Baby Ardbeg (Red Bag): a master stroke by Dramfool
Sometimes, one has to walk around the edges of the extreme in the wonderful whisky world, and for today I think I have found such an extreme. Independent bottler Dramfool offers us very tasty and indeed thought-provoking bottlings. Two years ago, on the way to the airport, I had the pleasure of meeting “Founding Dramfool” Bruce Farquhar in Glasgow, during a lunch. He was meeting up with two independent bottler friends of mine and I could tag along. We had nice Indian cuisine and good conversation. His business card is still on my desk here, and it reads “We only bottle whisky we like”. These words sounds like music to the ears of whisky enthusiasts! We put on George Baker’s “Little Green Bag” (by lack of a red variant) and get to tasting.
Red Bag (Ardbeg), 4 years old, bottled at 61,2 % abv by Dramfool
First things first: Bottled in the Dramfool’s Middle Cut series, this is an extremely young Ardbeg that matured on red wine barrique # 54, which yielded an impressive abv stoked malt in 282 bottles. This Ardbeg was filled on 2 July 2020. Compliments for putting the age statement on!
Upon Sipping: A very pushy whisky if there ever was one, since I poured the glass it is screaming for attention next to my laptop. Strong whiffs of the farmland reach me without even nosing the glass. Coming closer to it, it is more difficult to find something. The high abv is cloaking from up close, so we will return to that in a moment while I also enjoy the fat tears in my glass after swirling it around. Then a little sip on the tongue… and the shocking realisation that this is unbelievably drinkable just like that. It does not even burn at all. Totally amazing. The arrival is sweet, but not from the wine cask, the impact of the maturation is rather dialled back, and we get just the usual Ardbeg fruity character. When tasting this, you will understand better why Ardbeg could create so many (sometimes weird) NAS expressions. The simple fact is: Ardbeg starts delivering high quality as soon as it legally can be called whisky. The Wee Beastie bottling they do is proof of that.
Okay, let us play with water a little. Just what I expected: the water activates the wine barrique. The peat and the red fruits are fighting it out in my glass as we speak.
Meaty flavours arise, the barbeque is ready to go, but the fruits are not going silent just yet. Time for me to take a sip again. More tannins now, obviously, but they mingle well with the medicinal side of the spectrum. This is a whisky you can guide to multiple characters, depending on your mood, with just the pipette. The nosing is all about peat with cassis; lots of blackcurrants in here.
It starts leaning to a more sour note, maybe lemons, which I identify as the original peated Ardbeg spirit battling the cask. With more water, the taste suffers just a little, turning a tad too sweet, but still extremely drinkable.
Word to the Wise: I am not the biggest fan of high abv bottlings, but this one presents not the alcohol but just sheer power of taste. If you are more about nosing your whisky, this Ardbeg by Dramfool will provide a challenge, so there is some imbalance between nosing and tasting, but overall this bottling is highly impressive. Not one you will ever get tired of. Also, the proof we sometimes need that the use of wine casks in the whisky industry can be a valid course.
Score: 88 points.