94 The Whisky Advocate

Matured for 16 years before being finished for several months in wine casks from France’s Pineau des Charentes region. Fragrant citrus and vanilla on the nose. A complex, creamy, and smooth mouthfeel of brown sugar, chocolate, and golden raisins, all cloaked in vanilla and sprinkled with savory spice. A vanilla-tinged finish with great length.

96 Wine Enthusiast

Lively, complex and deeply aromatic, with hits of Christmas spice, orange blossom and vanilla. It’s spicy on the tongue, with lots of woodsy vanilla and orange. Medium body, this would rock a Bourbon-based Sazerac. —K.N.

91 The Whisky Advocate

The new Original, changed from 10 to 12 years old, stands tall with fresh ripe orange and peach fruitiness on the nose, then honey, vanilla cream, wood spice, and exotic flora notes. The palate revolves around lemon, vanilla, apricot, peach, and orange, plus cinnamon and banana bread. The ripeness of the fruit and the creaminess stand out above the floral and vanilla elements of the old 10 year old.

95 The Whisky Advocate

Well-structured aromas with floral top notes, seasoned oak, vanilla, peat smoke, banana chip, and pecan bars. The interaction of oak, smoke, cigar, and deep-toned wood sugars makes this pretty special. Smooth to sip, with toffee, vanilla, citrus, bountiful fruits, smoke, and spice, burgeoning with burnt heather, toasted nuts, oak char, malty chocolate, coffee, and black fruits. Simply stunning blending.

5 The Whiskey Wash

I could exhaust a majority of superlatives in my vocabulary lauding this whisky. It is quite simply a masterful evocation of what imaginative blending can be when conjoined with a precise understanding of balance and the unique ways that terroir manifests in Scotch. Here we have a representative sampling of multiple regions, each bringing their own idiosyncratic traits to the whole and allowing them to shine individually while also creating a harmonious depth that is greater than the sum of its parts. And yet does so with a subtlety that seems the peak of elegance. --------- Whisky enthusiasts should find it worth every penny (and then some) of its $300 or so price-tag, and with a mere 5,400 bottles produced, I imagine collectors will jump at this rarity that I believe will come to be regarded as a genuine classic.

92 The Whisky Advocate

This new version of Black label—6 months older and four proof points higher—has orange marmalade, lemon grove, and raisin bread sweetness on the nose, tempered by oak tannins. The palate offers balanced spice and nuttiness, and vanilla-chocolate ice cream draped in warm fudge. Chocolate notes keep coming, along with a light pecan nuttiness. The texture is rounded and smooth, with an agreeable lightness that doesn’t sacrifice structure or depth. A long, pleasant finish of orange and vanilla, balanced by earthy notes of leather and black pepper.

95+ International Whisky Competition - International Whisky Competition

TOP 15 Whiskies of 2021... #1. Ardbeg Uigeadail - 95.9 Pts

95 Malt Advocate

Ardbeg Uigeadail, 54.2% With the Ardbeg 17 year old off the market, its nice to see a new Ardbeg in the line-up. Uigeadail costs about the same as the Ardbeg 17 did but, with Uigeadail, you re getting a much more interesting whisky. Uigeadail consists of a marriage of younger whisky (from 1990 and 1993) with much older whisky matured in sherry casks. The marriage works exceptionally well, with the younger whiskies providing the classic Ardbeg intensity many of us have come to expect, while the older whiskies contribute depth, maturity, and complexity. And bottling the whisky at cask-strength without chill-filtration ensures that none of the flavors are stripped out. This is an incredibly complex Islay whisky, with its bonfire smoke, brine, and peppered olive notes balanced by a taming sweetness of vanilla, marshmallow, and toffee. Interwoven notes of candied fruit and sugared almonds round out the palate. Incredibly long finish.

94 The Whisky Advocate

Now finished for 2 years in a combination of sauternes, monbazillac, muscatel, and tokaji casks, this has mouthwatering aromas of peach syrup, warm brioche, orange cake, fruit pastries, and ripe apricot. The palate is drenched in baked fruit flavors, with apricot, orange Jell-O, and orange honey, plus pepper. The mouthfeel is succulent and unctuous, revealing baked pastries, flaked almond, brioche, cinnamon toast, bananas Foster, and creamy toffee to finish. No. 8 in our Top 20 of 2024.