Traigh Bhan

Quite good but not utterly impressive Ardbeg 22 22 22 22

A surprisingly elegant dram, kinda a mature Uigeadail. Calm and pleasant, whilst rich, heavy, and sharp.

Very syrupy nose, on candied lemon and pastry cream. Lemon tart, whipped cream, icing sugar. Peat and smoke are very discreet, but constant. Peppermint, eucalyptus, iodized freshness. The entry in the mouth is very soft, fine, rose water and varnished wood, green tea, some vegetal touches. Then the spices rise, slowly, and impose themselves, nutmeg, ginger, saffron, curry, to explode in the finish, a long finish, pleasant, but not violent, on fine sand and dry earth. Lemon zest, citrus, grapefruit. Once again it's very good, you can really feel the influence of the American casks, it's very tasty, the Sherry casks are discreet but give body and thickness to the liquid. https://ilikesky2020.blogspot.com/2021/12/ardbeg-2001-traigh-bhan-19-yo-batch-3.html

The color is golden, suggesting that most barrels were refillable. The nose is slightly closed at the beginning, it begins to develop gradually, meeting with bright freshness, then delicate peat slips through, and recedes into the background, where it is present all the time with a slight haze. Further, white fruits, citrus fruits, apples, a little salt, pepper, a little vanilla appear, oiliness and resinousness are felt, nuts slip with light notes, and then everything goes on to herbs and notes of anise. Whisky lasts a very long time in a glass. It is not bright, but at the same time it is quite complex and rich in undertones, it is pleasant to sit with it for a long time and delve deeply. The taste is soft, even, with delicate peat, citrus fruits, light pepper, herbs, nuts and anise. The aftertaste is long-lasting, slightly spicy, delicately peaty, with citrus fruits, herbs, vanilla, fruits, chocolate, nuts, anise and light coniferousness. The whisky is very well balanced. Nothing sticks out here, everything is normal. It is very complex and delicate. There are no bright motives in it, but many small undertones that enrich the organoleptic palette of the whisky.

Tasted blind: It immediately pops exuberantly out of the glass. The smell of banana predominates. Very yellow. Also papaya, mango, a touch of candle making. On the taste the line continues towards vanilla. Certainly also some notes of wood, but generally smooth. Clean aftertaste, good balance. Touch dry. With a little water, a nice acidity is added, but the whisky is better undiluted. The cheerful, yellow character is very pronounced.

Flat in comparison to batch 1,2 and 4. Less depth and a duller finish. Still very drinkable, but lacking some of the distinct Ardbeg'iness

Perfectly balanced whisky. It displays all the strengths of the distillery in an exceptionally balanced and subtle way. I have tried all Traigh Bhan batches and in my opinion this one is the best. The complex and rich palate, which keeps the promise given on the nose, complementing it with additional aromas, all perfectly rounded and light in reception. The smoke is perfectly integrated into the other aromas. Long finish, characterized by aromas of soot, charcoal and smoke, very pleasant, a bit simple.

Very nice. But nowhere near the depth of Batch 2. It lacks a little of the fruity note of Batch 2. Seems a little thin on the tongue for its proud 19 years. As with Batch 2, I still think that the drinking strength is not well chosen. 19 year old Ardbeg would have deserved at least 50% ABV.

well , this 3rd batch is way better than batch 1. batch 1 score 87 point.

Notes from a blind tasting I like the profile, but the dirty note on the palate confuses me a bit compared to the nose and the finish. Personally I would give this malt 88 points because I find it very appealing in terms of taste.

H2H TB.02/TB.03/TB.04. TB.02: 90 - 90 - 91. TB.03: 91 - 92 - 90. TB.04: 88 - 89 - 90.

