Eureka! I think that’s what many an Ardbeg fan must have exclaimed when this bottle was first announced. And that’s not just because of the name on the bottle. It has everything to do with the price. Ardbeg’s committee releases have been (let’s just say it frankly) overpriced and even the quality has been hit or miss from time to time. But this Ardbeg Eureka goes for roughly 80 euro’s, which I think answered many a prayer.
Eureka has been bottled to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Ardbeg Committee and making this bottle quite affordable is the perfect way to say thanks to all those that have been fans of the distillery for many years. But, ofcourse, the most important thing in the end will be flavour! And with a combination of ex-Bourbon and ex-PX casks and a bottling strength of 52,2% we’re off to a flying start stats wise, but let’s find out how that translates to the tasting notes in today’s Ardbeg Eureka review!
Tasting Notes: Ardbeg Eureka
Stats:
Age: NAS
ABV: 52,2% (104,4 proof)
Distillery: Ardbeg
Chill-filtered: No
Natural Colour: Yes
Nose:
There’s that classic Ardbeg character we know and love. That lovely briny almost meaty scent of glorious peat! Rolling waves of crushed vanilla beans, charred beef, iodine, smoked seaweed and malt soaked sultana’s billow from the rim of the glass as it approaches the nose. Just how I like my Ardbegs.
Palate:
There’s some proper peat on the palate as well, but there’s many more layers than just peat to discover. The first thing I’m picking up is crushed peppercorns, followed by apple syrup, honey roasted figs and grilled leeks. There’s some vanilla ice cream with bacon bits and a maple syrup drizzle in there as well, and I’ve got to say… I absolutely love that!
Finish:
The finish is long and it’s the peppery notes that reign supreme here. Peppered steak especially comes to mind, although there are also some tannic hints of oak and liquorice root. Never overpowering though. Hints of pears and redcurrants appear as well though, giving some more depth to this dram.
Food pairing:
I’ve already kind of said it… vanilla ice cream with bacon bits and a maple syrup drizzle. If only because that same note shines so beautiful in this dram! Then again, this would work wonders with extra dark chocolate as well. For a savoury option I’d take an Italian cured meats platter (pastrami, coppa di parma, prosciutto and all those other delicous cured meats!).
Verdict:
This Ardbeg is a Eureka for me as well! It seems Ardbeg has figured it out, good whisky for a good price. That’s the way to a whisky lovers heart. There was always one thing holding me back from absolutely loving the committee releases (although there were some undeniably good ones amongst them), and that was that excellent core range! There was almost never a time where the committee releases could compete (either value or quality wise) with the Ardbeg 10, Corryvreckan, or Uigeadail. I wouldn’t exactly say this dram blows those gems out of the water though, but it sits very much on par with them. And since it also has similar pricing… purchasing another bottle of this is a no brainer for me!
