Ardbeg 1976 GM

Overall rating
89.94/100
votes
54
Whiskybase ID
WB3143
Category
Single Malt
Distillery
Bottler
Gordon & MacPhail (GM)
Bottling serie
Connoisseurs Choice
Vintage
1976
Bottled
1999
Calculated age
23 years old
Strength
40.0 % Vol.
Size
700 ml 750 ml
Label
Map Label
Bottle code
II/CH
Barcode
5020613147027
Added on
22 aug 2008 12:10 pm
Colored

Average value

€ 1149.00

2 × in wishlist

54 × member ratings

38 × in collection

Whisky reviews for Ardbeg 1976 GM

5 users have left 7 reviews for this whisky. Average rating is 89.94 points.

  1. hs305 scored this whisky 90 points Connoisseur

    [November, 2019] I had this dram during a FoSM club tasting...

    ...and this is the great old Ardbeg I adore, but unfortunately it is a little underpowered with just 40% abv so the strong flavours profile and the rather weak mouthfeel do not really fit together. But hey, this is criticism at a very high level.
    • Nose
      93 93
      The colour is old gold and the nose offers the typical old-style (early) seventies Ardbeg profile which is incredibly complex and full of flabbergasting impressions like freshly tarred roads, old byre, machine oils of all different kinds, fishing nets - beside the traditional aromas you still find in modern drams (e.g., barley sugars, fruits, spices, peat). Great stuff, especially after I had many modern-style drams before...
    • Taste
      89 89
      The taste is nicely layered on all the fine flavours of the nose but it is a little weak due to the low abv - somehow the strong flavours do not fit with the low alcohol power, unfortunately. If this dram was a little more powered (e.g., at 46% abv) it would be much better and easily be a 90+ score - so I rate the taste 89 points only (but I can understand if others go for the higher score nonetheless).
    • Finish
      90 90
      The initial mouthfeel is warming and coating without distracting moments. The finish is long and turns even more bitter-sweet with both sugars and peaty notes getting stronger. No bitter or drying notes during the whole of the finish but still it lacks some "oompf", unfortunately. I did not add water to this anyhow underpowered dram.

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  3. Gusto scored this whisky 90 points Expert Senior

    Of course the starch is too diluted. Behind this tenderness, however, there is a strong aroma. A delicate wood, as old bottlings sometimes show. Coffee latte? Milk chocolate? Completely different from today's wood, beyond aggressiveness, soft, delicately sweet.
    • Nose
      90 90
    • Taste
      91 91
    • Finish
      89 89

  4. stefsel111 scored this whisky 90 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      92 92
    • Taste
      90 90
    • Finish
      92 92

  5. Cubey666 scored this whisky 88 points Connoisseur

    Tasted at Whisky in Leiden 2017

    a very gently soft ardbeg, as far as ardbegs are gentle and soft. really well rounded and layered.
    It would be even better if the %avb was a bit higher, to give it a bit more power.
    • Nose
      90 90
    • Taste
      85 85
    • Finish
      88 88

  6. hs305 scored this whisky 90 points Connoisseur

    [September, 2014]  I had another dram during an Ardbeg-Masterclass tasting at Bonn.

    In my old rating system (ten scales that translate into WB points: 50 - 66 - 75 - 80 - 82,5 - 85 - 87,5 - 90 - 92,5 - 95) I scored it 90.  My notes state a nice OBF (old bottle flavour).

  7. hs305 scored this whisky 90 points Connoisseur

    [April, 2000]  I had this dram during an Ardbeg rarities tasting at Rolandsbogen.  The price of this fine tasting was as low as 180 Deutschmark (90 Euro) plus 70 Deutschmark for an excellent four-course dinner. 

    In my old rating system (ten scales that translate into WB points: 50 - 66 - 75 - 80 - 82,5 - 85 - 87,5 - 90 - 92,5 - 95) I scored this 87,5 points only.  My notes state it is a little bit stronger than the 1974 and has a long finish.  This low rating might be caused by the extraordinary line-up this evening (see below), in a stand-alone setting or when compared with today's stuff this most probably will get a significant higher score...

    It was an extraordinary decadent line-up this evening:
    - https://www.whiskybase.com/whisky/25438/ardbeg-1975-rwd
    - https://www.whiskybase.com/whisky/22965/ardbeg-1975-ca
    - https://www.whiskybase.com/whisky/13870/ardbeg-ten
    - https://www.whiskybase.com/whisky/12324/ardbeg-10-year-old-guaranteed
    - https://www.whiskybase.com/whisky/1636/ardbeg-1974-gm
    - https://www.whiskybase.com/whisky/3143/ardbeg-1976-gm
    - https://www.whiskybase.com/whisky/43686/ardbeg-1964-gm
    - https://www.whiskybase.com/whisky/62/ardbeg-30-year-old-very-old
    - https://www.whiskybase.com/whisky/7342/ardbeg-1967-sv
    - https://www.whiskybase.com/whisky/7341/ardbeg-1967-sv
    - https://www.whiskybase.com/whisky/675/ardbeg-1974-provenance
    - https://www.whiskybase.com/whisky/1306/ardbeg-1976-cask-2391

    and as a bonus dram "one for the road"
    - https://www.whiskybase.com/whisky/4235/ardbeg-1972-dl

  8. MaltMartin scored this whisky 84 points Connoisseur

    A gentle Ardbeg from a legendary year for this distillery.
    • Nose
      Delicate smokiness. Iodine. Cough syrup. Vegetal and grassy notes as well. Oakiness. Seaweed. Tar.
    • Taste
      Medium full bodied. Peaty. Orange marmelade. Candied apples. Lemon as well. Some almond nuts. Kelp. It's all very juicy and smooth.
    • Finish
      Quite long. Sweet oak. Dryness.

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