This 24-year-old Ardbeg was released by Cadenhead, Scotland’s oldest independent bottler, for Sesante Import. This impressive 1965 vintage was bottled at 54.4% abv.

The nose is refreshing and refined with peppermint chocolate and black tea. Cracked black pepper, beeswax, crisp apple, and aniseed mingle on the palate. The finish is peppery, lingering, and herbaceous.

Please note: This bottle is from a private collection.

An Ardbeg Commitee release, this rare eight-year-old Ardbeg from the shores of Islay has been made to provoke discussion. Bottled at 50.8% abv.

Expect intense initial aromas of charcoal, creosote and treacle toffee, with hints of fennel and celery. Herbal notes then appear alongside milk chocolate, aromatic woodsmoke and salty sea spray. On the palate, a distinctively peppery mouthfeel eases into a complex symphony of flavours; treacle toffee, aniseed, salted caramel chocolate, eucalyptus, menthol and briar wood, before giving way to more savoury notes like charcoal, smoked bacon and tar. The aftertaste is long and lingering, with a suggestion of peppermint and clove.

The Ardbeg Anthology Collection is inspired by tales of unbelievable encounters – legendary brushes with the strangest creatures ever purported to stalk Islay. This bottling is inspired by the seldom-seen Harpy – a winged beast said to inhabit Islay – this legendary edition is a first for the Distillery. The Harpy’s Tale has been matured for 13 years in rare Sauternes wine casks and married with classic Ardbeg ex-bourbon, before being bottled at 46% abv. Free from chill filtration.

Expect oily scents on the nose, with touches of sweet briar wood, aromatic herbs and smoked lemon peel. A soft, oily, mouthcoating texture leads into a rich, sweet, smoky palate, with hints of oak moss, treacle, aniseed lozenges and a woody/balsamic flavour, before a lingering finish of sweet smoke, with a hint of coconut on the close.

The Unicorn’s Tale is the second edition in Ardbeg’s Anthology series, honouring Scotland’s national animal. Aged for 14 years in a combination of bourbon and madeira casks, the limited-edition Islay dram was bottled at 46% abv.

The nose opens with aromas of baked banana bread and syrupy sponge pudding, alongside a whiff of burning cedarwood and eucalyptus oil. Zesty notes of lime and sweet peaches canter across the palate, before a burst of rich smoked fruit and baked bread prance into antiseptic lozenges, creosote, and aniseed. Soft barley malt combines with nutmeg and peat smoke, leading to a finish full of smoke, and a long and lingering aftertaste of menthol, clove, wood smoke and camphor.

Corryvreckan takes its name from the famous whirlpool that lies to the north of Islay, where only the bravest souls dare to venture. Swirling aromas and torrents of deep, peaty, peppery taste lurk beneath the surface of this beautifully balanced Ardbeg dram. Like the whirlpool itself, Corryvreckan is not for the faint-hearted!

Intense and powerful, with lots of salt and tar, but also with an appealing dark chocolate sweetness and rich red fruits and muscovado sugar. Lots of pepper on the palate, and a mouthful of black tarry espresso balanced by soft, rich fruits. A long, powerful finish with black coffee, chocolate coated cherries and hot pepper sauce.

One of the distillery’s Committee Releases, Ardbeg Fermutation is a bright and zesty expression that is bound to impress. Ardbeg Fermutation is a result of a mishap at the distillery – the boiler stopped working and as a result distillation couldn’t occur after the usual 72 hour fermentation process. Instead, the wash was distilled after a three week fermentation. Free from chill filtration, this 13-year-old dram was matured in first fill and refill bourbon casks and was bottled at 49.4% abv.

The result? A bold and vibrant whisky. Zingy aromas of peppermint and garden herbs come to meet the nose. The palate is malty, with sweet hints of butterscotch complementing the persisting minty notes before leading into the satisfying finish.