Ardbeg Trudernish 15 Years Old

Ardbeg Trudernish 15 Years Old

Region: Islay

ABV: 48.8%

Price: £80.00 

Released in September 2026, Ardbeg Trudernish is the distillery’s first permanent 15-year-old expression. Matured in a combination of bourbon, new charred oak and Oloroso sherry casks, it joins the core range bottled at 48.8% ABV and without chill filtration.

Nose

Palate

The palate has a touch of chilli spice appearing upfront and running into the finish, alongside a noticeable dryness. The sweeter notes from the nose are still present though, particularly marshmallows and strawberry yoghurt. There’s plenty of citrus too, with sour sherbet lemon, ash, bonfire smoke and tar. The mouthfeel is good, but there’s more spice than we’d expect at 48.8%. 

Nose (with water)

Marshmallows become the dominant note with water and we find the nose is just very sweet in general now. With a little patience, the TCP intensifies alongside lime juice, cold butter, marzipan and rice crackers. A light ashy smoke now forms the backbone of the dram.

Palate (with water)

Water has helped dampen the spice slightly, but the trade off is a noticeable hit to the mouthfeel. It’s now predominantly ashy with caramel sweetness joining the pre dilution notes. Saying that it now feels more one dimensional. The finish is medium in length and, despite the dilution, there’s still a little too much spice for us.

Conclusion

There’s plenty of classic Ardbeg character here, alongside a good amount of sweetness. The mouthfeel is good when neat, but the amount of spice feels excessive for the ABV and gets in the way of some of the more interesting flavours. Water helps with the spice, but it also strips away some of the texture and leaves the whisky feeling more one dimensional. Not bad whisky just a touch disappointing.

Score: 6.5/10

Value

At £80 for a 15yo Ardbeg, the pricing feels reasonable, even if the whisky itself doesn’t quite hit the mark.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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