Ardbeg distillery is located on the island Islay in Scotland. Airigh Nam Beist is the name of the smaller Loch fed by Loch Uigeadail. The name means ‘Shelter of the Beast’.
All the whisky for Airigh Nam Beist was distilled in 1990. Ardbeg released Airigh Nam Beist in 2006-2008 which makes the whisky 16-18 YO. They are all bottled at 46 ABV. My sample is bottled in 2008 (bottle code L8).
It has been a while since I last tasted Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist and I am really looking forward to tasting it again. Let us see if it is as good as I remember!
Soft smoke and lemon juice at first on the nose. Quite gentle at first actually. Then a lot more happens; vanilla, fudge, apricot and ginger. Smooth on the palate! Rich and creamy, not very complex. Vanilla and lemon. And it actually tastes a lot of ashes on the initial taste – not often I get that. The finish is lingering. Lemon peel and salt. Quite rich smoke in the end mixed with salt. The Beast part of the whisky is most present on the nose. I still find it to be a very nice whisky (one point up since the last time I tasted it).
My score: nose 24 / taste 22 / finish 22 / balance 23 = 91
Thanks, Bennie!
Image from The Whisky Exchange.
– Tone
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