Ardbeg Twenty Something 23 Year

Well I’m back! It’s been nearly 3 weeks since my last review. A combination of travel, family responsibilities, home maintenance and a rather annoying summer cold kept me from having the time and faculties to do a proper review. The cold is still lingering, but I’m clear enough to get a review in. The final round of the SDT has begun, but before I dive into those samples I wanted to review this beauty as it marks my 250th review. I wanted to mark this occasion with an Islay as they are my first love. This bottle was one of the premium bottles we had at our hotel room tasting in DC at Whiskyfest, provided by @LeeEvolved Ardbeg Twenty Something is a 23 year old that, from my understanding, is the recent 21 year old with an extra 2 years of finishing is sherry casks. It’s bottled at 46.3% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of honey gold. The nose is pure Ardbeg peat smoke up front. Quite smoky given its age really, I’m impressed that the phenols in the distillate held up this well over its long life. Bonfire ashes, creosote and smoked ham with a honey glaze. Once the smoke subsided a little there is vanilla cream and custard, cherries and cherry wood, almonds. Very light sherry notes after some time, not too strong given it’s two year finishing period. Light mint and lemon notes, black tea and a hint of red grapes. After a good 45 minutes in the glass it develops a chalky note, so I would advise not letting it sit that long. A huge peppery arrival on the palate with sharp charred oak and a decent amount of peat smoke. I want to use the word elegant here, but it’s not quite on that level. I can say it’s about as elegant and an Ardbeg can be, but it’s still a powerhouse of a dram. Almonds, cherries/cherry cough syrup. Briny, slightly bitter black tea, a hint of sherry and vanilla. Way in the background there is some mint. A medium to medium full bodied mouthfeel that is mouth coating and lightly oily The finish is long with peat smoke, pepper, oak and more smoke. This stuff is good, really good. It’s powerful yet sophisticated, like a 24 oz. framing hammer with a velvet covered hand grip. Definitely better than the 21 year old which I found to be a bit on the weak side. I think Lee paid upwards of $500 for this bottle, and while I can’t say it was worth that kind of money I will say it’s worthy of a special occasion pour. In the hotel room this was hands down a 5 star dram, but under closer scrutiny it’s just not quite at that level. I gave the 21 a 4.25, and I think this one fits somewhere between 4.5 and 4.75. Given the price tag, I’ll go with the lower score and say it’s a solid, respectable 4.5. Cheers

So, I opened this bottle way back in April, prior to Whiskyfest DC, as part of our hotel room bottle share. I figured we needed some high quality whisky to pregame for the festival. I bought this bottle last winter when it was initially released and I paid $600 to get my hands on one. I bought a second bottle about 3 months later after the initial craze died down, but I still paid $500 for it. Was it worth it? Let’s see... This bottle is not a continuation of the series Ardbeg started in 2016 with the 21 Year Old (as rumored). This was different stock they found onsite. It’s a blend of traditional ex-bourbon aged and ex-sherry cask aged. The 21 year was old stock bought back from an independent bottler. This 23 is bottled at 46.3% and is new gold in color and creates tons of skinny, fast running legs in the Glencairn. The nose had some incredible sherry sweetness right out of the gate. The smoke melded perfectly and there was some nice oak cask notes, BBQ and bacon with some grape wine influence. It was very complex and faded mostly to smoke after some time. The palate was smoked meats, chocolate, vanilla and sherry grapes. The cask gets left behind here and replaced with some salty notes and tons of smoke. The mouthfeel is luxurious and velvety smooth- which is totally expected with something this old. There’s not much alcohol heat and the smoke again slides to the front if you take your time with the sip. The finish is long with moderate spices and finally some barrel influence. It’s smoky and sweet at the same time and each sip makes you want to take another. This bottle was hands down the best Ardbeg I’ve ever tried. It isn’t as complex as the CorryV or the Uiggi, but they don’t hold a candle to how perfectly smooth and luscious this is. It’s hard to say whether or not this bottle is worth $500-600, but you could do a lot worse for sure. This one is battling for the top spot on my all time favorite list, so it’s easily a 5-star dram. If you want to try something close to perfection- pony up for a pour or a bottle and find out for yourself. It’s a beautiful dram. Cheers.