As one of the previous speakers already wrote: A better ten! Doesn't sound very flattering, but it should be. Especially when you consider that the 10 is one of the best standards on the market. N - fruit gum lemon, plaster, anise, wrapped in smoke accordingly, this is no longer as present as in younger bottlings. There are also hazelnuts and walnuts with salt. Somewhere I'm still missing the punch, the decisive (unique selling) feature. That goes down a bit. However, the distillery character, especially a slight garlic influence, can be felt. Just smooth and all around compared to the younger bottlings. M- Medium-bodied, sweet, slightly soapy attack, fine lemons, algae, pepper, some chili, pleasantly controlled smoke, ending in a rather medium-length finish. The smoke remains subtle, but leaves the tongue quickly. A little disappointing given the rather high price. Otherwise a solid nearly 20's that delivers a typical distillery profile and shows what it brings with age.

Was a bit skeptical, have this bottle in my collection, but it came without a sample so I did not have a chance to taste it. That changed with recent Prague whisky festival where it was on the menu :) surprisingly good, from my point of view exactly what you'd expect from Ardbeg - smoky, wood tones, little bit of saltiness - but deeper, more pronounced, but also smoother in comparison to standard releases. Questionable whether current retail price is corresponding - not IMO, this whisky definitely hasn't been a disappointment

not been able to test the 1, just the 2 which had already strongly seduced me: nose: ashy vanilla, creamy from the start, unctuous peat not greasy, a little anise, fruit on sweet citrus, peppery spices that amplify the nose mouth: creamy! velvety, on baked vanilla, caramelized lemon, on candied citrus fruits with a little grilled pineapple, on smoked seaweed and dried by the iodized wind, by salty rain, more frank peat here, smoked herbs light the salted butter caramel all at once followed by a pleasant meaty return; hazelnut too and some dry oak at this time. return of finely peppery spices, wet ash, and lemon vanilla cream final: long, spicy-peppery, baked vanilla, citrus on candied lime and juicy and sweet pineapple, peaty and smoky with wet hay mown high on a cliff!

Definitely not recommended on its own. With a lot of time and love, or even a few well-placed drops of water, something acceptable will come of it. For the full review, go here: https://keinehalbendrinks.de/2022/11/07/singender-sand/

The nose is a bit weaker compared to the previous batch, but he manages the exit better, so that in the end batch 3 also ends up with a smooth 90 points.

Batch 2 was fruity and delicious - this one is just average in every respect - I find the great fruitiness of Batch 2 to be much more appealing

I have now tried all the batches (#1 up to #4) and they are all good. But I have also been to the Warehouse tasting and tried Ardbeg from a refill bourbon barrel at a similar age, and must conclude that it's the sherry casks keep these batches from being great. The sherry casks add sweetness and remove complexity. I expect a batch made from refill bourbon casks only to casually stroll well past 90 points and would love it if they tried it at least once.

Whiskyfun.com by Serge + Angus's Corner Ardbeg 19 yo 'Traigh Bhan' (46.2%, OB, batch 'TB/03 -10.10.01/21.BL', American oak and oloroso sherry casks) The latest batch I believe. Is it just me, or are these batch numbers are longer than Bill Lumsden's joke book? Colour: pale gold. Nose: a highly aromatic and scented type of peat smoke that feels quite wispy, soft and permeating with impressions of sandalwood, furniture polish and crushed sea shells. Also things like smoked tea, menthol tobacco, myrtle and heather beer. Even though I suppose this is early 2000s Glenmorangie produced batches now, it feels more reminiscent of the 1990s Allied style. Which is quite reassuring in many ways. Mouth: pepper, smoked olive oil, very tarry, a lot of hessian, smoked cereals and some struck flints and other rather punchy mineral touches. In time it evolves these big camphor aspects but also quite a lot of dried herbs, aniseed, dried lime peel and hardwood resins. Finish: medium and with this warming peppery and peaty side (which seems to be an increasing hallmark of these modern Ardbeg), leather, pine cones, wood smoke and a little more aniseed. Comments: excellent whisky, no doubt about it. But perhaps the 8 was a tad more impressive simply by virtue of its youthful zest. Anyway, we're splitting hairs - this is lovely. SGP: 566 - 90 points.

Beautiful, elegant, complex and balanced fragrance bouquet. Powerful and long lasting..

