comes some soot. Then some sour lactic acid? Finally…then sudden sharp hit of peat comes at you. For me, it’s simply too discombobulated, just a stitched up mess. Mine was only a 1 ounce sample, but I’d be pissed as hell if I were to spend anywhere close to the market price. It lacks complexity and the fluidity I’d expect for something of this price ($250+). You first get citrus. Then soot. Then sharp peat. All as separate entities without one flowing to the next. Not to mention that sour lactic acid taste. That was very uncharacteristic Ardbeg. I’m probably the outlier…but another special release Ardbeg disappointment.

This was a sample shared with me by a friend who shelled out the dough. So I won’t talk about the price. Other than to say it’s too damned high. Sadly I don’t see this trend reversing anytime soon. Strong notes of lemon, followed by yoghurt funk and mild peat and smoke. It’s very balanced and easy to drink. Maybe it’s the extra fermentation or 13 years in the cask but the smoke and peat come on slowly and in moderation. Kind of a muted Ardbeg but enjoyable for all that. Since i didn’t buy it I’m giving it a 4. It was enjoyable and I wanted more of it. Not at $200 though. If I’d paid for it I might dock it .25-.5.

In my first opinion, the Fermutation smells more citrus/minty than pure peat. The initial sip lingers on your tongue longer than expected with a nice orange peel-like aroma. In terms of peat, this dram tastes more refined than Ardbeg 10/Cory/Beastie, but more similar to the differences between the Laga Distiller's Edition compared to the 8. Although the Fermutation lacked the insane PUNCH I was secretly hoping for, I'm glad I have it on my shelf.