Ardbeg Perpetuum 70cl 47.4° - 2015 Limited Edition

Archive Ardbeg Perpetuum 70cl 47.4° - 2015 Limited Edition

Distillery : Ardbeg / Country : Scotland / Reference: : 39182

Celebrating its 200th birthday on May 30, 2015, the Ardbeg distillery has launched its Ardbeg Day special release, Ardbeg Perpetuum, a 2015 limited edition.

Resulting from a combination of several Ardbeg whiskies, refined in Bourbon and Sherry casks for at least 10 years, the Perpetuum Single Malt aims at a perfect marriage of flavours from the past, present and future Ardbeg whiskies, drawing on the various styles that have been developed by the distillery during the last 200 years, foretelling the 200 coming years.

As Dr Bill Lumsden, Master Distiller and Malt Master at the famous Islay distillery,'Times flies, Ardbeg stays'.

With 47.4°, Perpetuum presents all the typical notes of Ardbeg, with creamier notes revealing a fresh, smooth and lavish bouquet, amazing from such a heavily peated whisky. With this new release, the distillery's team has sought to draw the amazing balance and complexity of the perfect Ardbeg peat, in their ongoing experimental quest.

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Features
Volume0.7 L
ABV47.4 °
TypeSingle malt
DistilleryArdbeg
CountryScotland
RegionIslay
Age10 years
MaturationBourbon & Sherry
PeatHeavily Peated
PackagingCardboard Box
Reference:39182

The mythical distillery of Islay resumed its activities in 1997 after a long break. Located on the South-East coast of the Isle of Islay (South-West Scotland), the Ardbeg distillery (“small headland” in Gaelic) was officially established in 1815, when whisky became legal in Scotland. But the location had been known to hide “smugglers” for decades, clandestine distillers who crafted the best malts. The clandestine still of Ardbeg was set up in 1794.


A special kind of chemistry


Located a few miles away from the beautiful Celtic Kildalton Cross, Ardbeg is one of the last remaining “Kildalton distilleries”. Just like Laphroaig and Lagavulin, it is constantly battered by the winter storms that hit the south coast of the island.


A rare fact in Scotland, Ardbeg had always owned a malt-house with a specific feature: the malt drying towers weren’t equipped with ventilators. Hence, the peat smoke was even more concentrated during barley roasting. The malting areas have been operating until 1977. If the malt-house is no more in use today, the Ardbeg distillers impose the same standards to their malt suppliers. The water used by the distillery is extremely pure and also peated, as it comes from the Loch Uigeadail owned by the distillery. As the cellars sit by the sea, close by the quayside, they are laden with the iodized sea breeze.


The incredibly peated and smoky character of Ardbeg Single Malt originates also from the malts used in the whisky making, offering great concentration of phenolic substances. Above all, the malt has been enhanced by the distillery’s specific device, as the stills are equipped with a “rectifier” located at the top of the column. This device rejects only the heaviest elements that return in the vat, and keeps only the lightest vapours, with the most refined and powerful flavours. This is why all of Arbdeg Single Malts are characterized with this elegant peated body which is nowhere to be found but here, in Ardbeg. Ardbeg has been, for a long time, the most peated Islay malt.


Ardbeg rises again


At the end of the 1970’s, the Ardbeg distillery, property of the MacDougall family since its foundation, had a tumultuous history with several periods of closure as the owners change. This explains why Ardbeg Single Malts became scarce on the market. But when Glenmorangie purchased the distillery in 1997, Ardbeg rose again.


Stocks preserved on site were rediscovered, the iconic 10 year-old Ardbeg Single Malt with its black label, distilled when the production started in 1989, is launched, and the production increased tremendously as of 1997, marked by the release of many new exceptional malts.


Ardbeg became recognized as a rare and unique distillery, within a few years, thanks to the knowledge of Bill Lumsden, Master Distiller and creator, which rebuilt Ardbeg’s and made it an iconic brand famous in the whisky world. Innovations, experiments and limited series fostered renewed enthusiasm amongst collectors and fans, as shown by the tremendous echo surrounding each limited edition releases on Ardbeg Day, celebrated worldwide on the last Fèis Ile Saturday. After Ardbeg Day 2012, Ardbog 2013, Auriverdes 2014, Perpetuum 2015 that marked the 200 years anniversary of the distillery, fans are delighted with the arrival of Ardbeg Dark Cove, celebrating the smuggling past of Ardbeg, heritage of the history of how Ardbeg truly began…

Colour: gold.

Nose:
mellow, rich and intense aromas with the typical Ardbeg notes of soot, pine resin combined with dark chocolate hues, caramel, ground coffee and a touch of oak/hazelnut. Smoky notes are intense, and heavily peated with smoked bacon, cinnamon and nutmeg, associated with sweet vanilla flavours, baked apples and a creamy milk chocolate sensation in the mouth. Quite refined overall, perfectly balanced and very elegant.

Palate: amazingly creamy, with a fresh mouthfeel sensation full of liveliness. The tasting confirms the richness and intensity of aromas with a complex smokiness enriched with ripe fruit notes. The peaty character goes darker, yet still balanced, with flavoursome perfumes of oranges and grapefruits.

Finish: of amazing length and quite classy. Vegetal notes of linseed oil and a hint of Sherry.