Ardbeg 1990 Airigh Nam Beist

Subdued smoke and malty sweetness

Reviewed by
Connosr member:

Pierre_W

Date:

27th Jul 2012

Reviewer rating:

89

About this score:

The average score for this whisky is 90.

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Tasting Notes by Pierre_W

Airigh Nam Beist was first sold in 2006 and was bottled over two more subsequent years. Its name is Gaelic for “shelter of the beast". This review refers to the 2007 release, a 17-year old whisky matured mostly in ex-Bourbon casks.

The nose delivers a powerful impact: it is intense with tar, salt, brine and coal ash. As was to be expected there also is a lot of smoke but rather decent and soft. With water the smoke becomes even lighter while vanilla and lemon notes appear as well as a malty sweetness. I must say that this is a great nose, smoky on the one hand but with a sweet and fruity element on the other hand.

The palate is medium-bodied and smooth but quite spicy. There is less smoke than what the nose suggested, more like a bonfire smokiness, soft and subdued. At the end I detected coffee and chocolate.

The finish is quite long and warming. The smoke is now much more pronounced. With water the smoke becomes more subdued and oily like smoked salmon.

I loved this Ardbeg. It has the intensity that I would expect from an older release but at the same time it surprised with its malty sweetness and perfect balance. Too bad that this has now become rare.

Tags

Whisky details

Distillery/Brand:

Ardbeg

Bottling:

Region:

Islay

ABV:

46%

Colour:

Young Sauternes

Ardbeg 1990 Airigh Nam Beist Subdued smoke and malty sweetness Reviewed on 2012-07-27T19:24:00 scoring 89/100 by Pierre_W

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Comments

Victor

Victor wrote:

Delicate and beautiful. Airigh Nam Beist is a refreshingly 'feminine' expression of the heavily peated Islay whiskies. This fills such a nice niche that it will be sad when it will be near-impossible to obtain, which will likely be quite soon.

27 July 2012 20:00
Pierre_W

Pierre_W wrote:

I could not agree more, Victor. I still have a bottle in my cabinet but don't dare touch it as it has really become quite rare. I do love this expression of Ardbeg, indeed very delicate and refined.

28 July 2012 07:38

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