Ardbeg 2000: back in time to when ‘young days’
The biggest news to come from Ardbeg in the past year must have been that Jackie Thomson decided to move on, after being connected to the distillery for almost 30 years. She is going to help out creating the visitor experience at the brand new Portintruan Distillery, close to the village of Port Ellen. That is a tough loss for Ardbeg, which also saw distillery manager Colin Gordon move on. As a successor to the legendary Micky Heads, he did not last nearly as long. In brighter news, I have the impression Ardbeg itself is doing very well, despite the changes in personnel. For the final day of this 40th anniversary of Feis Ile, we go back in time to the year 2000, when this Ardbeg was distilled.
Ardbeg 2000, bottled at 62,6 % abv by Daily Dram for the Whisky Fair
First things first: This Ardbeg was bottled in 2007 after maturing in a refill sherry butt. The name alludes to the then ongoing series by Ardbeg: “Still Very Young Islay Single Malt”.
Upon Sipping: Crispy peat swirls from the glass. Some metallic smells too, which was very typical for young Ardbeg after the distillery started up again in 1998. Not much punch from the refill sherry, which is fine by me. A small sip before we move on to water. Here we do pick up on the sherry cask, with an incredible salty influence. Lots of iodine, kelp, tobacco leaves dipped in alcohol. Mouth coating experience, with a good balance. The finish is tremendous, leaving you broken and shattered. Pure Islay pleasure. When we add some water, this Still Very Young Ardbeg becomes a tad more ashy. Some wood notes, leaning towards chocolate. More bitter now on the palate, and it remains salty. Quite a beastly drink. Ardbeg in a very naked form, incredible. The raw power on the finish chips away at your tastebuds. If I had any plans to taste more stuff today, they are now cancelled. You do not drink whisky for at least a week after you tasted this young Ardbeg.
When I put the glass away for a while, it reintroduces some new smells. Struck off matchstick for instance. Some of these metallic notes now slipped into the taste as well. The peat is very dominant everywhere. Also, some dry barley notes. I kinda like this nostalgic example of Ardbeg ‘while we wait’ style.
Remember, in 2007 the new Ardbeg was still maturing, and the Ardbeg 10 became quite scarce. We had to run for independent bottlings, as the cult status of the distillery was going through the roof. These youngsters were a nice comparison next to the numerous 1970s brilliant releases that kept rising in price. Other times. Now this young one feels equally relevant to the journey that Ardbeg went through since the late 1990s.
Word to the Wise: An important release in the day, and now an incredible display of what true Ardbeg power is. Obviously, it is not without its flaws, but somehow it feels like these flaws make for an even more interesting drinking experience. That puts a few extra points on top.
Score: 88 points.