Ardbeg Kelpie Committee Reserve 51.7% NV

Professional reviews

Serge Valentin (86)

Colour: straw.

Nose: as simple as 1+1, almost elementary, and yet immediately appealing. I’m finding it very pure, very obvious in the best way, with a little lemon and custard, and then an ashy/coastal smokiness mixed with raw malt and, indeed, some kelp. A thin nose, yet a great nose. With water: fresh bread and a gingery smoke.

Mouth (neat): very different, there’s perhaps a little too much spicy oak for me in the arrival. A little too much caraway, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves for Ardbeg, at times it feels like some two-year-old American craft whiskey, really. Not that it’s bad, quite the opposite, it’s just kind of lost lost a wee chunk of the brand’s DNA, as they say in London. With water: rather better, water brings out more Ardbegness.

Finish: better, fresher, lemony, smoky, rather gentle. Very nice spicy grapefruits in the aftertaste, as well as more spicy tannins again.

Comments: very good but feels a little young and a wee bit doctored on the palate. The nose was really very nice, especially when unreduced, though.

Words of Whisky (85)

:

Nose: Big on the licorice and bonfire smoke, with also quite a bit of seaweed, charred wood and smoked mackerel. A whiff of pineapple, conifer too. Some cracked black pepper. Just a wee bit of rubber and iodine.
Taste: More phenolic with asphalt and tar, but also some roasted peanuts. A bigger hit of rubber too, as well as some brine. It is quite spicy, maybe even a bit too much. Lots of pepper, ginger and nutmeg. It swims well. Water has a calming effect on the spices.
Finish: Slightly dry. Burned lemon peel, tar and rubber. Gentle smoke. Quite long.