Ardbeg Renaissance 10 Years Old 55.9% 1998

Professional reviews

Serge Valentin (86)

(yeah, sorry, we’re late…) For the first time some ‘new’ Ardbeg has been officially bottled at 10yo, as contrarily to what some do believe, the 10yo ‘Mor’ was made out of pre-takeover distillate. Colour: white wine. Nose: very clean and pure, much more estery and fruity than expected at first nosing. Unexpected notes of plum eau-de-vie, newly cut apples (granny smith), then just a little porridge, phosphorus, a slight fizziness (lemonade), hints of orange squash, coal smoke and gentian. Much less peaty, phenolic and smoky than expected (anticipated?) and much gentler. Mouth: an attack on pure gentian eau-de-vie with a teaspoon of sugar into it. Very different from the ‘older’ Ardbegs, with also notes of herb liqueurs and sweet ginger. Develops mainly on fruits (pineapples, even ripe kiwis) and gets then even gingerier. Quite some peat for sure but maybe not the usual ‘untameable’ one. Finish: medium long, ultra-clean, on gentian, ginger and pepper. Comments: I think this is an easier, simpler and gentler dram than the Ten that we all know well, even at cask strength. As if their will was to make it kind of more ‘approachable’ to the general public. But it’s still a lovely dram, no doubt about that