Ardbeg 1976 Cask 2390 Sherry Cask Islay Festival 2002

Ardbeg 1976 Cask 2390 Sherry Cask Islay Festival

• Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• Distillery Bottling

70cl / 53.1%

A sherry butt of Ardbeg from the legendary 1976 batch, this rare Ardbeg was bottled for the Feis Ile in 2002.

One thing that I really like about young Caol Ila is that sometimes you get a smoked kipper note, like you are cooking fish on the beach on a fire. Ardbeg 1976 Cask 2390 Sherry Cask Islay Festival 2002

Nose: Fleeting whiff of perfumed sweets, turkish delight. Then sugared lemons, touch of smoke. Brine, salt cakes. Some ozone and cotton candy. Some vegetable oil. Bright. A bit of mango and coconut, a bit of yellow guava. The perfume subsides. A touch of wintergreen. With water, a bit oakier. Some boards. Pink peppercorn and pink guava. Ardbeg 1976 Cask 2390 Sherry Cask Islay

Palate: A punch of smoke, limoncello, a bit hot, some sweet oakiness. With water: sweet smoke.

Finish: Hot, spicy, pink peppercorns, lemons, smoldering fire. Similar with water.

Score: 85

Verdict: I might have bumped this to an 86 or 87 – and indeed I had scored it an 87 in a previous tasting a year ago, but I tasted this in the same session as the Kilchoman Loch Gorm, which was just a wonderful whisky.