After reviewing the excellent Hogshead Islay 13 (a secret Ardbeg), I got the taste for another Ardbeg review. So, for today’s review I chose Ardbeg’s latest release, the Ardbeg Anthology Unicorns Tale. This second release in the Anthology series is a 14 year old single malt, matured in a marriage of Madeira and ex-bourbon casks.
The Anthology series was created to showcase experimental malts, with maturations that are new to the distillery. Their first release, the Harpy’s Tale, saw the influence of ex-bourbon casks paired with Sauternes casks. A dram I got to try during a tasting from Whisky Club Utrecht last year, during their annual Sint & Peat tasting. And I have to admit, it didn’t really impress…
But new round, new chances. And as always there is some excitement surrounding new Ardbeg releases. I”m a huge fan of their marketing (it might not be for everyone, but personally I love their style), and though their releases aren’t always instant hits flavourwise… when they get it right, boy do they get it right. In hopes that this can be as much of a gem as their BizarreBQ release, I hopped on the hype train and jumped on the chance to get myself a bottle from Passie voor Whisky!
Tasting Notes: Ardbeg Anthology – Unicorn’s Tale
Stats:
Distillery: Ardbeg
Age: 14 years old
ABV: 46%
Chill-filtered: no
Natural Colour: yes
Nose:
Sweet and peat straight off the bat, just the way I like it! This particular Ardbeg is much more tarry than I’m used to from the distillery, but that’s not a bad thing. Those tarry notes pair with luscious red fruits, including strawberry, raspberry and maraschino cherry. On the smoky side, aside from the abundance of tar, I’m finding freshly rolled cigars, bacon drippings, and smoked eel. Lovely stuff!
Palate:
The first hit on the tongue gives of plenty of ashy notes, but very quickly gets paired with a lovely sweet liquorice root note. Some caramelised apples, crushed vanilla pods, and saffron pop up as well. But the palate is mainly peat dominant. With notes of charred tenderloins, smoldering coals, and smoked kumquats. Still plenty of complexity, but less so than the nose.
Finish:
On the finish I’m picking up a pairing of citrus and ash. With flamed lemon peel, and cigar ashes appearing most clearly. Some minimal tannic influences on the sides of the tongue appear on the end, bringing some oak shaving elements to this dram. But all-in-all the finish is rather thin and short.
Verdict:
This is an odd one to me. Where the Harpy’s Tale was a clear dissappointment, this Ardbeg Anthology Unicorn’s Tale starts off absolutely amazing. The nose makes me long to dive into this dram, but when I do the palate can’t quite keep up with the nose. The palate is still very pleasant though, whereas the finish is a real let down. There’s not enough complexity that remains, and what remains only stays for a very short time.
I could nose this dram all night long though, and both palate and finish are pleasant albeit slightly less impressive. Is it that I’m let down because I hold Ardbeg to such a high standard? Definitely! With these special releases I’m always looking for something that can top their excellent Corryvreckan and Uigeadail. And that is not an easy feat!
