We continue our series of Ardbeg Fèis Ìle releases with three more Ardbeg: Drum, Blaaack and Scotch. Between Blaaack and Scorch, Ardbeg released Arrrrrrrdbeg!, but we’ll review it another time, since for now we’re focusing on those Fèis Ìle releases, from 2019 to 2021 today.
Ardbeg Drum Committee Release (2019) Review
The Ardbeg Drum is Ardbeg 2019’s Fèis Ìle release. Bottled – for the Committee Release edition – on the 20th of November 2018, it was released in March 2019. The general release had to wait for the end of May or early June. It matured in ex-Bourbon casks at first, then underwent a finish in ex-rum casks from the Americas. This Committee Release edition is bottled at 52% ABV, with natural colour and non-chill filtered. Back in 2019, I paid €100 for my bottle, but now you’ll have to pay more than £200 from shops to get one, so you’d better check auctions for a more reasonable price.
Colour:
Pale gold.
Nose:
Neat: The first impression is a thick wave of sweet, tarry peat smoke, with a distinctly coastal edge: sea spray, brine and a slightly medicinal acridity lurking in the background. Tropical fruits quickly push through the smoke – grilled pineapple rings and ripe banana, with some tinned peach syrup adding extra stickiness. The rum finish brings treacle, Demerara sugar and molasses, giving a dark, almost sticky sweetness that clings to the peat. Underneath, there is a more rustic side: dried grass, damp hay and a touch of mossy dunnage warehouse funk, all dusted with a little cocoa powder and vanilla pod.
With water: A few drops of water calm the nose, softening the acrid edge of the smoke and turning it into gentler, more diffuse ash. The sweetness steps forward: more vanilla, sponge cake and treacle, with foam banana and confectionery notes becoming more obvious.
Palate:
Neat: The arrival is oily, thick and immediately assertive, with a surge of ashy smoke, tar and dirty peat taking the lead. The tropical theme follows quickly: banana fritters, caramelised pineapple and papaya in syrup, all wrapped in rum-soaked sweetness. A firm backbone of spice runs through the mid-palate – black pepper and ginger, with a prickle of clove and chilli heat, giving the impression of a high-octane, slightly wild dram. There is also a distinctly coastal and industrial side: rock pools, olive brine, engine oil and warm asphalt, contributing a mineral and slightly metallic edge.
With water: Water eases the texture from thick and aggressive to slightly smoother and more approachable, while still remaining suitably oily. The front palate turns sweeter and more dessert-like, with caramel, vanilla cream and sponge cake becoming more prominent, and the flinty, mineral edge receding a little. The spice profile also shifts: black pepper heat subsides somewhat, letting softer baking spices – cinnamon, gingerbread and a touch of nutmeg – take over.
Finish:
The finish is long, drying and insistent, with tarry ash and peppery, medicinal smoke lingering for a good while. Warming spices – ginger and a hint of chilli – continue to glow, wrapped in toasted brown sugar and dark treacle. As it slowly fades, dried apple and papaya appear, along with a residual tropical sweetness that gradually gives way to earthy, slightly musty warehouse notes and a faint bitterness.
Comments:
This Ardbeg Drum Committee Release is a young and bold Ardbeg, taking no prisoners, with the nose and palate going to multiple directions at the same time. It’s fun, but it lacks a bit of maturity and direction. A very nice dram nonetheless.
Rating: 6.5/10
Ardbeg Blaaack Committee Release (2020) Review
Next, we have the Ardbeg Blaaack, released for Fèis Ìle 2020. It matured in Pinot Noir wine casks from New Zealand, before being bottled on the 17th of December 2019 for the Committee Release, at 50.7% ABV. The Limited edition was itself bottled at 46% ABV. As usual, no chill filtration nor added colour. At the time, I paid €110 for my Committee Release bottle (so a 10% price increase from the previous Committee Release), but now online shops will ask from £240/€250 for a bottle. Once again, auctions and the rest of the secondary market will be your best chance to get a bottle at a better price.
