Ardbeg – Blaaack Day 2020 (70cl, 46%)

Ardbeg Blaaack Day 2020 is the Islay distillery's single malt for Ardbeg Day, the first one that could not be held at the distillery and its Embassies. Its theme is the black sheep, and it was matured in ex-Pinot Noir wine casks from New Zealand, the first time Ardbeg has used casks from there. It is bottled at 46% in a 70cl bottle, non-chill-filtered and without added colouring. It also marks twenty years of the Ardbeg Committee. The nose offers British fruit pudding, cedarwood and cigar box, with bitter cherry and violets once water is added. The palate is velvety, with aniseed, soot, cherries, apricots and dark chocolate, and the finish is long, smoky and sooty.