Ardbeg Anthology - unveiling one
The Ardbeg distillery has announced the release of a new series of its whiskeys, which will consist of editions composed of experimental single malts matured in casks unusual for this iconic distillery.
The Anthology Collection, as the new series is called, debuts with an edition of the Ardbeg Anthology: The Harpy's Tale 13yo. Whisky at 46% vol., unfiltered cold and with a natural color derived from natural maturation, it is a marriage of distillates aged for 13 years in a combination of bourbon and sweet Sauternes wine barrels. The result is supposed to be an unusual for Ardbeg combination of powerful peat smoke and intense sweetness.
According to Dr. Bill Lumsden, director of the. distillation and whisky creation, a bold experiment was undertaken at Ardbeg, involving a fusion of Ardbeg's characteristic smokiness with more nuanced, sweet notes. According to him, the new whisky is the epitome of the battle between sweetness and smoke, a combination that Ardbeg fans don't yet know and will certainly want to get to know. This hybrid style of whisky is highlighted by the name of this edition and graphic elements alluding to mythical harpies, creatures that are a combination of a bird and a woman.
In the bouquet Ardbeg Anthology: The Harpy's Tale 13yo we can find a distinct oiliness with notes of extra virgin olive oil, sweet heather wood and aromatic herbs, including coriander and sage. A touch of water enhances the linseed oil accents and slight waxiness. The taste is to be oily again, notes of woody sweetness of dark molasses, balsamic vinegar, smoke, oak moss, aniseed pastilles, smoked apricots and eucalyptus oil are to appear. On the finish you will find notes of sweetness and smoke, accents of cumin, cardamom and a hint of coconut.
The entire Anthology Collection series, about the rest of which little is known for now, is intended to be a series of legendary, perfectly balanced and flavorful editions of rare and unusual incarnations of Ardbeg.
Polish premiere Ardbeg Anthology: The Harpy's Tale 13yo takes place during the Whisky Festival in Jastrzebia Gora, which begins today, August 25, 2023. Soon it will also be available through the House of Whisky Online.
The Ardbeg distillery is one of an iconic trio of smoky, peaty whisky makers located on the south coast of Islay. It officially began operations in 1815, but for the modern whisky lover the more important date seems to be 1997. That's when the struggling distillery, which had often halted production in previous years, was bought by Glenmorangie plc. Work began immediately to resume production and to launch a new line of official editions of the local whisky. When Ardbeg TEN first appeared on the market in 2000, few expected that it would soon become one of the most popular and widely recommended single malt whiskies with a peaty, smoky and maritime character. Naturally, the Ardbeg TEN of the time was compiled from distillates prepared before the distillery closed and changed ownership. Notwithstanding the bottling of old editions, including vintage and single cask whiskies, the new Ardbeg, already distilled under a new flag, was slowly taking shape. First came the Ardbeg Very Young edition, a year later came Ardbeg Still Young, then Ardbeg Almost There. Finally, in 2008, Ardbeg TEN made entirely from distillates already produced after the plant's reactivation saw the light of day for the first time.
Today, the Ardbeg stable is primarily a Ardbeg TEN, representing a blend of whiskies matured in first-fill and refill bourbon barrels, Ardbeg Uigeadail, whisky from bourbon and sherry casks, bottled as cask strength, Ardbeg Corryvreckan, which includes distillates matured in fresh French oak barrels, Ardbeg An Oa, a combination of whiskies matured in various types of casks, subjected to blending in huge oak vats for a minimum of 3 months, and launched in 2020 Ardbeg 5yo Wee Beastie, matured in a combination of bourbon and oloroso sherry casks. These six are joined in 2021 by an aged edition of the Ardbeg 25yo.
In addition to its regular official offerings, Ardbeg regularly releases special editions, including, for example, Ardbeg Fermutation, the result of an interesting experiment with an unusually long fermentation process, Ardbeg Heavy Vapours, a whisky produced bypassing the important Ardbeg filter on the alembic arm of the second distillation (the so-called purifier), responsible for returning to the alembic and secondary distillation of the heaviest components of the spirit produced.
For those who can't make it to the Whisky Festival in Jastrzebia Gora, we encourage you to follow our website so you don't miss the release of Ardbeg Anthology: The Harpy's Tale 13yo. By the way, it is worth to get acquainted with numerous editions of Ardbeg available through us, including Smoketrails, Perpetuum, 8yo For Discussion, Galileo, Supernova, Alligator, Scorch, BizzareBQ and many others.
[25.08.2023 / photo: Ardbeg]