Review #885 - Ardbeg BlaaacK
Ardbeg's Committee Release for 2019 was named 'BlaaacK' and features a black sheep graphic on the label. This whisky was aged in Pinot Noir wine casks sourced from New Zealand, one of the regions famous for producing high-quality examples of this type of wine.
When this was bottled in 2019, they chose a strength of 50.7% ABV - almost certainly not cask strength, but it's nice to see an elevated strength to give more depth and flavor density. Let's see how Ardbeg's heavily peated spirit interacts with red wine casks.
Ardbeg BlaaacK
Scotland/Islay - Single Malt
Price: USD 185 (2026, based on recent auction prices)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 50.7% ABV
Cask Makeup: Pinot Noir red wine casks
Details: Not chill filtered, bottled 2019
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times (once blind) over 7 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Smoky, barbecue notes, a bit sharp and rubbery. There's peppery spice on top of mineral notes, wood char, and then a bit of fruit: mandarin orange, lemon, a little hint of subtle raisin and grape. Hints of licorice build, and we get vanilla and sharp oak.
Palate: The mouthfeel has a medium thickness. It's quite smoky and malty, a bit of char and fizzy peat accenting that. It's musty but also quite drying - sharp orange peel and wood tannins. We get earthy notes, freshly-baked bread, and subtle prune as accents.
Finish: Still quite smoky - intense peat and wood smoke, quite ashy too. The sharp wood tannins linger, and the finish leans dry overall; still, we do get tart fruit like cranberry and blackcurrant. Black pepper and white pepper linger in the aftertaste, and this finish is quite long.
Final Note: We enjoyed this Ardbeg, but it came across as quite a drying, tannic experience. That may not be such a huge surprise given the fact that this was matured in red wine casks, which are known for adding a tannic side to whisky, but we would have enjoyed a little bit more of a balancing sweetness here. We did get subtle fruit notes, but the peat seemed to overpower those for the most part. Decent whisky, but a little unbalanced.
As this bottle was sold out from retailers years ago, the only way to obtain it now is to purchase on the secondary market, such as an auction site. The price in auctions available to use is generally hovering between $150 and $200 at the moment; at that sort of price, value is below average.
Our Rating: 7.0 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.09
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Ardbeg reviews:
Review #774 - Ardbeg Corryvreckan Re-Review
Review #582 - Ardbeg Heavy Vapours
Review #568 - Ardbeg Anthology 14 Year: The Unicorn's Tale
Review #567 - Ardbeg Anthology 13 Year: The Harpy's Tale
Review #498 - Ardbeg An Oa Re-Review
Review #389 - Ardbeg BizarreBQ
Review #347 - Ardbeg Anamorphic
Review #220 - Ardbeg Arrrrrrrdbeg!
Review #217 - Ardbeg 5 Year Wee Beastie
