Ardbeg Uigeadail vs Highland Park Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky

[@wumb0kurkkusalaatti609]

Hey Erik, I got into scotch just a couple of months ago and watched your channel since. Just wanted to say that it`s great learning about scotch whisky (and sometimes wine) from someone with such expertise and profound knowledge on the subject, who also happens to be a down to earth guy. Keep it up, Cheers!

[@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@rares_21]

What a beautiful library you've got behind you, Eric! 😁Interesting side by side!

[@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies]

It really is!

[@MichaelS_MathanDearg]

Thanks for your thoughts, Erik! I got another bottle of Uigedail the other day at Ludwig's in San Anselmo at a decent price. I've had the Highland Park Cask Strength on my shelf but have yet to open it.

[@christianriel8040]

What I heard about seasoned cask (from Macalland) is that they dumped regular sherry in new cask, made out of american or european oak, for a short time (couple of months to a year) and then dumped sherry to transform it as sherry vinegar and shipped cask to Scotland for aging scotchs.

[@alexanderlazare8484]

Found you through your collab with First Phil. Great stuff and a great channel for whisky knowledge. Subscribed!

[@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies]

Phil is amazing! I wish I was 1/2 as good as a videographer!

[@damenjackson594]

Erik, i have tried them both, and of the same opinion. Advantage: Uigeadail. I will note that it is an extremely good idea to have a bit of water on hand when sipping the Highland Park. The profile COMPLETELY transforms with a few drops of water. Warmer spices, with delicious notes of toffee and chocolate, and a softer, lingering finish. It's very good. Like 92/100 good.

[@cliffnorman178]

Another great head to head. I have tasted both of them, but not side by side. My preference is for the Uigeadail.

[@WilliamGM3rd]

Have not tried HPCS yet but I love Ardbeg

[@jpii8468]

I'm a proof hound, so the HPCS is one of my favorites. Especially Batch 3.

[@BradRocker]

Have some Highland Park now, time to get some Uigeadail.

[@Koby616]

That strength is Beasty. Nice comparison. 😊 Scotch price in the USA is so different compared to my country. Sometimes I can get scotch way cheaper, but ugi seems cheaper than in my country

[@TheReal_DeanD]

Hmm. I’m going to have to do this comparison. I have batch 1 in the bunker and have been enjoying the Uggie. HP CS batch 2 & 3 haven’t done well sales wise. TW put them on sale to clear shelf space. That’s how I got batch 3. I hope they’re good.

[@teddyballgame25]

Fun video. If you asked me to compare a couple years ago, I would have said the Uige blows it away, but my last bottle had almost zero sherry influence and was as light as a young bourbon cask. It truly felt like they just took a Wee Beastie and bottled it at CS. Gonna buy the 10 and give the distillery once more chance. Very curious as to your thoughts on your new bottle once you get it.

[@sgoody1]

I agree - used to love the Ugie, but the last bottle I opened was just not the same. I haven't tried the 10 for a while - would be interested to know how you get on!

[@umami0247]

Not sure how you can taste the other bottle after the Ardberg. If I drink a heavy peated scotch it will be either the only drink I will have or the last drink of the night. I have a lagavulin 16 and can enjoy it but it isn’t nearly as peated like Ardberg. Nice review I’d probably go Highland Park for sure. Enjoy.

[@SeawayWhiskyWire]

Great video Erik, loving the recent side by side. great to hear you thoughts and passion for whiskies. I personally love and relate to your rants, not reason to hide 'em my friend. Cheers!

[@jbar6284]

Insightful comparison, thanks Erik. I haven't tried HP CS because it's badly overpriced in my market (NZ), equivalent to about USD138 for either batch 2 or 3 and thus nearly as expensive as HP18 43%. A year ago batch 3 sold in the UK for UKP60-65, which would be ~USD76-82, significantly less than HP18 (~USD170-180 today). HP's website today lists CS batch 4 at UKP80/USD101. I do enjoy Ardbeg Uigeadail and although it's risen in price a fair bit over the last year it's still significantly cheaper than the HP CS, ranging USD83-110 locally. Some say Oogie doesn't taste as good as early releases but I didn't try it back then.

[@DavidHukill]

Uigeadail is my favorite scotch, but I haven’t tried this Highland Park. So that’s next on my list, thanks! 🥃

[@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@thewhiskyenthusiast]

Great review Erik! I love Uigeadail but haven't tried the Highland Park yet. I think batch 1 and 2 are similar in casks but 3 and 4 they started using refill and port casks. I'm intrigued about this comparison now and will do it as soon as possible, cheers!

[@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies]

Thanks for watching! Doing comparisons has changed my perception of MANY whiskies.

[@sgoody1]

Your Ardbeg looks like an older bottle. Used to be one of my favourites, but recent bottles taste different. More aniseed flavour, in my view, rather than sweeter, bbq and smokey? It really was disappointing. Please let me know when you open your newly purchased bottle.

[@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies]

Yep, it is near the end. I have another on order.

