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Ardbeg 21 Year Old

A trip well worth

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@MaltActivistReview by @MaltActivist

24th Sep 2016

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  • Nose
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  • Taste
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  • Finish
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  • Balance
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  • Overall
    92

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It's seven in the morning here in Islay. The sun refuses to rise. It's been spitting for the last 24 hours. The wind is auditioning to be in an Alfred Hitchcock thriller. And I still can't get the taste of the Ardbeg 21 out of my mouth.

It took me three flight connections, an overnighter in Glasgow and a bumpy plane to Islay to make this impromptu trip. I'm normally not spontaneous but when my buddy from Canada said he was going to be there, along with three other friends, I began thinking. And when Ardbeg sent me a mail inviting me over to try the new Ardbeg 21 I knew there was no way I was going to be able to refuse.

I was at Ardbeg twenty minutes after my plane touched down in the morning and the sign on the bench, as you turn into the distillery, couldn't have rung any truer for me.

I love that saying.

As we milled around the visitors centre we were greeted by the supremely kind and generous Jackie who poured for us, among other absolutely magnificent old-school Ardbegs, this hugely anticipated release. We sat in the Old Kiln Cafe and took our first sip of the 21 year old.

Matured exclusively in bourbon my sample is from an open bottle and served at 46%

There's first the unmistakeable smoke and peat bacon that you can only attribute to Ardbeg. A sweetness but it's not entirely from fruits. More from a sugared barley. Quite salty. Mussels. Fishnets. Let it relax and it starts to curl open. Green lime. Now there's some green apples. Melon rind. Red liquorice. And a hint of purple flowers. I love it. Solid. And on point.

Still savoury as the nose suggests. But with more citrus this time. The green lime is bigger. As is the lemon. But it all comes on the back of a sooty, charry coal smoke which completely puckers up your taste bud. It's a warm arrival that coats your mouth and forces you to chew. Dries mid-palate with just the slightest hint of pineapples. This is really working for me.

Medium to long. Drying again. Touch of green chillies.

I had been constantly second-guessing my self all along my journey here. Was the whisky going to be worth it? Was this trip a good idea? But the allure of Islay and the opportunity to meet friends was strong. Besides Ardbeg had somewhat redeemed themselves with the Committee bottling of the Dark Cove so it was their game to lose. And guess what. I think they've hit it out of the park.

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3 comments

@Alexsweden
Alexsweden commented

Sounds like a successful trip, nice call!

7 years ago 0

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

We may have to call you "Ed-wing" Razvi!

*this is in reference to a Blue Jay player who has a specific arm movement when he hits one out of the park...

7 years ago 0

@Pierre_W
Pierre_W commented

Great review, @MaltActivist, as always! Good to read that you got the e-mail from Ardbeg. I was not aware that they had been sending these out, but then I am not surprised they did. Did you get the opportunity to speak to Mickey? He was a stillman at the time this was distilled, a nice detail of Ardbeg lore.

7 years ago 0

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