This Ardbeg Blasda caused a bit of a shockwave among afficionados. For the first time, the distillery would release a virtually unpeated whisky (8 parts per million instead of 24 ppm). The fans feared that it would be a light “Fanta” version (also because it is bottled at just 40% strength).

Ardbeg Blasda (40%, OB 2008)

Nose: light and very clean. Quite fruity with juicy apple, fresh lemon and some kiwi. Still noticeably peaty, more than you would expect, with notes of ashes. Slightly coastal as well. Mint. Mouth: again light and clean. Sweet peat, peaches on syrup, lemon. A bit too shy in my opinion. It’s probably too young to have a lot of character. Finish: spicy, peaty, lemony. The nose, the palate and the finish are really playing in the same field here. You could call that harmonious, or you could call that a bit boring.

Let’s try to evaluate this without Ardbegs tradition in mind, as a new brand so to speak. It’s decent whisky, but not exciting. Light and easy, a good choice for a hot summer day. All in all, I guess there are better examples of lightly peated drams, but I’d love to taste this after a few extra years in the cask. Around € 55.

An extra point for the elegant packaging!

Score: 81/100