Ardbeg – Serendipity (70cl, 40%)

Ardbeg – Serendipity is a whisky from Ardbeg (Islay). Aged 12 years, bottled at 40% 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. Serendipity: You all know the story by now. Some venerable Ardbeg gets mixed up with Glen Moray and they wonder if they should throw away the resultant vatting. Not likely! In stepped the marketing folks and the result is this, the unforeseen but fortuitous union of two great single malts, some very old Ardbeg and Glen Moray. Please examine the images of the bottle.