Whisky Party

It was hard to miss the news this week.  Ardbeg is set to release a new expression, the “Rollercoaster.”  In the past 48 hours, no fewer than six  scotch blogs put up posts about Ardbeg’s latest release:

• What Does John Know?
• Whisky for Everyone
• Whisky Notes
• Edinburgh Whisky Blog
• Masters of Malt
• Whisky Israel

What do we know so far?  It will be released on February 15th and will only be available to committee members.  It will likely be hard(er) to come by in the states than in the UK, even if you are a committee member.  It is a vatting of ten different casks of Ardbeg, one from each year between 1997 and 2006.  These casks range the gamut from 1st fill casks to refill sherry butts, and the youngest cask is a three year old (so don’t expect an age statement).  It’s bottled at a stiff 57.3% abv.

Tasting Notes from Bloggers We Trust:

• Dr. Whisky calls the Penderyn Madeira Finish a “light refreshing spirit.”
• Drink Hacker also reviews this Welsh whisky, giving it a B+.
• Master of Malt reviews Compass Box Lady Luck – a blend of Caol Ila 25, Caol Ila 29 and Imperial 14 year old single malts.
• Whisky for Everyone tries Aberlour 10, calling it a “soft, gentle” example of sherry-matured whisky.
• Whisky Fun tastes four peated Bunnahabhains from 1997.
• Whisky Host samples the much sought-after limited edition Highland Park Earl Magnus expression.
• Whisky Notes is “a bit disappointed with the flowery profile” of the Glen Garioch 1988 (aka SMWS  19.44).
• Jason at Scotch Reviews is impressed when he gives Chivas Regal 12 a try.

Whisk(e)y News on the Web:

• The Malt Advocate Whisky Awards continue.  Pioneer of the year? Whisky Bloggers! (yay us!)
• Other winners since our last post: Ardbeg Corryvreckan gets Scotch Whisky Single Malt of the Year, and Compass Box Peat Monster wins Scotch Whisky Blended Whisky of the Year.
• Japanese Whisky blog Nonjatta reports that merger talks between Kirin and Suntory are off.
• Richard Paterson has pics and videos of Shackleton’s Whisky excavation.
• The latest episode of Whisky Cast talks to the folks behind Victoria Spirits and their highly regarded rookie release.
• The Single Malt Whisky Society has released their latest bottling list.
• Edinburgh Whisky blog does some number crunching and wants to know why Smokehead 18 costs so damn much?

–Whisky Party

Related posts:

1. Best in Blog #70: Ardbeg Rollercoaster Reviews Rolling In
2. Best in Blog #53: The Definitive Guide to Christmas Whisky Shopping
3. Best in Blog #47: Whisk(e)y – from the Apothecary to the Antarctic