[@sgoody1]

@@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies Maybe save a bit of the old bottle to compare to the new one (although I am sure you had planned on that anyway) - I would be really interested to know how you think they compare.

[@francisoconnor2392]

Explain wet sherry casks

[@williambyington4864]

It means casks that still have some sherry in them, or just emptied and not drained thoroughly.

[@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies]

Long story short... sherry was originally exported from Jerez Spain to Scotland in the cask. When regulations changed, it had to be bottled in Spain. The time in the cask traveling on the ocean helped the wine soak into the wood and sometimes there would be a wee bit of wine left in the cask. So, a "wet cask" is when there may be some liquid remnant in the cask so that the sherry impact is not just from the spirit extracting it from the wood but from the bit of liquid left behind. Since sherry is no longer being exported in cask it seems some sherry producers (bodegas) may intentionally leave a wee bit of wine in the cask when it is shipped. This would also help keep the cask from drying out. It used to be that casks would be disassembled so that they would take up less room on a ship but the cost of cooperage eventually became higher than the cost of shipping so now both Bourbon and Sherry casks tend to be shipped intact. Did I say this was going to be short? Thanks for watching! 🥃

[@charliefoxtrot7219]

I feel that I should start a tasting journal for myself. How do suggest I log the information?

[@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies]

It depends on whether you want a hard copy that you hand write in a notebook, an app you use on your phone or a document on your computer.

[@charliefoxtrot7219]

@@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies I'll think about that. Thanx.

[@thegoatchild3545]

I love the Uigeadail, but I have heard that Ardbeg's core range has been going downhill lately.

[@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies]

I still like it.

[@thegoatchild3545]

@@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies good to know, thanks Erik!👍 Thankfully I still have two bottles from a few years ago. Glorious whisky.

[@AB-kf8ry]

Love the videos, Erik. Would you ever do a side-by-side of the Uigeadail vs BizarreBQ? People say that the BizarreBQ is probably one of the worthy committee releases.

[@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies]

Yes, if someone gave me a bottle of BizarreBQ. Right now I am budy studying for exams.

[@philipn5162]

2 of my favourite. I don’t like plain peat, I don’t like plain sherry. Uegadail peat plus sherry= bbq, highland park sherry plus spice/pepper 👍

[@jasoncraig2281]

You’re saying there’s no significant difference between American oak and European oak, leaving aside the previous contents?

[@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies]

No, but if you say "American Oak" or "European Oak" without mentioning the previous contents you ain't telling the consumer much and whatever the previous contents were are more significant than the origin of the oak. Traditionally sherry has been aged in American oak. So, "American Oak" could refer to either Bourbon or Sherry.... or American Single Malt from Texas, or Silver Oak Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon or Tempranillo from Rioja Spain or....... on and on and on.....

[@jasoncraig2281]

Aren’t nearly all sherry casks used in modern whisky making “sherry-seasoned casks”? I don’t understand the complaint. Transport casks haven’t been used in decades. And solera casks have always been rare in whisky making, as I understand it.

[@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies]

Nope. A sherry cask can come from a Solera, it can be a cask that was used to age cheap sherry that was never in a solera, it can be a cask that only contained sherry in order to add flavor to the cask, it could be a cask that only temporarily held sherry before being bottled and the cask was kept wet so that actual sherry wine made its way into the whisky.

[@z0da709]

I don't find Highland park that spicy. Start with some Rye and it will taste like honey!

[@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies]

Highland Park is spicy in comparison to other sherry cask Scotches (Bowmore, Bunnhabhain, Macallan) but you are correct, Rye takes it to a WHOLE other level.

[@z0da709]

@@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies That is true. Have you tried any Japanese whisky?

[@YoJimBo851610]

173👍

[@adhominemsis-t.australisensis]

Why are you so concerned with the previous liquid in the casks? It's the type of wood that determines in the flavour being imparted to the whisky, not the previous filling.

[@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies]

Nope. Where the hell do you get your information?

[@adhominemsis-t.australisensis]

@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies it's pretty common knowledge. Where does flavour come from when a spirit is filled in virgin oak?

[@ErikWaitWhiskyStudies]

Common knowledge? From where? Trying reading a book on whisky or numerous online articles. While using quercus alba, quercus robur, or quercus petraea makes a difference after a cask has been filled with bourbon or sherry for years it will be the previous contents that will make a bigger difference. All you have to do is try a whisky that was matured in a sherry cask made from quercus alba (American Oak) and try that same spirit from the same distillery matured in a sherry cask made from quercus robur (European Oak) and you'll be hard pressed to tell the difference. All you have to do is look at the color of a whisky matured in Oloroso sherry cask and compare it to the same spirit matured in a bourbon cask and you can not only taste the difference, you can SEE the difference. Try comparing Aberlour A'bunadh (sherry cask) with Aberlour A'bunadh Abla (bourbon cask). It is primarily the previous contents that makes the difference.