Ardbeg Traigh Bhan 19 Year Batch 5

Tasting Notes

Producer Tasting Note

Nose: Perfumed aromas of luscious tropical fruit flow on the breeze, while curious notes of herbal incense and smoke follow closely behind. Menthol lozenge and saddle soap laps over charred green pepper, before smoked mango, guava and coconut mingle in an effervescing top note.

Palate: A creamy mouthfeel leads the way into a crashing symphony of herbal, spicy flavours. Smoked maple cured bacon, charcoal, white pepper and clove rush forth amid gentle overtones of the outdoors in wood smoke and sea spray.

Finish: A satisfyingly long finish welcomes more tropical notes, with fragrant heather, warm toffee and smoked butter on the horizon.

Distillery

Evan here - I am not going to get into Ardbeg’s history or location or ownership too much. It is old, and it is on Islay. To say more is to preach to the choir for the most part. If you are keen to know more, just mispronounce the name as ‘Ardberg’ within the hearing of Andrew or Curt. You will quickly be corrected and then likely be given the chronological timeline of the distillery in question as well as a thorough essay on why it is perhaps the best distillery on Islay, if not in Scotland itself.

Anyhow. For a relatively small distillery, Ardbeg’s releases have become relatively prolific over the past few years. The distillery can boast about having the most rabid fan base in the world of Single Malt Scotch, and many of its releases correlate with this. Just about every limited edition bottle of Ardbeg is released to Ardbeg Committee Members first. Membership is free and allows you to find out when the next Ardbeg Limited Release is, well, released.

The core range of Ardbeg is strong. If you like you want a taste of what all of the fuss is about when it comes to Ardbeg, the regular Ardbeg 10-Year-Old is a great place to start. If you want a bottle that is a wee bit sweeter and goes in a few more directions when it comes to flavour profile, Ardbeg An Oa should suit you. The combination of peat Sherry is your thing? Then go for the Ardbeg Uigeadail. If you want the Ardbeg-ness of Ardbeg dialled up to 11, go for the Corryvreckan. And now, if you find yourself craving a release of Ardbeg that has an age statement, but you already have the Ardbeg 10, you can go for the Wee Beastie!