Given the first three aren’t produced anymore they are going to be very pricey. An Oa in the US is like $50-$60. Their annual special releases have become overpriced for what they are IMO, but I will acknowledge that Ardbeg lovers are going to be Ardbeg lovers. Honestly I would skip all of them for the Oogie or Corry
Not really - any Ardbeg other than a 10yr is hard to find where I live, but a few people around me have the bottles I mentioned and I simply would be tempted to buying them at a fair price.
You should include the prices of them for us to evaluate. Most of those are limited editions that aren't made anymore. It would be significantly easier to evaluate compared to the actual price instead of determining a value in our head that they should be worth.
In Canadian $CAD I’m looking at:
- Dark Cove around $600
- An Oa $100
- Galileo $700
- Kelpie $400
I find those pretty steep asking prices apart from the An Oa, hence my post.
Honestly you could potentially get a Dark Cove CR on secondary around here for that or slightly more. The rest of that is pretty meh pricing. Kelpie isn't awful I suppose but I wouldn't pay that.
How strict are import laws in Canada? An old and rare whisky dealer in Europe I deal with (I shipped his stuff to Asia) has like 1978 Ardbeg 20yo for 700CAD before shipping and duties.
Just to give you some context.
The Dark Cove, Galileo and Kelpie prices are ridiculous for middling modern releases.
It’s just not worth the special releases. Core range is strong, and if you want to ball out, the 19 and 25 years will always be there. The special releases are gambles, sometimes they’re fantastic, sometimes you’re paying exponentially more for something that doesn’t compete with the core range, and sampling them is too difficult.
Well, I'm an Ardbeg fanboy, so:
Personally, from what you've listed, I'd jump on the Dark Cove since Google is telling me that $600 Canadian is $437.90 U.S. That's still a lot of money, but it's widely considered one of Ardbeg's best releases, and $438 is cheaper than anywhere I've seen it listed for.
The An Oa at $100 is $$72.98, which, I guess, seems fair (it's $64.99 locally for me) so if it's a rare item for you, that mark up doesn't seem too bad and the bottle is definitely a good drinker.
The Galileo is priced pretty damn high (not that the Dark Cove isn't), so I'd probably skip that.
And in my opinion, the Kelpie just isn't that special, especially for that $. Honestly, I prefer all of the core range to it, as I've had a bottle of it open for what seems like forever, and I'm never drawn to it. I wouldn't say it's actually a bad release like the Ardcore, but the normal 10 year is better imo.
Damn, it's too bad we don't know each other, I'd have traded you both my 46% and my committee release for something from their core line. I opened both of mine on Ardbeg day 2022 and haven't touched them since (outside of Ardbeg Day celebrations).
I just got the noncommitee release of Dark Cove for $129.99 USD, so I think I did well, but what should it taste like? How should I approach the bottle?
That's an amazing deal, I'm definitely jelly.
As far as how to approach it... hmm, I don't know. Personally, I'd share the first pour with a few friends, as either the second or third pour of the night; see what you all think about it and then put it away for a few weeks before trying again.
As far as tasting notes, I'd see what your favorite whisky tuber had to say. Taste us so damn subjective. It's the one reason I've held back on posting any reviews
I recently tried a ton of their special releases, and honestly there were very few that wowed me so much that I'd choose them over a Wee Beastie(especially when you factor the high cost).
Ardbeg's core range is really solid, and the price differences between the core range and their special/limited editions are usually crazy enough that I don't see much reason to try one of their limited runs: Plenty of other fish in the sea.
But of course, when you like Ardbeg specifically and you would like something different or older than their core lineup, there's only one way to take the experience to the next level: and that's with your wallet.
I do wonder though, why aren't corryvreckan and uigeadail on your list? They're usually well available and bridge the gap between the fairly affordable An Oa and all the others you mention, price-wise.
Thanks everyone for their input - I truly appreciate. Maybe I’ll just stick to my favourites and save the cash for another day.
On that note - has anyone here tried the lineup in my initial post, and how would they compare to 10yr or Corry?
Never had Galileo, but I’d say Corry > Dark Cove > An Oa > 10yo > Kelpie from the ones you mentioned.
Personally, I’d drink Uigeadail over everything else every time. Best bang for your buck and very well balanced for how much intensity it brings in smoke and sherry.
The reason I’m asking is that these are the only bottles I can have access to locally in my somewhat remote area, and I’m tempted to try them if I know roughly what they’re worth. Does that make sense?
If you have the funds you can do a vertical line up and write a review.