Ok, this is my first batch of Traigh Bhan and I have to say that this 19yo really got me. And I'm really not a fanatical supporter of this distillery. At the same time, it is by far the saltiest whisky I've ever tasted in my life. Where does Old Pulteney go? The smell of smoked meat and smoked mackerel in combination with anise and cumin. Maybe vanilla sugar and some smoke. The taste is seaweed, vanilla, herring, licorice, cumin, oysters and Thai basil. The finish is incredibly long, intense and dry. Salted infusion, ash, cumin brandy. This was just a decent tasting of a small sample in my work, as I work as a bartender & taster in the Angels' Share bar (Ardbeg embassy). But she excited me so much that I had to share it here. ;)

Really nice whisky but price is to high for 19 years

It's good but not that high marks yet...

B: 46.2%, ucf, nc, balanced. 21 N: peat, pear, green grapes, vanilla, smoke. Intense and peaty. 22 P: vanilla, spice, smoke, herbal, pear. Sweet and smoky. 23 F: spice, ash, vanilla, smoke, raisin. Medium to long. 21 A smoothed out version of brutal Ardbeg.

For me, the winner of an Ardbeg vertical tasting with some older and rare bottlings. A great balance between power and smoothness.

It has a relatively high viscosity and its bouquet is relatively intense. I have aromas of pleasant maritime peat smoke, smoked bacon, citrus, malty sweetness, vanilla, creme brulee, ash and pipe tobacco. Moderately complex. Relatively dry in taste. The alcohol is very well integrated and it has a medium body.

This is a very interesting Ardbeg. Balanced, richly smoky with pleasant sherry notes. But unfortunately it is permeated through and through with ash tones. And that doesn't suit me very well. Dilution is excellently tuned.

88/87/86/87

It has it's moments with the nice salty-citrussy freshness, but is unfortunately too ashy and burnt to be an outstanding whisky.

tame

A really great malt from the first nose to the finish. Here you can finally see the real Ardbeg character again, no superimposed finish, no metallic youth. I'm excited. For me better than batch 1 & 2.

Color: Pale gold The nose is a little bit weak and unimpressive, whereas taste and finish are excellent. Very good Ardbeg - Recommended.

Wood sap & smoked brown sugar. A little Bitter like unripe nuts. Admittedly, we had done a cask strength Laphroaig tasting just before. So I don’t think this guy got the justice he deserves. Will be keeping my eye out for it if it ever reaches the states.

We were able to compare it with Batch 2 since we drank it last time, according to the rating the same level, here only individual preference decides.

scbp-6233, very sweet liquor with prominent maltose. An easy-drinking, smooth, comfortable whisky.

Just compared it to batch one side by side. Same DNA. Batch 1 feels fresher and slightly sweeter. I gave B 1 88 points then and today 87 Batch 3 gets 86.

An Ardbeg with a zeal. Well, even a 12yo at 40% from a highly marketed whisky brand costs £55. A 19yo Ardbeg at £200 is not unreasonable. It reflects the situation we are in. Colour: Lime Nose: Lime cordial. Lemon meringue. Wet ash. Almost the salinity of OP. Reminds me of Kelpie. Nice. A bit of fruitiness. Soft wood spice. Did I say fruitiness? Yes it has a fruity layer. Aniseed. Loads of it. Wet pebbles. Some white flowers. Arabian Jasmine to be precise. Perfumery. Palate: Lovely. Mild wood spice. Smokiness is rounded and not heavy. Almost a peated speysider. Viscous. Oily. Treacle. A bit of sweetness. Those small asian fleshy green pears. Aniseed & the tarry note from Ardbeg but the peat is much subdued. As if its diluted. Finish: Quite long. Some spices galore. Cloves, Fennel, Aniseed. And a distant vanilla. Soft bitter woody note. A lovely Ardbeg. Amongst all 3 releases, this is the one I like the most. Batch 1 had a lovely pineapple note but this one is excellent. The purity in it makes to rate it my favourite amongst the 3 batches.

