Ardbeg Twenty Something 23 Year

I’ve made it a point in the last few years to have a special pour on my birthday. As I get older, I’ve really learned to appreciate things that go normally unnoticed: amazing well behaved intelligent children, a caring wife, and brothers and cousins that support you in down times. So—keeping that in mind, I open a pour worthy to celebrate...and this one comes courtesy from my good buddy @leeevolved . Despite close to a quarter century age, you still get that classic Ardbeg DNA. Tar and burnt ashes; freshly poured asphalt on a hot summer day. Taste: this is where the 23 years shine. Smooth and silky—-the brawn is replaced by liquid smoke that’s as delicate as it is powerful. Finish is lingering sweet—where the sherry comes in. At $500, this bottle is above most people’s discretionary income purchase...so I’m that much more thankful to @leeevolved for this birthday pour Thanks Lee!

Unique scotch. Don’t normally go for Ardbeg but this was nice. Camp fire and bacon. Smoke isn’t overpowering. Surprisingly smooth and long finish.

that Sherry mix into bourbon really hits the spot. Heavenly. Maybe even better than the Ardbeg 21

Very sherry forward on the nose, this spent time in secondary casks, a lot of time. There's a musty almost stale room / saw mill note in here, likely a light well faded peat is driving this. It has an earthy element as well. But the fruits are dominating the nose, with perhaps some vanilla at the end. There's a very distinct spicy note as well. The finish is a bit acidic in the alcohol bite. Crazy complex. I'm now getting some cinnamon roll dough, not the cinnamon but the dough and a touch of that icing. Taste - Dough, vanilla, a legit funk of some sort and then it fades into this vanilla/earthy/light peat finish that lasts forever. The finish is over taking the opening in a way I've not experienced. Second taste I get more vanilla, light oak, the sherry and fruits are there but muted vs the nose. There's a lightness on the whisky....almost a water like note, despite being a creamy and viscous 46%. Cinnamon roll dough for sure but again I think it's a different spice. The finish starts taking on some of the dark fruits and spices on a second pour along with those vanilla oak and peat long linger notes. For 46% it's got some mouth feel but it comes up a touch short due to a weakness in the mid pallet This is certainly an A whisky but I'm not sure it's an A+ and ranging from 500-650 it's not a great value.

Definitely classic Ardbeg flavors but muted. Chilled out bottle of Scotch.