Colour:
Burnished.
Nose:
Neat: The nose reveals sooty, ashy peat smoke upfront, laced with maritime brine, sea salt and a touch of iodine for classic Islay character. Red berries shine – ripe strawberries, black cherries and raspberries – with bright citrus like tangerine and lime. Deeper layers bring dark chocolate, roasted coffee, damp forest earth, cinnamon spice and subtle mint, balanced by vanilla creaminess.
With water: Water dials back the peat intensity, amplifying salty citrus – fresh lime and lemon – alongside juicier berries and softer smoke. Cocoa lightens with added vanilla, bread-like malt and creaminess, while spice integrates more smoothly.
Palate:
Neat: The palate is full-bodied and oily. It opens with dry oaky tannins and robust peat, where wine cask influence strips some sweetness for a structured feel. Smoked berries – raspberry, strawberry, black cherry and plum – mingle with dark chocolate, tobacco, pepper and charred oak. Citrus zest, burnt toast and vegetal earthiness add a savoury bite, with fleeting nutty and fudge notes for contrast.
With water: Tannins relax for an easier flow, letting red fruits, ashier peat and citrus zest emerge clearly with vanilla balance. Smoke fills the mouth more evenly, with reduced grip and gentler spice.
Finish:
Long and warming, led by ashy smoke, dark chocolate, peppery tannins and roasted coffee, trailing into campfire embers and brambly fruit echoes. A dry, slightly astringent close lingers with cooling citrus and smoky meats.
Comments:
Some kind of witchery happened here. Once again, peat and red wine casks, a combination that usually doesn’t work at all for me, do work here, more than well. Of course, like most of Ardbeg’s non-age statement whiskies, you can tell it’s quite young. But Blaack is bold, packed full of flavour, and at a nice ABV here, so in the end, that’s what we expect from an Ardbeg, don’t we?
Rating: 7/10
Ardbeg Scorch Committee Release (2021) Review
Fèis Ìle 2021 saw the release of Ardbeg Scorch. This Ardbeg matured in ex-heavily charred wood that previously held some Ardbeg whisky. Ardbeg bottled the Committee Release at 51.7% ABV, without chill filtration nor added colour. This is still available at online shops, in Germany for instance from €150, and in the UK from £175. I paid €115 for my bottle back in 2021.
Colour:
Amontillado.
Nose:
Neat: Intense charred oak and sooty, woody smoke dominate, with earthy peat, bonfire ash and oily tarry notes. Herbal spices emerge – aniseed, patchouli, fennel, pine and bay leaf – alongside vanilla, nuts and subtle sweetness from caramel or toffee. Fruits add contrast: green apple, lemon peel and smoked strawberries/raspberries. Coastal hints of brine and iodine lurk beneath, with chocolate cookies and ground mustard.
With water: Char intensifies herbal top notes – fennel, pine, and anise – while smoke softens to warm, velvety peat with more vanilla and fruity clarity.
Palate:
Neat: Oily and spicy arrival bursts with throat antiseptic spray, tar, liquorice, clove-pepper and heavy bonfire smoke. Charred wood, burnt oak and sandalwood sweetness follow, with vanilla fudge, gingerbread and pears in syrup. Peat delivers smoked meat, earthiness and medicinal bite, balanced by milk chocolate, tonka bean and subtle fruits like peaches.
With water: Spice mellows slightly, allowing sweeter vanilla, caramel and peat to integrate with less aggressive char and tar.
Finish:
Long and sooty, with tarry ash, black pepper, burnt wood and lingering smoke embers. Warming spice fades into dry, slightly bitter oak, chocolate echoes and a touch of medicinal character.
Comments:
Ardbeg Scorch provides a simpler and purer look at Ardbeg, and a nod to the famous Alligator (that we’ll review on More Drams at some point). But simpler does not mean less good, far from that, as Scorch really is a very good Ardbeg.