Ardbeg – 25 Year Old (70cl, 46%)

Ardbeg – 25 Year Old is a whisky from Ardbeg (Islay). Aged 25 years, bottled at 46% ABV, 70cl. Since its establishment in 1815, The Ardbeg distillery has been on a tumultuous rollercoaster ride of ownership changes, closures, and reopening. Stability was only achieved relatively recently, when the ailing distillery was purchased in 1997 by industry giants, Glenmorangie. The subsequent years have seen the distillery’s popularity swell, with fans enticed by the signature style of tarry, sooty smoke, balanced against citric sweetness and an oily mouthfeel. While Ardbeg still retains its distinctive personality, it has definitely been influenced by Glenmorangie’s propensity for experimenting with cask finishing, and (dare we say it) NAS expressions. 25 Year Old: Joining the core range at the start of 2021, the 25 Year Old can only be released in relatively small batches. You might imagine that quarter of a century in cask might have mellowed the distillery’s signature smoke. Not a bit of it. This is still a punchy, full-on Ardbeg with a complexity befitting its age.