I was sent a sample of this 200th Anniversary specialty malt from Ardbeg several months ago as a part of a trade with a new friend from Maryland, @Telex. This bottle was created and released in honor of Ardbeg Day, during the annual Feis Isle Festival, in 2015. This was bottled at 47.4% ABV and is light gold in color. Spinning it in a Glencairn reveals an oily glass-coat with slow forming, thin legs. It also releases that typical Ardbeg BBQ’d meaty smoke into the vicinity. The nose is everything you know and love about Ardbeg: smoked brisket, seaweed, briny seaside air and fresh cut oak. There’s a surprising hit of alcohol floating throughout the glass. That’s not something I expected. The palate follows along closely to the nose with meaty and earthy peat, lighter than usual smoke and salt. There’s a strange balancing act with the mouth feel going on, too- one minute it feels oily, then it turns dry. It’s odd and doesn’t really play well with the flavors present. You can tell that a majority of the whisky is on the younger side, as well. The finish is medium length, smoky and salty with a stronger bite of pepper and oak at the tail end. This dram feels like it wants to separate flavors and elements throughout the entire sip, and not in a good way. The flavors are solid and established, they just aren’t playing nice with one another. Everything feels rushed. Overall, I’m glad I got to sample this one, but it’s not on my list of highly regarded Ardbeg’s due to the complete uneven feel. Thanks again, Jason. Sadly, this one falls in the mediocre category and I want to give it a 3-3.25 star rating. It’s not Ardbeg’s finest effort to date. Cheers.