Spicier, and in taste drier version of Traigh Bhan without any highlights. Charcoal instead of tar, spices instead of sweet pineapple. The taste unfortunately could not keep up with the promising nose. It would have been great to have it bottled with higher ABV. All in all this is my least favorite batch so far, I expected similar experience what I had with the great batch 2 (bold, fruity with an explosive finish). I also prefer the earthy, minty first batch to this one (although I do not see a big gap in quality). Do not get me wrong, Traigh Bhan batch 3 is a fine single malt but unfortunately does not worth its price tag.

The aroma even reminded me of the basic Talisker. 23 22 21 21

Quite surprised as I was expecting a sweeter malt with the Oloroso cask influence. Also age does not improve this malt in my view. I would say it’s on the savoury smoky side. Quite soft and spicy. The peppery cask influence from French oak is noticeable. For the price, not worth it in my view.

WoW, the Ardbeg is beautiful so so creamy and great flavors Tomek from Whisky Gold gets to the point just watch YouTube. Absolutely great great delicious whisky ????. Ps. Just had (15 minutes) after the Ardbeg 19/3 the Milk & Honey Apex Pomegranate Wine Casks 59.5% vol. in the glass okay without smoke ???? ... but that's not what it's about, the 3 year old is just laughable. The Ardbeg has such a great appeal of complexity and creamy, thick, fat, sweet, herbaceous cleanliness, so what a great thank you Ardbeg, worth the 250 € in any case.

The sweet Oloroso works well with the tamed peat.

Slightly marine style, with a distinct salty and fresh taste

Part of the Weird & Wonderful flight tasting at Ardbeg distillery. My score has not changed after one year from last time. First edition was much better.

Peat and smoke of delicate and rich ardbeg, peppermint rampant in both flavour and flavour, miscellaneously fresh fruit, It's a shame that Fruity is relatively weak

Wow, best Ardbeg by far! What a dram. I already have a few bottles in the cupboard. The balance in this whisky is sensational! From all the fine smells and flavors to the coarse, an amazing experience.

Overall a well-rounded, classic Islay malt. Nose: Smokey like a camp fire Palate: Smooth texture due to the age. Conjures up an image of well-cured bacon, fried to perfection, served in the luxurious dining car of a stream train from days gone by. Sherry casks added gentle sweetness that makes this "medicine" go down even more quickly. Finish: Warm & lingering with notes of South American dark chocolate

Very pleasant and balanced dram. Wonderful finish. Review: https://youtu.be/VlAV_bHCbxo

A beautiful strawberry, but it could have been bottled above 50%. Furthermore, it is actually quite a matter of how you want it. But if I had to choose... Then I bought a corryvreckan.

Dry, soot, fire smoke, burnt wood, baked fruit, toast with bacon, caramel, chalk, menthol, pepper, oak .. good balance. 22.5-22.5-22.5-22.5

Aroma - sherry note, smoke, alcohols, sweetness, wood (?). Taste - age doesn’t feel that way, it’s a pity. Strong peat, pepper?, attempts at citrus. The aftertaste is gentle and sweet. Peat framed with caramel. It’s interesting, but in comparison with other samples (I tried the penultimate one) it loses. Perhaps her nobility was lost behind the rudeness of other examples. 87 points for potential. 89 points, tried it at the end - perfectly revealed, complex and deep, but, compared to others, the most gentle and harmonious. “Due to endurance, the essence of Ardbeg is lost” - Alikhan Malkhozov. I agree, but is this a virtue?

Hmm, somehow I still like Batch1 the best, but even then the age was in no relation to the taste. Too bad, but better for the wallet. Notes from a blind tasting:

I have tested this dram on Whisky Festival in Jastrzebia Gora (Poland). Much better than Batch no. 2, not as good as first release. Dried Fruity nose. Ashy finish.

+++

A refined Ardbeg which confidently continues to develop in your glass. The light colour already indicates limited sherry influence, which is also the case when tasting it. People expecting an Uigeadailish intensity will be dissapointed, but anyone who appreciates a more subtle and mature Ardbeg with a lot of depth will love this one.