Ardbeg Auriverdes

It's time for a rare sample from a 2014 festival from Ardbeg: Auriverdes. This bottling was created to celebrate the 2014 Men’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The colors of the Brazilian flag are green and gold, which inspired the name of this spirit. 'Auri' (gold) and 'verdes' (green) also relate to the golden hue of the spirit and the distinctive green bottle. The only modification to the spirit was toasting the cask ends to impart a more charred flavor into the non-age-statement spirit. It is bottled at 49.9% ABV and is non-chill filtered with no added colorant. It appears a deep, golden yellow in the glass with thin, indistinct legs and small droplets. The aroma is primarily smoked brisket, oak spirals, and fire pit smoke. Secondary notes are slightly minty, eucalyptus leaves, and some lemon zest, typical of Ardbeg. They haven't strayed from the usual profile with this release. The palate features both campfire smoke and earthy peat, with a faint sherry sweetness and vanilla note appearing mid-sip. The youthful spirit drives the backend, feeling oily and warming. The mouthfeel is on the lighter side and becomes dry towards the finish. Speaking of the finish, it's medium in length with a very light sweetness and smoke. Earthy minerals linger, making the final moments a bit bitter and harsh. It doesn't detract from the experience, but it doesn't enhance it either. As a festival bottling, I experienced some disappointment. There wasn't any significant experimentation involved. Bottles have mostly vanished from store shelves, and you'd need to look on an auction site to find one now. Prices have remained stable for this one - around $80-100 USD should get you one, but I'm not sure it's worth that price, frankly. Stick with the 10yo or the An Oa for $20-30 less. Thanks to my friend from Maryland for this sample pour. I have a couple of bottles of this, as I've assembled some Ardbeg festival sets, but I don't see a reason to open them. They have moderate collectible value, so that's how I'll keep them. 3.5-3.75 stars. Cheers.

Appreciation to a friend for sharing a generous sample of this exceptional spirit. This is a spirit from five years ago, released during the FIFA Men’s World Cup in Brazil, hence the name meaning gold and blue. The connection between whisky and the World Cup is unclear, likely a marketing tactic. It's frustrating that no distilleries marketed anything for the Women's World Cup, missing opportunities to feature prominent athletes. However, moving on to the spirit itself: This is a spirit from this brand. It's good. That's the main point. It's young, quite expensive, and exceptionally good, featuring notes of sweet tar, smoked herring, and lemon zest. However, would I choose this over their standard offerings or other specific releases? No. I believe their core range is so outstanding that there's little reason to be drawn to limited, marketing-driven releases, even if they produce good spirits. The annual special releases are for dedicated collectors. The truly valuable find is their standard, readily available, and excellent core lineup. Thanks to my friend... another fine spirit from this brand.

On May 31, 2014, Ardbeg released "Auriverdes" for Ardbeg Day, coinciding with the start of the World Cup in Brazil. The name represents Brazil's football team and the distillery's green bottles and gold whisky. Immediately, you notice Ardbeg's signature peat aroma, but it's subdued. It smells of moss, pineapple, grapefruit, and cigarettes. It evokes a farm pond, with the peat mingling with citrus and tropical scents. Notes of BBQ sauce, bacon, ashtray, lemon, and lime are present. It's very complex; swirling the glass reveals new scents. Hints of white wine appear. After the first sip, I detected two new tasting notes for me: old stamps and old wet paint. The palate is fruity, with currants and grapefruit. It's very smooth, with the peat feeling like a background element by a fireplace, not overpowering. Vanilla is also present. The aftertaste follows suit: cigarettes, tobacco, pepper, grilled grain salt, and a sulfuric note. Burnt hay, pepper, and ashtray are also detected. Overall, this is an outstanding whisky, particularly due to its intriguing aromas. Despite not being a soccer fan and not loving the 2014 Brazil World Cup, I was eager to try it. My rating for this excellent single malt is 90 out of 100.

Peat. A divisive characteristic. For peat lovers, this distillery may set the standard for peated spirits. Their standard range of spirits are benchmarks, used to gauge the quality of a peated spirit. Thanks to a friend for providing this sample, from a long time ago. As it sits and opens up, it evokes images of cool autumn beach days. Cedar wraps around bacon, smoked with spearmint notes, wafting with a maritime brine. The peat is not overwhelming. It's rich. Notes of dark honey, dark roast coffee and dark chocolate shavings with an earthy quality. A slick texture with sweetness and earthiness. Hints of sherry with dark chocolate, lemon citrus, and charcoal. There's a youthful spiciness that appears late, towards the start of the finish, with cracked black pepper and ground cinnamon. A long-lasting finish with the spicy tingle slowly giving way to charcoal, tobacco, oak, and the associated drying tannins. This is a milder version of that distillery's typical profile. The usually strong peat and earth are less pronounced compared to, for instance, the 10 year expression. It's enjoyable, though the lack of aging has prevented the development of more potential flavors. To be fair, it's a solid dram but is overshadowed by the main three expressions. It will appeal; it's enjoyable and youthful, but falls a bit short compared to its siblings. [87/100][Tasted: 2/13/21]

I tried Auriverdes at a whiskey bar in Vancouver, excited because I hadn't seen it in the States for some time. It's interesting but not worth the extra cost compared to the standard offerings. The nose had a wine-like quality complementing Ardbeg's smoke, but it came across like cooking wine, with some vinegar and tartness. At times, I also detected a milky note and hay. The palate started sweet with orchard fruits, and the mid- and back palate were dominated by a powerful, complex, charred Ardbeg smoke. The finish offered a coffee and cream combination as the smoke lingered, but without a surge of flavors. I've found the distillery's special releases can be inconsistent, but they're always worth trying. Given its price, though, I'd prefer a bottle of 10 and a bottle of Uigeadail, as I like those two whiskies better. I'd rate it around 4 stars if it cost $80 or less, but at $120+, I'll reduce it to 3.5.

The marketing team at Ardbeg is certainly creative. This was originally released to celebrate last year's World Cup (Auri = gold, Verdes = green, referencing Brazil's national team colors). I'm still trying to connect the Brazilian team to Islay whisky, but it's likely beyond my understanding. Putting the sport aside, this is actually a very good whisky. The nose has peat and citrus, followed by coffee and chocolate, and finishes with a campfire note. Considering the price, you're likely paying more for the marketing than the whisky itself, but regardless of price, it's a solid dram. As a side note, if I were an Ardbeg marketer linking this to Brazil, I might have finished it in caipirinha casks. It probably wouldn't make for good whisky, though.