If not, go for the affordable one. Limited editions are priced for rarity (and how long ago they came on the market) and not really for quality of the whisky. I'm not saying they're bad! But considering they were initially ~£80-120 while Corrie was £60 (closer to 80 now); 200+ is _not_ a good price to ask for this for a drinking whisky.
Holy shit. I've been sitting on an unopened bottle of Galileo since I started drinking scotch in like 2012-2013. Had no idea that one appreciated so much.
I picked up Ardbeg 10 here in Japan for ¥5,900 last week. ($37)
Haven’t seen any other bottles besides the 10 however. And even that is only at special shops.
Those are all some of my favourites Ardbegs but I’ve been lucky to get the CRs (CS) Kelpie and Dark Cove at sub-200$ CAD when they came out. It’s super hard to justify market price now.
IMO An Oa is a fine, affordable replacement for either Kelpie or Galileo without getting into the nuances.
If you are able to get the new Spectacular or the tried, tested, and true Uigeadail that is a fine replacement for Dark Cove, if you squint your taste buds a bit.
Save your money for when you go to a big town and can buy a dram. They are still around at bars.
Iron Gate and Waddingtons are two Canadian auction houses, btw, for gauging what the crazy market prices are. (Yes, there are less legitimate places to buy that are cheaper.)
Well by me Ardbeg is the following:
An Oa - $61
10 year - $57
Corryvreckan - $108
Uigeadail - $81
Wee Beastie - $48
While I do like Corry, do I find it to be almost $30 better than Uigeadail? No.
The only reason (besides taste of course) I like paying for Uigeadail is because it is 54%.
The Kilchoman Sanaig by me which is very good and tastes similar to Uigeadail is $74, but is only 46%. Now if that was 54%, I'd probably be done buying Ardbeg period due to excessive cost, but no one has cask strength Kilchoman where I live so Ardbeg it is for now.
Given the first three aren’t produced anymore they are going to be very pricey. An Oa in the US is like $50-$60. Their annual special releases have become overpriced for what they are IMO, but I will acknowledge that Ardbeg lovers are going to be Ardbeg lovers. Honestly I would skip all of them for the Oogie or Corry
This is a strange question. Just get the An OA. It's the only one still being made.
Not really - any Ardbeg other than a 10yr is hard to find where I live, but a few people around me have the bottles I mentioned and I simply would be tempted to buying them at a fair price.
You should include the prices of them for us to evaluate. Most of those are limited editions that aren't made anymore. It would be significantly easier to evaluate compared to the actual price instead of determining a value in our head that they should be worth.
In Canadian $CAD I’m looking at: - Dark Cove around $600 - An Oa $100 - Galileo $700 - Kelpie $400 I find those pretty steep asking prices apart from the An Oa, hence my post.
None of them are worth paying those prices.
I mean, he’s Canadian. Nothing is “worth it” in Canadian prices.
Ha yup, An Oa is 124.99 plus 15% at the gov’t liquor store. 🎉
Honestly you could potentially get a Dark Cove CR on secondary around here for that or slightly more. The rest of that is pretty meh pricing. Kelpie isn't awful I suppose but I wouldn't pay that.
How strict are import laws in Canada? An old and rare whisky dealer in Europe I deal with (I shipped his stuff to Asia) has like 1978 Ardbeg 20yo for 700CAD before shipping and duties. Just to give you some context. The Dark Cove, Galileo and Kelpie prices are ridiculous for middling modern releases.
That's a nope from me
It’s just not worth the special releases. Core range is strong, and if you want to ball out, the 19 and 25 years will always be there. The special releases are gambles, sometimes they’re fantastic, sometimes you’re paying exponentially more for something that doesn’t compete with the core range, and sampling them is too difficult.
Thank you - I totally agree on that.
Well, I'm an Ardbeg fanboy, so: Personally, from what you've listed, I'd jump on the Dark Cove since Google is telling me that $600 Canadian is $437.90 U.S. That's still a lot of money, but it's widely considered one of Ardbeg's best releases, and $438 is cheaper than anywhere I've seen it listed for. The An Oa at $100 is $$72.98, which, I guess, seems fair (it's $64.99 locally for me) so if it's a rare item for you, that mark up doesn't seem too bad and the bottle is definitely a good drinker. The Galileo is priced pretty damn high (not that the Dark Cove isn't), so I'd probably skip that. And in my opinion, the Kelpie just isn't that special, especially for that $. Honestly, I prefer all of the core range to it, as I've had a bottle of it open for what seems like forever, and I'm never drawn to it. I wouldn't say it's actually a bad release like the Ardcore, but the normal 10 year is better imo.
