There is a lot to like about The Ultimate Review: The Brand New Ardbeg Eureka! Committee Release on paper. , let us see if it lives up to expectations.
Nose
A nice sweet start, tastes of brown sugar and pastry. Then comes in the witch hazel note, more pistachio, and the taste of meat cooked over a bonfire. There’s a deli meat like sweetness with the savoury, smoky notes you’d expect from Bresaola (salt dried beef). It gets really dry and nutty. Think about olive oil, walnuts, and olives. Very salty, texturally quite thick. Smoke wise, it doesn’t have an over the top style of smoke, I’d say this is more about peat than it is about smoke, if that makes sense. Earthy, dry, oily flavours and aromas rather than a smokiness.
Palate
Spicy, dry, and then smoky. The smokiness really steps out on the finish. It feels like there’s a cloud of the stuff moving around your mouth. The spice reminds me of coriander seeds, mustard seeds, Indian street food. Those cupboard spices are always on hand. The dryness comes from the smoky crescendo of the whisky. The sweetness disappears with a little touch of pistachio still running around the back of the tongue.
Finish
I do actually like this. It’s a good quality Ardbeg that reminds me of the 8 Year Old they released a few years ago, albeit a little more expensive. It’s a straightforward, classic Islay whisky at a higher strength that will still test on people on whether or not they like this style. A non-age stated whisky will always give a blending team freedom to be as diverse as possible.
The Bottom Line
The Ultimate Review: The Brand New Ardbeg Eureka! Committee Release delivers the goods. It is well-made, genuinely enjoyable, and represents solid value for what you are getting. I would happily buy this again.
