The Islay based Ardbeg Distillery, has today announced the
relaunch of its much revered 17 Year Old bottling.
Ardbeg 17 Year Old, is a single malt Scotch whisky, which
was produced using peated and unpeated whiskies, chill-filtration and bottled at
40% ABV – just as it was prior to being discontinued in 2004.
 |
| Ardbeg 17 Year Old |
This latest limited-edition, which pays tribute to those who have made Ardbeg 17 Year the legend that it is – from the whisky’s creators, to the fans who lobbied for its return, will be available exclusively to Ardbeg Committee members.
Released a quarter century ago in 1997, Ardbeg 17 Year Old
was one of the first whiskies to be released from the distillery, when it
re-opened after being bought by The Glenmorangie Company. The bottling became a
firm favourite among the distillery’s most dedicated fans during the early days
of its resurgence. Stalwarts of the Ardbeg Committee mourned the whisky’s loss
when it was retired in 2004, and they have been calling for the single malt’s
revival ever since.
While usually looking to the future and to their next
trailblazing smoky creation, the whisky creation team at Ardbeg challenged
themselves to retrace their steps and bring the flavour profile of the 17 Year
Old back to life.
Creating the whisky was no mean feat – even breaking one of
the distillery’s own golden rules; today, Ardbeg usually has an ABV of 46% or
higher and is always non-chill-filtered. But on their mission to replicate
Ardbeg 17 Year Old’s classic character, the whisky creation team combined
peated and unpeated stock, and tweaked their typical production process, to be
able to bottle the revived Ardbeg 17 Year Old as near to the original as
possible.
Commenting on the launch, Master Blender Gillian Macdonald,
Gillian Macdonald, Master Blender, said: “When we meet die-hard Ardbeg
Committee members, the conversation often turns to Ardbeg 17 Years Old. After
pondering for some time how we could bring this favourite back to life, we
landed on a delicious recipe that honours the character of the original 17
Years Old both in aroma, flavour and texture.
Ardbeg fans can expect to find classic aromas of pine resin and sea
spray, as well as a mineral note layered with malted barley – all underpinned
by delicate smoke. In tribute to the Ardbeg folk past and present who made this
whisky an icon, we’re very excited to bring an Islay legend back to life,
allowing a new generation of whisky lovers to experience an iconic Ardbeg that
they’ve heard so much about.”
Ardbeg 17 Year Old, will be available from September 24th, exclusively
to Ardbeg Committee members via its website, distillery shop and Ardbeg
Embassies, for a RRP of £160.00.
Posted by Steve Rush