Ardbeg's Peaty Renaissance: Rare Young Whiskies Unveiled

Every fan of whisky certainly knows the Ardbeg distillery well, which is currently in top form.

But why?

Location: Rocky cove and Ardbeg. South coast of Islay, county Argyll and Bute. From the land side, you can, get here only by a winding road leading from Port Ellen, it is easier to reach by sea.

Advantages: Easy access to high quality water from Loch Uigeadail. It has ideal properties for whisky production - it is extremely clean and soft. Along the way, it flows through extensive peat bogs, which gives it a characteristic, brown hue and peaty aftertaste, noticeable, as we will see in a, moment, in the distillery's final product.

Do you know when ardbeg got back on track?

Quite a long time ago, when in the years from 1815 to 1997 the distillery had its ups and downs, i.e. the history from John MacDougall to Glenmorangie, almost 182 years have passed, which over such a long time has changed a lot in the distillery and we are not only talking about the owners.

However, in the late seventies, whisky sales began to decline, there was a lot of stock. There was much more whisky than people who would drink it, hence many distilleries were closed, including Ardbeg.

In 2004, Ardbeg Very Young was launched, a herald of four editions intended to show the evolution of the whisky distilled in 1998 during its first 10 years of ageing. Very Young, the swallow of the project, is a 6-year-old, unfiltered whisky, bottled at an original alcohol content of 56.2%. Only 2,880 bottles of “Ardbeg Very Young” reached the market, making it today the most valuable and sought-after young Scotch whisky.

Nose: very peaty, barley malt, vanilla and hay. Taste: strong notes of peat smoke, malt, spicy spices, vanilla, a pinch of salt, a trace of citrus. Finish: rather short, peat smoke, some vanilla and citrus.

Ardbeg Still Young 1998 – 2006. The Vintage 1998 8 Years Ardbeg Still Young 2nd Release is another very peaty and exceptional single malt Scotch whisky from Islay and is the second bottle in The Peaty Path to Maturity series of very young malt whiskies from Ardbeg. In 2006 the distillate was bottled in a limited edition at cask strength, non-chill filtered, at 56.2% ABV. This whisky is called Still Young because it was only allowed to mature for 8 years in selected exbourbon casks, and the short shelf life makes it a sought after single malt from Ardbeg both in terms of age and taste, compared to other bottlers.

Ardbeg Almost There presented here is the third edition of the project, a 9-year-old, unfiltered whisky bottled at 54.1% ABV.

Nose: earth, brine, peat smoke, nutty malt, vanilla, a hint of ripe orchard fruit. Flavor: lots of peat, but also a strong residue of vanilla, honey, sweet cereals and spices. Finish: long, a combination of peat, vanilla, orchard fruit and freshly smoked meats.

Ardbeg Renaissance- this whisky is the end of a series of young Ardbegs distilled since 1998, after reopening and resuming production at the distillery. This is the first 10-year-old Ardbeg composed exclusively of distillates produced after 1998 and completes the road.

Nose: deep and medicinal with notes of iodine, citrus, peat, vanilla, cinnamon, tropical fruit and chocolate. Taste: full and rich with notes of peat, smoke, iodine, wet earth, cinnamon, ginger, lime, chocolate and smoked meat. Finish: long and warming with notes of smoke, peat, vanilla cream and liquorice and citrus.