Ardbeg 21-year-old (Bottled 2001) Committee Bottling / 56.3%/ 0.7l

The Ardbeg Committee commenced its operations on the “first day of the first month in the year two thousand” and according to its constitution “is concerned with the general promotion of the Ardbeg Distillery and Whisky”.

Membership in the committee is free, and one of the benefits is access to special, so-called committee editions of Ardbeg single malt. According to the report, at the end of 2021, the committee had over 120,000 members scattered around the world. Here we present one of the earlier committee editions (third, according to our calculations) - Ardbeg 21 years old. The whisky, distilled in 1979-1980, was aged in twelve bourbon barrels and bottled at barrel strength (56.3% abv) and without chill filtration in 2001. Only 2,500 bottles were released.

Nose: rich, smoky and fruity, iodine, sea breeze, tarred ropes, lemons, limes, rhubarb cake, raisins, marzipan, hazelnuts, white pepper, notes of leather, wax and toasted oak.

Palate: peat smoke and sea breeze, salted caramel, apples, lemons, mirabelle jam, vanilla, white pepper, cloves, lemongrass, mint leaf and toasted oak.

Finish: very long, smoky, with notes of pepper, vanilla, salted almonds, dried herbs, oak and a trace of tar.