Ardbeg 21 Year

Nose is butterscotch, peat, and a hint of earthy mushrooms from the long maturation. Oranges, pears, and soft vanilla notes. The palate was much smokier than I expected from such an old Islay malt with a slightly acrid development. Past the smokiness is a sweet palate laced with white fruit: green apples, pears, citrus, a touch of earthiness in the background, and a darker floral note. Finish is long, sustained with a soft smoke and a slight peppery medicinal bitterness. Water draws out the vanilla and citrus on the nose, bringing a creaminess to the palate. It also clarifies baking spices and reveals the earthiness shown initially on the nose

There are two samples I was really looking forward to this week, and this is one of them. ( other is the Cairdeas 2016). This is easily in the top three for me this year. As soon as the sample vial was opened, I was able to recognize the peat smoke. Not as wild and brute as the 10, but more refined. I also just received the Norlan glasses today, so wanted to give it a go using this sample as the inaugural launch. The liquid is light gold. And it has quite some legs, really viscous and oily. Just amazing. You have to let it sit a bit, like a good well mannered Pinot. Needs to breathe before you can really appreciate the aromas and taste. First taste is like nothing I've experienced...sort of like a cross between lime-mango-teriyaki, with a slight faint smoke. The smoke and peat gets stronger on the second sip. And really builds into this amazing tangy sweetness, but letting you know its DNA s still Ardbeg. The signature peat shows up. But it's not a brute. Rather you get layered texture: tangy-sweetness, followed by smoke and peat, followed by lime-lemon-mango, then finished with an almost a rye like spice, but not the same bite. Gentler, and smooth...my god it's smooth. This is a rare treat---thank you Lee for this experience!!!!!! Just amazing. In my mind, there are maybe 5-6 top whiskies I've had---in no particular order: a Brora 30, Rosebank 25, Macallan Fine Oak 15, Karuizawa, HW Midwinter, and now---this. Thanks to Lee for an amazing way to start the holiday season...

So, I was finally able to land a bottle of the newest, rare release from Ardbeg by using the online rare and limited program here in Virginia. I've been really excited to try this since reading about it a few months ago. This is the Ardbeg 21 Year. It's a slightly elevated 92 proof and is non-chill filtered with no color added. It's limited to less than 8,300 bottles worldwide and I keep telling myself I got it for a very reasonable $425. I've seen it selling online for between $500-600. In the Glencairn it's a sparkling, straw yellow and it appears very oily. Upon giving it a swirl it produces a thick oil slick all the way around the glass before returning to the bottom sporting long, thin legs. I've let it rest about 20 minutes and it's still smelling rather one dimensional- vibrant oak. There isn't much peat showing up, but I think that's mainly because of the age. It has started to fade dramatically. The first sip really coats the tongue and slides into all the corners of your mouth. The signature peat finally appears and actually is quite prominent. Mid-sip it explodes with rye pepper and oak spices. A bit of vanilla cools things until the bit of heat arrives on the finish. Speaking of finish, it's a leathery rye bite that, despite being kind of short, still feels oily. It's incredibly smooth, no doubt. It's not overly complex, which is another thing I'm assuming gets lost with age and the lack of blending various finishing casks into it like their recent NAS bottlings. It's a peaty, rye bourbon-like single malt. And it's a damn good one. The story behind this release also adds to the overall experience. These casks were stored away while the distillery was on its last legs and in between owners. Almost lost to antiquity. I'm glad I was able to get my hands on this one and revel in the success that Ardbeg has become while getting a taste from when that really wasn't so. Do yourself a favor and grab a taste or bottle when you see it. It's truly more than just a dram, it's an experience and a testament to perseverance. Cheers, my friends.