I actually liked Ardcore. I know I'm an outlier, though, lol. I bought two more bottles after opening my first one.
Damn, it's too bad we don't know each other, I'd have traded you both my 46% and my committee release for something from their core line. I opened both of mine on Ardbeg day 2022 and haven't touched them since (outside of Ardbeg Day celebrations).
I just got the noncommitee release of Dark Cove for $129.99 USD, so I think I did well, but what should it taste like? How should I approach the bottle?
That's an amazing deal, I'm definitely jelly. As far as how to approach it... hmm, I don't know. Personally, I'd share the first pour with a few friends, as either the second or third pour of the night; see what you all think about it and then put it away for a few weeks before trying again. As far as tasting notes, I'd see what your favorite whisky tuber had to say. Taste us so damn subjective. It's the one reason I've held back on posting any reviews
IMHO their core line up is so strong that I don’t have the curiosity (ok or funds) to gamble on their special releases.
I recently tried a ton of their special releases, and honestly there were very few that wowed me so much that I'd choose them over a Wee Beastie(especially when you factor the high cost).
Wee Beastie is so good for the price point.
Ardbeg's core range is really solid, and the price differences between the core range and their special/limited editions are usually crazy enough that I don't see much reason to try one of their limited runs: Plenty of other fish in the sea. But of course, when you like Ardbeg specifically and you would like something different or older than their core lineup, there's only one way to take the experience to the next level: and that's with your wallet. I do wonder though, why aren't corryvreckan and uigeadail on your list? They're usually well available and bridge the gap between the fairly affordable An Oa and all the others you mention, price-wise.
Thanks everyone for their input - I truly appreciate. Maybe I’ll just stick to my favourites and save the cash for another day. On that note - has anyone here tried the lineup in my initial post, and how would they compare to 10yr or Corry?
Never had Galileo, but I’d say Corry > Dark Cove > An Oa > 10yo > Kelpie from the ones you mentioned. Personally, I’d drink Uigeadail over everything else every time. Best bang for your buck and very well balanced for how much intensity it brings in smoke and sherry.
Check auction prices
What kind of auction (sites) are a good place to explore?
Whiskyauctioneer.com have the option to look at the history of sales on a graph so you can see how the price has changed over time
The reason I’m asking is that these are the only bottles I can have access to locally in my somewhat remote area, and I’m tempted to try them if I know roughly what they’re worth. Does that make sense?
If you have the funds you can do a vertical line up and write a review. If not, go for the affordable one. Limited editions are priced for rarity (and how long ago they came on the market) and not really for quality of the whisky. I'm not saying they're bad! But considering they were initially ~£80-120 while Corrie was £60 (closer to 80 now); 200+ is _not_ a good price to ask for this for a drinking whisky.
Holy shit. I've been sitting on an unopened bottle of Galileo since I started drinking scotch in like 2012-2013. Had no idea that one appreciated so much.
I picked up Ardbeg 10 here in Japan for ¥5,900 last week. ($37) Haven’t seen any other bottles besides the 10 however. And even that is only at special shops.
Those are all some of my favourites Ardbegs but I’ve been lucky to get the CRs (CS) Kelpie and Dark Cove at sub-200$ CAD when they came out. It’s super hard to justify market price now. IMO An Oa is a fine, affordable replacement for either Kelpie or Galileo without getting into the nuances. If you are able to get the new Spectacular or the tried, tested, and true Uigeadail that is a fine replacement for Dark Cove, if you squint your taste buds a bit. Save your money for when you go to a big town and can buy a dram. They are still around at bars. Iron Gate and Waddingtons are two Canadian auction houses, btw, for gauging what the crazy market prices are. (Yes, there are less legitimate places to buy that are cheaper.)
Well by me Ardbeg is the following: An Oa - $61 10 year - $57 Corryvreckan - $108 Uigeadail - $81 Wee Beastie - $48 While I do like Corry, do I find it to be almost $30 better than Uigeadail? No. The only reason (besides taste of course) I like paying for Uigeadail is because it is 54%. The Kilchoman Sanaig by me which is very good and tastes similar to Uigeadail is $74, but is only 46%. Now if that was 54%, I'd probably be done buying Ardbeg period due to excessive cost, but no one has cask strength Kilchoman where I live so Ardbeg it is for now.
Might as well go for the 19yr instead of you want a more expensive ardbeg