Chill-filtration, do you taste it?

@Jules I must agree with you on your observations on Ardbeg.I find it the most overrated whisky not only on Islay,but in all of Scotland. My expensively bought expressions left me underwhelmed and disappointed.

@maltmate302 - For me I've found the Uigeadail to be 'overwhelming' (as in the intensity of smoke/alcohol)...It's for this reason why I enjoy the Lagavulin so much more.

@FMichael & @Jules & @maltmate302, have you tried them side-by-side, blind?

I'm just curious. It's surprising to me that someone would live Lagavulin 16 but not Ardbeg Oogie.

@OlJas Just can't bring myself to pay that kind of money for a young sherried Islay when I can pick up the more subtle, classy Lag16 for 2/3 the price. But yes I will try tasting blind when I get my hands on an Oogie sample.

@OlJas Don't get me wrong I find Ardbeg ,especially the 10, fine as a whisky if a little simple. With the build up it gets " unquestionably the greatest distillery on earth " and world whisky of the year 2008 , in my mind I was expecting something wonderful. When I drank it I was thinking "is that it" .I prefer the other southern Islay's and talisker.

@maltmate302 Though I'm not one for conspiracy theories I have always got the distinct impression that Ardbeg was getting quite a extra love form the critics not bestowed on other, equally good distilleries...

Unquestionably Jules, the amount of fanboyism amongst the critics means that we are almost forced into buying the the stuff because after all it the "best in the world". We all know that effect has been that prices ,on the 10 especially, have nearly doubled in the last 4 or 5 years.Somebody is getting very wealthy indeed up at Ardbeg HQ.

@maltmate302 Have to agree with you. Ardbeg seem to get away with stuff that, frankly, other brands would not. Take the new Ardbeg Kildalton for example - a pretty young, decent Ardbeg with a sherry finish. But wait - 160€ (200$) I hear you say??! There is just no way Clynelish or Springbank - who's recent output is pretty darn consistently good - would get away with such a pricing strategy for a +/-9 year old release. No way.

@Jules , where are you located? In the US, at least, Ardbeg Oogie is readily available online for $55 USD, which is less than the best price one can find on Lagavulin 16.

And @maltmate302 , you're in Wales, right? Prices have doubled there? Yikes. The Ten is $45 online in the US (or $55 on most shelves), which I think is quite good relative to its competition.

Indeed, despite the craze (and crazy prices) for their special releases, Ardbeg's regular lineup seems like very good value to me. I'm sometimes tempted to stock up, even.

I suppose you have to ignore the marketing hype, but that goes for everything in life. Better yet, don't let it into your mind to begin with. Avoiding commercial TV and radio does a world of good, at least for me.

@OlJas it's depressing me hearing the prices you are paying over there. Here 5 years ago you could buy Ardbeg 10 on sale regularly for £23 .Now it costs between 40 and 47 pounds. Oogie is £53 and Corry is £67.I read a post from Victor saying Macallan 12 sherry was available for about 53 dollars. We can't even get it! And don't get me started on bourbon prices.

@maltmate302 , well, yeah, bourbon.

But for scotch, those must just be market oddities. I'd be very surprised if US prices across the board were cheaper than what you pay in Wales. The prices you gave are pretty close to what many stores here would charge (converted). Ardbeg especially just has the benefit of a couple online sellers (like K&L) who have dirt-cheap prices for whatever reason. To find the relative bargain on YOUR side of the pond, I bet we wouldn't have to look any further than Springbank.

I wonder if K&L ships to the UK? That'd be ironic. Though I think I've heard of folks in the UK getting stuff shipped from online sellers in Germany.

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But anyway, umm, yeah, chill-filtration bad. Whisky good.

Yes