46°
Distillery : Ardbeg - Islay
Bourbon Casks
Original Bottling
Limited Edition
Single Malt
Bottled in 2022
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured
Peated around 54 ppm
I didn’t know that the Ardbeg 25 Year Old was an annual limited edition; if the hostess hadn’t explained it to me, I would have missed it. I thought it was part of the Core Range, but that wasn’t a well-considered thought. As the 19-year-old is itself an annual release, there’s no reason why an older bottling shouldn’t be too. This one, bottled in 2022, is therefore Batch 3. There was a Batch 4, and even a Batch 5, but Batch 6 is apparently still a long way off. I gather the series has ended, unless it has become a biennial release. However, if this was bottled in 2022 and is 25 years old, then distillation must have taken place in 1997. Precisely the year Glenmorangie bought the distillery and it resumed production after six years of inactivity. The spirit is therefore exactly 25 years old, and not a day older. Apparently, they still managed to produce 6,000 bottles of it.
Let's Taste It :
Very ethereal peat, with a vaporous iodine note, oysters, drizzled with a splash of lemon zest, delicate vanilla, custard dusted with a pinch of salt, flecks of limestone, candied pears, bread fresh from the oven, a sun-kissed crust, and very subtle smoke. Smooth, oily palate, argan oil, runny honey, very elegant woodiness, a beach in spring, a slice of pineapple, pebbles and lychees, waxy cereals, almost undetectable spices. Very long, full-bodied finish, mineral, even rocky, sweetly charred, dark chocolate and coffee, metallic notes, hazelnuts and icing sugar, kelp and Guérande salt. Smoked salmon.
In Short,
Typically, quintessentially Ardbeg, instantly recognisable from the very first whiff, yet very subtle, balanced and not at all harsh. A refined experience, truly enjoyable, the bottling is truly exceptional, but is it worth the price? Absolutely not, even at half the price, it would still be too expensive.
Score : 90
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Woodkid - The Golden Age
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