Ardbeg Perpetuum
47.4% ABV - Islay, Scotland
Nose: Light smoke—not something you would expect from Ardbeg, with a saline, nearing medicinal peatreek in the background. Green pepper, vanilla, and fruit follow.
Taste: Caramel candy, softly charred wood, peat smoke, and vanilla. There must be a few orchard fruits thrown into the mix too—possibly a hint of ex-Sherry casks in this one.
Finish: Mesquite smoke and light fruits, with chocolate-y notes to round it out. Medium-long.
Well, this is sure a delicious dram. I’m a bit surprised that it didn’t have a stronger popularity within the whisky community—perhaps the marketing gimmicks weren’t as convincing, or perhaps there wasn’t enough of an "experimentalness" to it… I’m not really sure, but this is in my Top 5 for the annual Ardbeg Day releases that I’ve tasted.
The Ardbeg distillery was closed from 1981 to 1989 and then reopened with small yields until 1997 when it was acquired by Glenmorangie. The description on the back of the bottle alludes to older Ardbeg of the past, and I wonder if that means the style of the spirit is merely reminiscent of pre-1997 stocks, or if it actually has a few dashes from old stock in this expression.
This whisky was tasted side-by-side the Ardbeg Scorch—I’ll note that it is a touch more pale in colour than the Scorch is—and I preferred the Perpertuum.
Details: Ardbeg Day 2015 Release. Matured in ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks.
Tasting Notes (Official): The past, present and future in a glass… Classic notes of Ardbeg’s yesteryear on the nose as mellow, RICH and enticing ARDBEGGIAN FLAVOURS mingle with dark chocolate, TREACLE and NUTTY oak. Then, like standing on Ardbeg’s pier this morning, water brings forth briny SEA-SPRAY with a PINE RESIN lime top note for a remarkably FRESH BOUQUET. On the palate, ROBUST PEAT smoke and savoury SMOKY BACON meet creamy SWEET VANILLA, milk chocolate with the hint of SHERRY CASKS, culminating in a taste of the future… an aftertaste that is NEVER-ENDING…
Tasted 08 January 2023. (Posted 01 May 2023.)
