Have Ardbeg gone too far?

[DillyT]

At work today my bottle of the Arrrrrrbeg arrived (Yes I got one) and some of the guys at work have been fans of Ardbeg since they could just about walk.

So I showed them the bottle as I have done with all the other committee releases I have had over the years. One said how much for a NAS?, another said it is looking like they are just selling bottles for the sake of it. Another said this is just blank random bottle with no info.

So have Ardbeg gone too far with the NAS bottlings and prices? or are they just keeping up with everyone else?

I am just wondering if they have been over producing new make like others have so the fastest way of using it is NAS bottlings. Also if it was a true committee release how did Robbies whisky merchants get hold of 36+ bottles of it?

https://www.robbieswhiskymerchants.com/item/2912/Ardbeg/Ardbeg---Arrrrrrrdbeg---2021---Committee-Release---Single-Malt-Scotch-Whisky.html

[BigShing]

I don't know, how fast did those 36+ bottles sell out? As much as I do indeed think Ardbeg are taking the *** with these prices for NAS bottlings that I often can't find any really overly-enthusiastic reviews of, I think whisky fans need to take a long hard look at themselves and wonder if they have more money than sense if they are happy to pay £150 on a NAS offering like this.

[davidbe]

[BigShing]

Yeah I was gonna mention the 25yr, yowza did that make me do a double take when I read their ardbeg committee announcement! Mind you, 25yr old whisky is so far out of my price range I wasn't sure if £700 was all that excessive a price tbh!

[webdunk]

For the first time in about a decade I didn't bother with a Committee Release. It felt too dear, I haven't bonded with Rye casks at all and the video featuring Mickey and a colleague appeared to me as if THEY weren't enjoying it all that much! Stunned to see it at £180 on https://www.whiskyshop.com/auctions/ already!? (Not that it's on the site rather that it's £180.)

The 25yr pricing actually makes a whole lot more sense when you compare it to Lord of the Isles, the last OB 25yr which is fetching £1k regularly. Coupled with what appears to be limited stock, they may even have underpriced it
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@in5tadram

[davidbe]

[Whiskyisart]

I guess it is all down to whose lens you look at it through. Of course £150 for a NAS is steep to us and would have been considered bonkers a few years ago.

But

These bottles will sell out, the demand will outstrip supply as per usual so you can’t blame Ardbeg for pushing the price point. From Ardbeg’s point of view the only time they will have gone too far is when the bottles don’t sell out.
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[unblended]

do you think there trying to get status similar to macallan

but in all seriousness is it a bridge to far for some

[AB53Coo]

As long as people pay for it I think Ardbeg are just following the trend.

Personally I think 143 was too much for a NAS and it put me off buying it, however woll there be people going to be desperate to taste a NAS rye finish? I say leave it for the bottle flippers

[DillyT]

[quote="davidbe"]

[davidbe]

It's a normal thing for there to be retailer bottles of the Committee releases, has occured many times before.

My inherent problem with the release is that there's little information on what type of rye the casks involved are. Is it a heavy rye cask, like a 100% rye? Or a 'barely legal' 51% rye cask, in which case I doubt many would be able to tell the difference between that and a bourbon cask (which makes it a very expensive NAS almost-bourbon cask release).

If we had, you know, information, that would help us decipher whether it was a valuable release, but alas that's not what the industry was built on, eh.

[Dave h]

More a question have the customers or cult followers been brainwashed into thinking this is a good whisky and good price. They could bottle anything and still create a frenzy.

Id like to try, I'm one who has never understood the cult following and rush for their bottles... should I join in the fun.
So glad I've not got that addiction (just now) or feeling to buy it, or fear of missing out.

Price point will only be fair if the liquid is excellent. Look forward to people's first impressions

[AlexArthur]

Of course they have gone too far. As I have said before, we should use our purchasing power with care - do not encourage this kind of behaviours. £150 for a NAS, so what is next?
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Love of Whisk(e)y and Other Quality Spirits

[MattS]

For contrast, Wemyss have released a 28 year Bunna for £150

[TheMaster]

This all depends on how you attribute value;

Is it against how it tastes?
Is it against you're enjoyment?
If it against future prices?
Is it against an arbitrary number slapped on a bottle, that means little?
Is it against how much of something is available?
Is it against the score that some egotistical, self pontificating dinosaur gives it?

Everyone has their own barometer. Is a 12yo better than a 30yo? What if they're in rubbish casks for 30 years? Is it "worth" more?

Personally I checked out of Ardbeg Committee releases long ago, or anything not in the standard lines.


If we're pointing fingers here point them at the right people; anyone who takes part in auctions.