Ardbeg Images of Islay Kildalton Cross Malts of Scotland

The famous German bottler surprises yet again with a new series called ‘Images’. The casks are supposedly from the blending industrie, so the distillery’s names are kept top secret. This Kildalton Cross was thus never meant to be bottled as a single malt. I would be my left arm that this is an Ardbeg in disguise (needing my right arm to bring the glass to my lips, you understand – if you are lefthanded, be sure to bet the other arm. Enough silliness, on with the job).

The nose is surprisingly sweet on pears and even strawberries. But the peat and seaweeds make it clear as day that this is an Ileach. The second whiff offers hints of stockfish above a smothering hearth fire. Cod oil, hay and something sourish as if from citrus fruit. Vanilla and caramel. Gooseberries. Soft and very young imho. Adding water makes it sweeter still.

It starts off sweet on the palate as well (white fruit, caramel), but immediately shows a lot of smoke and pepper. That fades quickly to be replaced by brine, drying tannins and liquorice. Grapefruit? Towards the end it turns very sweet again, even more so with water.

That sweetness lingers in the medium long finish, to arrive at a smoky and salty end station.

Clearly young (my guess would be less than 10 years), but very good Ardbeg. Around 75 EUR.

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