Ardbeg 1976 Bot.2004 Cask #2398 Islay Festival 2004

Ardbeg 1976 Bot.2004 Cask #2398 Islay

• Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• Distillery Bottling

70cl / 51.4%

Firstly, Cask 2398 was a sherry butt from the legendary 1976 batch. this rare Ardbeg was bottled for the Feis Ile in 2004.

Meanwhile, With all the craziness going on in the world, the thing I was looking most forward to was getting to go to Islay and visit a number of the distilleries there. Well, Covid got my trip cancelle and now I’m not sure when or if I’ll ever be able to reschedule that trip so I decide to be sad and drink some peaty goodness in my own home instead of the warehouses. Also, So lets just jump right in:

Review #89 (Scotch #16) – Octomore 8.2 Ardbeg 1976 Bot.2004 Cask #2398 Islay Festival 2004

8 Years Old

167 PPM

NCF NCA

First 6 years were spent in 3 different wine casks, unsure what the final 2 years were in

58.4% ABV

Appearance: dark, almost reddish, lots of heavy legs

Nose: Grape jelly, smoked peaches, frosted flakes, cherry pie

Taste: Raspberry jam, vanilla frosting, little smoked black pepper, some fruity caramel in there?

Finish: More smoke and body come in, light bbq, sea salt, white wine, fresh bread

Final Score: 8/10

Would I buy (another) bottle? Yes

Thoughts: My first delve into the world of Octomore and on paper, I love their whole ethos and pushing the boundaries of what they can do with scotch. Different casks, high peat, not afraid to be young, and very transparent. Well this did not disappoint. The wine imparts some great sweetness that balances so well with the peat. The finish is like a good tennessee bbq sauce but the front end is dessert like. Yet, it all works. I look forward to trying as many expressions as I can.