Ardbeg 21 Year Old (D.2000, B.2022) Oloroso Sherry Butt # 1565 / 51% / 0.7l

Ardbeg is undoubtedly one of the iconic distilleries of the new millennium and it is hard to believe today that in the 1990s it was fighting for survival, and in 1997 it was sold to Glenmorangie plc. for a now laughable £7 million.

Ardbeg is currently the third most popular Islay malt, having sold 1.8 million bottles in 2021, ahead of Lagavulin. Ardbeg’s single casks always make our hearts race, and so it does this time. Distilled on 23rd May 2000, the whisky was first bottled into an Oloroso sherry butt (second fill) and rested in a dark corner of warehouse no. 3 for a long 21 years. In March 2022, Dr Bill Lumsden decided the time had come and the contents were bottled into 555 bottles and included in the Private Reserve. (Official note from Master Lumsden.)

Color: old copper.

Nose : Intense, toffee syrup, smoky orange peel, brown sugar and Brazil nuts; a touch of water releases notes of sherry-soaked fruit, nuts, dates and figs.

Palate : Rich, toffee syrup, molasses and Brazil nuts infused with ginger chocolate; notes of paprika powder, leather and aniseed emerge in the finish.

Finish: very long and full, a combination of peat smoke, dried fruit and spices.