This Ardbeg Blasda caused a bit of a shockwave among afficionados. For the first time, the distillery would release a virtually unpeated whisky (8 parts per million instead of 24 ppm). The fans feared that it would be a light “Fanta” version (also because it is bottled at just 40% strength).
Nose: light and very clean. Quite fruity with juicy apple, fresh lemon and some kiwi. Still noticeably peaty, more than you would expect, with notes of ashes. Slightly coastal as well. Mint. Mouth: again light and clean. Sweet peat, peaches on syrup, lemon. A bit too shy in my opinion. It’s probably too young to have a lot of character. Finish: spicy, peaty, lemony. The nose, the palate and the finish are really playing in the same field here. You could call that harmonious, or you could call that a bit boring.
Let’s try to evaluate this without Ardbegs tradition in mind, as a new brand so to speak. It’s decent whisky, but not exciting. Light and easy, a good choice for a hot summer day. All in all, I guess there are better examples of lightly peated drams, but I’d love to taste this after a few extra years in the cask.
An extra point for the elegant packaging!
BOW (81)
Serge Valentin (83)
Not a true Ardbeg’, ‘why only 40%?’, ‘too expensive’, ‘weird sounding name’… What didn’t we already hear or read about this new version! But as always, the (well, our) truth will be in the glass… By the way, one can read on Ardbeg’s website that it’s ‘peated to an average of just 8 parts per million phenol (8ppm) compared to the more usual 24ppm.’ Ah, we had thought the regular Ardbegs were peated to 55ppm, unless they’re talking about the phenols in the spirit, which would mean that the Blasda’s ppm in the malted barley would rather be around 15, which wouldn’t be too far from Bowmore’s (+/-20ppm). Pure speculation, eh! But enough ramblings, let’s try it… Colour: white wine. Nose: gentle and a tad shy but oddly enough, the first things we get are peat smoke, ashes and soot. Gets then rather lemony, extremely clean and fresh, with notes of lemon balm, green apples and kiwi. Also used matches and quite some iodine. Anybody expecting a virtually unpeated Ardbeg will be disappointed here! Mouth: rather light but not weak, at least at the attack. Quite some peat again, and then the very same notes as on the nose (green apples, quite some smoke, lemon…) Too bad the middle is weaker, it really drops… Finish: short to medium, fresh as a baby’s mouth, with an interesting return on full peat in the aftertaste. Comments: again, there’s quite a lot of peat and it’s very, very good whisky, but it would have deserved to be bottled at 45 or 46% in my opinion. Somewhat lacking body on the palate.
