46°
Distillery : Ardbeg - Islay
Charred Bourbon Casks
Original Bottling
Limited Edition
Single Malt
Bottled in 2025
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured
Peated around 54 ppm
From what I’ve been reading here and there, the Ardbeg Anthology series has now come to an end. It consists of three distinct bottlings – aged 13, 14 and 15 years – released at one-year intervals. This is the last one, dating from 2025, and it was created using casks that were air-aged, then heavily toasted and charred. There is no indication of the number of bottles produced. The beithir is a Scottish mythological creature resembling a dragon or a huge snake, and it possesses a venomous sting.
Let's Taste It :
A nose typical of the distillery, thick smoke, iodine and limestone, with a hint of wax and white fruits, juicy pears, peaches and honey. Greasy charcoal, campfire, but also lemon zest and sweet vanilla, it’s actually quite well-balanced. Buttery bread, pine needles. On the palate, the peat is thick, counterbalanced by raisins, angelica, pears in syrup, pastry cream, warming spices, ginger and a pinch of cinnamon. A fairly powerful and long finish, coffee, cola, dark chocolate, soot and dried apricots, dried tobacco leaves, cake batter, roots, aniseed.
In Short,
From what I can tell, it’s already better than the first Anthology, which I tasted here. However, I’m not entirely convinced. It’s more balanced than the younger Ardbegs, but not necessarily more subtle. It’s just gentler, more approachable, and I find it lacks a bit of punch. What’s more, the price is still quite high, so it would be nice to be offered something that’s really good.
Score : 88
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Ductape - Sevmiyor
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