This sample was sent my way by @LeeEvolved. It was a rare treat based on cost and exclusivity, so many thanks to a gracious Lee for providing it. I decided to compare the Twenty Something against its brethren, Ardbeg Uigeadail. I’ve been savoring the Uigeadail for a while now and stuck between rating it 4 or 5 stars. Comparing the two for color, the 20 Something comes through a little darker reflecting the extra years of sherry cask influence, and since both are sherry conceived, smokiness was diminished in comparison to Ardbeg 10. In addition, the nose on the Uigeadail was clearly more robust than the 20 Something, calling to mind Jim Murray’s opinion that most whiskies will suffer from too much time in the barrel. Lastly, the comparison forced up some bourbon spiciness in the Uigeadail (allspice) I hadn’t noticed previously. Indulging the palate with these two whiskies is an act of total bliss. Similar notes of toasted barley, sherry, and vanilla dominate. Other common traits were subtle smoke, dried fruits, mocha, and a touch of sea salt. Again, the Uigeadail offered the additional hint of bourbon spiciness best described as banana nut bread. I must admit, a visit to the west cost of Scotland and the islands helped to enhance this tasting, but that’s what life is all about. We struggle to make a livable world for our families, so when you get a chance to enjoy life, whatever your dream, then make the most if it. And the most if it I did, as these whiskies brought me back to the windswept shores of Britain and Ireland and the peated campfires I’m sure once dotted their expanse. Of course, none of this would be possible without the efforts of people like my maternal uncle whom I’ve never met. He lost his young life in the battle of Anzio during WWII and is buried in Italy, a far cry from his home and family. So, it’s to him and others like him I dedicate this toast. They sacrificed their lives so that we could enjoys ours on this sacred Memorial Day weekend in our country. May 5 stars guide his path to heaven.

Very sherry forward on the nose, this spent time in secondary casks, a lot of time. There's a musty almost stale room / saw mill note in here, likely a light well faded peat is driving this. It has an earthy element as well. But the fruits are dominating the nose, with perhaps some vanilla at the end. There's a very distinct spicy note as well. The finish is a bit acidic in the alcohol bite. Crazy complex. I'm now getting some cinnamon roll dough, not the cinnamon but the dough and a touch of that icing. Taste - Dough, vanilla, a legit funk of some sort and then it fades into this vanilla/earthy/light peat finish that lasts forever. The finish is over taking the opening in a way I've not experienced. Second taste I get more vanilla, light oak, the sherry and fruits are there but muted vs the nose. There's a lightness on the whisky....almost a water like note, despite being a creamy and viscous 46%. Cinnamon roll dough for sure but again I think it's a different spice. The finish starts taking on some of the dark fruits and spices on a second pour along with those vanilla oak and peat long linger notes. For 46% it's got some mouth feel but it comes up a touch short due to a weakness in the mid pallet This is certainly an A whisky but I'm not sure it's an A+ and ranging from 500-650 it's not a great value.

I’ve made it a point in the last few years to have a special pour on my birthday. As I get older, I’ve really learned to appreciate things that go normally unnoticed: amazing well behaved intelligent children, a caring wife, and brothers and cousins that support you in down times. So—keeping that in mind, I open a pour worthy to celebrate...and this one comes courtesy from my good buddy @leeevolved . Despite close to a quarter century age, you still get that classic Ardbeg DNA. Tar and burnt ashes; freshly poured asphalt on a hot summer day. Taste: this is where the 23 years shine. Smooth and silky—-the brawn is replaced by liquid smoke that’s as delicate as it is powerful. Finish is lingering sweet—where the sherry comes in. At $500, this bottle is above most people’s discretionary income purchase...so I’m that much more thankful to @leeevolved for this birthday pour Thanks Lee!

Holy smoke. Found a bottle in the VA ABC store, and was fortunate enough to be able to get it. I wish I was as mature when I was a twenty something as this scotch is. The nose opens with vanilla, peat, sherry, antique wood, and hints of pineapple. The palate is amazingly smooth, complex, and deep. Each sip brings you deeper into a smoke filled lounge where decisions of state of made. Chocolate leads into smoke which leads into pine, which brings you to a party with dried fruits, nuts, tobacco, and figs. The finish lingers for a wonderful eternity. Incense and vanilla round into an herb garden of flavors. Basil and thyme come through followed quickly by dark chocolate before disappearing into the night.