Ardbeg BizarreBQ

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WHISKY REVIEWS, NEWS, HISTORY & FOLKLORE

The problem with Ardbeg…

Ardbeg BizarreBQ is a limited edition single malt Scotch whisky released in May 2023. One of a plethora of releases by the Islay-based distillery, it proved popular with whisky drinkers, many of whom had previously expressed some frustration with the brand.

Ardbeg has become known for its special releases with their colourful labels and flamboyant names but there’s a feeling in the online community that standards haven’t been maintained in recent times and a sense that people might be a bit fed up with the marketing-first strategy.

I’ve enjoyed most of the Ardbeg bottles that have crossed my path but sometimes the name and story haven’t always matched up to the reality of drinking them. It’s not that the whiskies have been bad but they don’t seem to do what they say on the label. Ardcore didn’t feel very ‘ard. Hypernova wasn’t very hyper. You get the picture.

Something those two drams had in common was a focus on flavours created pre-distillation. The same could be said for Fermutations. One explored roasted “Chocolate” malt, one utilised excessively long fermentations and the other reached higher peating levels than ever before. The problem is that the results didn’t feel all that different. At least not when tasted individually.

Now, allow me to delve into this a bit more. In my mind, there is a sliding scale that represents the flavour profile of all whiskies. At one end are the flavours from the spirit itself, like the phenols created during kilning or the esters created in fermentation. At the other end of the scale is the flavour from the cask. All whiskies fit somewhere along this scale. Some sit at the right, dominated by the cask, and others are on the far left, showcasing little in the way of oak and relying on the flavours created pre-distillation. Others rest somewhere in the middle, finding a balance between spirit and oak.

If you look at those recent Ardbeg releases, many came down on the spirit side of the scale and, to be fair, there would be no point working with chocolate malt, peat, or fermentation only to smother it in highly active oak. Perhaps there’s been a bit too much of one thing, though. Maybe it’s better to vary your output between spirit-led and cask-led. The popularity of BizarreBQ, a whisky featuring heavily charred casks, some of which previously held Pedro Ximenez, suggests an appetite for more oak in Ardbeg. There has also been a positive response to the latest release, Spectacular, which relies on port cask maturation.

There’s never a dull moment with Ardbeg, though. I was interested to hear Dr Bill Lumsden on Whiskycast recently. When asked why there would be no Committee version of Ardbeg’s limited release this year, he said the company had listened to the public and cut the number of releases. That statement caught my ear for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I don’t recall ever hearing anyone ask for Ardbeg to remove the higher ABV versions of their limited releases. Secondly, the words had barely left his mouth when news broke of the Y2K limited edition. The first in a series, no less. If there’s one thing you can say about Ardbeg, they certainly know how to inspire debate.

The Whisky

*Full disclosure: the whisky featured in this sample was sent to me free of charge. As always, I will strive to give an honest opinion on the quality of the dram and the value for money it represents.

Ardbeg BizarreBQ is an Islay single malt. It was created by Master Distiller, Dr Bill Lumsden with Christian Stevenson (AKA DJ BBQ). The whisky was matured in a combination of double charred oak casks, Pedro Ximénez sherry casks and unique BBQ casks. Bottled at 50.9%.

Smell: Peat smoke. Oily. Diesel. Paraffin. Sticky caramel and honey glazed ham. Barbecue ribs. Hoi sin. Balsamic. Charcoal. Highland toffee. Some paprika, cayene pepper. Black pepper. Light chilli powder.

Taste: You get those smoky barbecue coals right off the bat. Then moves into sweetness like honey or barbecue sauce. There are some mild spices. Cayenne. Cinnamon. Traditional Ardbeg smoke comes in with the arrival but then seems to fade, only to return in a big way during the finish.

Thoughts: The spirit itself feels quite light-bodied for an Ardbeg but it covers for it with a lot of intense flavour. The overriding feeling for me is a sense of fun which feels more on-brand for Ardbeg than some of the other recent releases. Maybe it isn’t the most complex Islay I’ve tasted but it’s bold and lively and it feels like the spirit is enjoying mingling with some stronger cask flavours. It’s Ardbeg and it’s fun and that will always appeal to me.

Price: £75. Without an age statement, we don’t know what we’re getting here but compared to other limited releases from this brand, this seems quite reasonable.

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