Ardbeg Uigeadail Scotch – Review

Ardbeg Uigeadail Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

108.4 Proof

Price Point: $70 – $80 for 750 ML

Distiller: Ardbeg Distillery Limited

Background

Today happens to be my birthday, so I thought I would make today’s post extra special by reviewing an extraordinary Scotch – Ardbeg Uigeadail.  For those of you unfamiliar with this whisky, it has achieved quite a reputation in many other blogs and publications.  I am perpetually a skeptic, as taste is something entirely subjective, and is often influenced by things outside of the quality of the whisky (marketing, price point, fellow bloggers, etc.).  So when I first shelled out $75 for a bottle of Uigeadail, I was really hoping that the rest of the world was right.  Maybe I should stop being so skeptical…

Review

The nose is powerful on this stuff.  There’s smoke (obviously!) and motor oil, burning and alluring all at once.  Uigeadail is also conversely floral, like a walk through Longwood Gardens.  This is a nosing whisky on steroids.

The taste is simply incredible.  Uigeadail is sherry and smoke (sweet and salty) combined to perfection.  I was a little concerned that the sherry influence would extract some of the powerful maritime notes I was familiar with from the 10 Year Old, but it seems they are even more evident in this whisky.  There’s some nice oak in here too – you can really taste the time and care in the aging process.  This is Islay at its absolute best.

Uigeadail has a refined, ultra-aged finish, complemented by the 54.2% ABV.  Fantastic!

Rating & Recommendations

This is my favorite Scotch to date, easily earning a rating of 96 out of 100.

Uigeadail is perfection for Islay whisky lovers, and should be on your bucket list if you call yourself a Scotch fan.  Not for the whisky novice, but absolutely should be in your whisky queue.

-Ryan