Origin: Isle of Islay (Scotland)
Type: Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 50.1%ABV
Ageing cask: N/A
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: Hunter Laing & Company
Average price: € 1,500.00
Official website: hunterlaing.com
Vote: 89/100
The Kinship series was inaugurated by bottler Hunter Laing (with selections by Scott Laing) to celebrate the start of construction of their first distillery, Ardnahoe on Islay, at the 2017 Fèis Ìle, and has since become an annual fixture.
Six bottles with very important ageing, (almost) all from Islay, and a price that obviously reflects this rarity.
The bottle I taste today comes from the (virtual) Fèis of 2020, where alongside this Ardbeg came a 1990 Laphroaig and four bottlings with 1989 vintage, namely Bunnahabhain, Highland Park, Caol Ila and Bowmore.
Unspecified single cask, 251 cask strength bottles, distillate from the period when Ardbeg was operating on a hiccup thanks to its neighbours and… that’s it, we’re drinking!
Tasting notes
When you find Ardbeg from this era in your glass the first impact is always one of estrangement, you are used to contemporary profiles and this here at least initially doesn’t fit. The peat is vegetal and coastal but with earthy, mineral incursions, no bituminous slaps but spices, toasted herbs, grilled fruit (pineapple, oranges, apples) and burnt flowers. There is an industrial, old-machinery component of lubricant and metal, of greasy rags and oxidised copper. Over time, it rounds out and softens, with a slight waxy patina.
On the palate, it surprises with a rather bright floral part, which soon plunges into the waves between oysters and brine, with chilli-roasted fruit, anise, liquorice root, burnt marshmallow and lemon. Ashtray used in the rain and extinguished scented candles.
Long finish of ash, salt, liquorice, expired paprika, burnt nuts.
I won’t hide a hint of disappointment at this dram, after such a rich, Victorian anticipation that slips into a palate that is still full but less charismatic. It’s still a privilege to try such casks, especially from that particular period for Ardbeg, and the experience is all there.