Ardbeg BizarreBQ
50.9% ABV - Islay, Scotland
Nose: Sweet peat and mesquite smoke, with jam and grilled fruits. Charred oak, citrus and a saline character follow.
Taste: Smoky oak, fruits—plum, black cherry, and lots of peat smoke. Peppered cream of wheat.
Finish: Fading smoke, grilled meat, cooked fruit, and spices.
Grilling Meets Distilling. That’s the tag line for one of the latest marketing bottle from Ardbeg… and I must say that they have really hit it home this time. It’s delicious! In the world of today where everyone, including me sometimes, loves to grunt and groan about the latest Ardbeg Day expression—how cheesy the name or label is and how it has been priced too high—there is nothing to complain about here.
It’s a well done whisky that seriously reminds you of barbecuing and comes with a sticker price that puts it in combination with the core range. (Well, that depends on what your local whisky market prices are like.) I felt like this was a steal at $90 USD.
The barbecue shtick is apparently casks that have been smoked with seaweed and birchwood. I found that information on a number of websites but not the official Ardbeg.com (nor the back label of the bottle).
Details (Official): "Introducing Ardbeg BizarreBQ—our first ever barbecue-inspired whisky. WIth the help of bona-fide god of the grill, Christian Stevenson (AKA DJ BBQ), this mouth-watering malt was cooked up by Master Distiller, Bill Lumsden.
Ardbeg BizarreBQ has been mature din a combination of double-charred oak casks, Pedro Ximénez sherry casks and our unique BBQ casks."
Tasting Notes (Official): Nose: Puffs of charcoal and soot mingle with smoky wood and aromatic herbs and spices. Treacle toffee, hickory smoked ham and cinnamon-dusted espresso rise up.
A splash of water releases distinctively sharp citrus aromas, along with herbal notes such as fennel and aniseed. Grilled artichokes and a suggestion of seared meat sizzles the senses. The undeniable smell of bonfire and BBQ embers lingers in the background.
Taste: The mouthfeel is alive with spice, like BBQ ribs smothered in chilli. A myriad of deep, warming smoke follows close behind in flame-grilled steak, chilli oil, cured leather and clove. Ginger, aniseed and tar crackle on the palate with an aromatic woodsmoke edge.
The massive, hot aftertaste lingers on and on, with more grilled artichoke, black olives and a sooty note that slowly simmers away.
Tasted 09 October 2023. (Posted 23 November 2023.)
