Ardbeg 17 year old
May 31, 2025
For this review, I’m taking a look at a re-release of an old classic from a classic old Scottish distiller. It’s the Ardbeg 17 from the Ardbeg Distillery, located on the road East out of Port Ellen, the last distillery you pass before reaching the Kildalton Cross, on the Hebridean Isle of Islay.
I’m going to start with a little Ardbeg history. Like a number of distilleries that were affected by the whisky downturn of the early 1980s, the Ardbeg Distillery was forced to close its doors and cease operations in 1981, staying dormant for eight years. And while somebody started making spirit a couple months out of the year in 1989, it wasn’t until 1997, when the distillery was purchased by the Glenmorangie Company, that Ardbeg officially started back up and went into full time production.
At that time, they needed to re-establish themselves in the marketplace by getting whisky back into the hands of consumers fast and the 17 year old was one of the first to hit the market that year. It was produced and sold until 2004 - which is probably when they started running low on the older stock they’d been using for that recipe.
Now, fast forward 25 years and Dr. Bill Lumsden - Ardbeg’s current Director of Whisky Creation and the previous Master Distiller back in 1997 - released this new version of the 17 year old.
And by all accounts, he tried to make it as close to those earlier versions as possible.
Alright, so no secret in the labeling, it is a 17 year old whisky and it’s spent its entire life hanging out in bourbon barrels. Now the interesting thing with the ABV is that Dr. Bill made the decision to release it at 40 percent ABV because that’s what the original was released at. Another interesting thing they did here was to chill-filter it because that’s what they also did in 1997 - and they clearly state that on the packaging. However, they make no mention about the coloring so I can’t say for sure, but the color is very light so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and say, there’s probably no coloring added here. But it’s a guess
Regardless, the liquid that shows up in the glass has a nice, light honey color to it.
And the whisky is almost shimmering in the glass with thick legs moving at medium speed.
There’s already some interesting smells filling the immediate vicinity of where I’m doing my assessment, so I’m going in with the nose.
Nose:
That initial punch in the face you sometimes get from an Ardbeg is certainly missing from this one. There’s a scent of sweet molasses. I get what I would consider to be a comforting sense of being in the woods in the middle of a rain storm. That’s a powerful smell. Some smoked orchard fruits. Another blast from the past: the medicine cabinet at my grandmother’s house when I was a kid. Very distinctive, in that deep medicinal way. Bananas. Bandaids. Wet leather. And some citrus, like lemons.
Palate:
Right out of the gate that’s a big old burnt log in a beachside fire pit hitting my mouth. Wet leaves. Some singed chocolate or maybe just some very heavily cacao’d chocolate bars. An interesting sweetness, what I would label honeyed vanilla char. Rather specific with this next whiff, but a gluten-free lemon-orange scone, with a browned butter glaze. And a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.
Because it’s at 40 percent ABV I will not be adding water to this one.
Hey that’s a question. Since a spirit has to be at 40 percent - at a minimum - to be legally classified as a Scotch whisky, if I add water to a 40 percent whisky and dilute it below that point, have I turned it into a non-whisky? I don’t know! If any of you reading this who are smarter than me (which is basically ALL of you reading this) knows the answer, hit me up.
Finish:
The finish is pleasant but not especially long. I’m left with a little cigarette ash, sweet vanilla candy, and spiced, wet wood chips.
Rating:
I do admit to approaching “40 percent ABV releases” with a bit of skepticism, sometimes, but with this one, it was done with purpose and the result is a lovely mix of sweet and smoky, with neither one hitting you over the head. In fact, I’d have to say this one is quite the easy drinker. I don’t often use this word with Ardbeg, but it’s fresh. Now I’ve heard long-time Ardbeg drinkers say the original 17 year old was better. I’ve never tried the old 17 so I don’t have a good point of reference there. But judging this release on its own merits, this is a fine whisky. Do I wish it was a little bit cheaper? Well, yes, but I always wish that. Do I wish they actually told us if there’s been coloring added? Of course. Would I buy it again? Sure. This one was released as an Ardbeg “Committee Exclusive”, so while it probably won’t show up on the shelves of your local retailer, it’s still available, somewhere. I’m giving the new Ardbeg 17 year old release a 9 finger pour.
Age Statement: 17 years
ABV: 40 %
Chill-filtered: yes
E150a caramel coloring added: no (?)
Average Price (700ml): £150 (UK)
