Ardbeg 1977

from a purchased sample

Nose: Peat, brine, and kosher salt (obviously). There's a good layer of fruit behind it -- mainly lemon. Damp clamshells and oysters. A little pepper. Vanilla. Dried flower petals. Pineapple and apple juice. Fennel and caraway seeds for good measure.

Palate: The peat is richly ashy and sooty. I like this kind of thing. Honey, vanilla, and pepper come out first, but quietly give way to the peat. Very slight salt, lemony and coastal rocks. It's nice, but a bit flat.

Finish: Refined and elegant, but frustratingly light and brief. It's interesting to go back to these older Ardbegs to compare them to their massive younger siblings in the recent releases. In this one, the peat marries nicely with the fruit, it just needs a bit more heft and body.

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