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19th April 2021 |
Ardbeg
Distillery invites you to join them for
an online Ardbeg Day extravaganza to uncover the ‘lairs’ of flavour in their
latest limited edition - Ardbeg Scorch.
 Although
Fèis Ìle 2021, the Isle of Islay’s annual Festival
of Music and Malt, has been cancelled
for the second year running due to the Covid-19 pandemic,
Ardbeg one of the peatiest of all the
whiskies produced on the whisky island,
is once again taking its celebrations
online and is inviting peated malt whisky
fans everywhere to join them.
As always Ardbeg will be releasing a
special bottling to mark what this year
will be a virtual 'Ardbeg Day' which
takes place online on the 5th June, and
that bottling is the limited edition
'Ardbeg Scorch' which will come in two
forms, the Ardbeg Scorch Committee
bottling and the Ardbeg Day Edition
bottling.
In what has now become the norm, first
up will be a special limited edition Ardbeg Scorch
Committee bottling bottled at 51.7% ABV
which will be exclusively available to Ardbeg
Committee members on 27th April, so if
you haven't yet joined the Ardbeg
Committee I suggest you get over to the
Ardbeg website and sign up if you want
to have a chance of getting hold of a
bottle.
The Committee bottling will be
followed by a Ardbeg Day Edition which
will be will be available to Ardbeg
Committee members and non-members alike
from 27th May 2021, this limited edition
release of Ardbeg Scorch has been
bottled at 46% ABV.
The isle of Islay has long been an
island steeped in myths and legend and
Islay folk have long told tales of the
island’s dragon, bravely slain by a
heroic warrior many moons ago. The new
whisky's name, Ardbeg Scorch, is a nod
to the island's fire breathing legend,
Ardbeg tell me that the fiercely
delicious dram is the mouthwatering
product of Ardbeg’s own
flavour-breathing beast, who dwells in
Dunnage Warehouse No. 3, scorching
staves and burning barrels...
Ardbeg say that Scorch was matured in
ex-bourbon American oak casks – heavily
charred by the fiery exhale of Warehouse
3’s
definitely-real-and-totally-not-made-up
dragon, which has resulted in a whisky
with intense aromas of soot, while
flavours of grilled fare and black
liquorice mingle with bold notes of
medicinal lozenge.
So on 5
June 2021, Ardbeggians around the world
will be able to celebrate Ardbeg Day
with a new whisky created in homage to a
‘true myth’.
Colin Gordon, Ardbeg’s Distillery
Manager, said: "This year will be my
first Ardbeg Day ever: a baptism of
fire! It’s a shame we Ardbeggians can’t
enjoy it together in person, but the
online event is shaping up to be
tremendous fun. With a whole virtual
world to explore, including fantasy
inns, campfire tales, medieval feasts
and live tastings, there’s plenty for
people to be excited about this year."
Ardbeg’s Director of Distilling and
Whisky Creation, Dr Bill Lumsden, added:
"Ardbeg Scorch is our tribute to the
legendary dragon of Islay. By using our
most heavily-charred casks, we’ve
created a fire-breathing beast of a
dram!"
I haven't tasted the new Ardbeg Scorch
but I will certainly update you with my
thoughts on the fiery new dram when I
get a chance to taste it, meanwhile the
official tasting note is below.
Ardbeg Scorch will be
available to buy from the distillery
visitor centre,
Ardbeg Embassies and whisky specialists
such as
The Whisky Exchange and
Master of Malt
from 27th May 2021.
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Ardbeg Scorch Committee Bottling Review
|
(Review added 9th June 2021)
This is the Ardbeg
Scorch Committee bottling which was bottled at 51.7% ABV.
William
Morrison's Tasting Notes:
Nose:
Bristling with delicious peaty bonfire
smoke dusted with a little white pepper.
Beyond the peat is liquorice infused
toffee, some honey and pine resin.
Taste:
In the first wave deliciously
concentrated peat piggy backs on barley
sugars to coat every corner of the
mouth, in the second wave the sweet
peaty smoke comes with a lovely
liquorice and slightly medicinal edge
and is joined by by white pepper and
sweet oak, then the peat moves to a more
hickory style.
Finish:
A deliciously long peaty finish sees the
now quite ashy peat, sugars, toffee,
liquorice, and now slightly drying oak
tannin, linger for an age, brilliant!
Comment:
This is all about the sweet peaty
bonfire smoke which reverberates from
the nose to the finish, an absolutely
outstanding example of peaty Ardbeg
whisky. If you are an Ardbeg fan I hope
you got hold of the Scorch Committee
bottling and I am sure the standard
bottling which is bottled at the
slightly lower strength of 46% ABV will
not be too far off the quality of this.
If you like peaty whiskies you will just
love this, grab as much as you can get
hold of before it is gone.
SMW Score
96/100
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Ardbeg Scorch Review
|
This is the Ardbeg Day edition of Ardbeg
Scorch bottled at 46% ABV.
Producer's
Tasting Notes:
Nose:
Frighteningly intense aromas of soot and
smoke lie in wait. Hints of aniseed and
fragrant patchouli interlace with bold
notes of quenched steel and saddle soap.
With a drop of water, herbal top notes
of briar wood, sage and pine wisp their
way to the fore.
Taste:
Lair upon lair of flavour. An oily
mouthfeel grips the senses. Billowy
clouds of sweet smoke and dragon charred
oak permeate the palate, while grilled
fare and black liquorice weave between
notes of medicinal lozenge.
Finish:
A long and heroic finale, with a subtle
tarry aftertaste. A finish that will
drag on, well into its happily ever
after.
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