Ardbeg - tasting before and after a splash of water is a must! The transformation is incredible. The Intense of Peat nose gives way to a pleasing variety of flavors on the palate.
from the isle of Islay - pronounced (eye -la) off the south west coast of Scotland.
The peatiest/smokiest of the single malts as proven by science.
ppm (peat parts per million) of the top 3 peatiest single malts
Ardbeg - 56 ppm
Laphroaig - 35 ppm
Lagavulin - 25 - 30 ppm
A special purifier on their 2 stills (most labels have 8 or more) allow the heavy vapors to drop back into the still creating sought after results similar to those of taller pot stills.
Considered 'l'enfant terrible', red-headed step child, rockstar, and Premier Cru of the single malts.
The five truth's of Ardbeg
1. Ardbeg is the peatiest and smokiest of all the Islay malts
2. Ardbeg's purifier on the spirit still adds fruity floral sweetness and complexity to the spirit
3. Ardbeg's Oregon Pine wooden washbacks add waxiness to the spirit
4. Ardbeg's expressions are non-chill filtered for maximum flavor
5. Ardbeg's Peat laden water supply is drawn solely from Loch Uigeadail (pronounced closely enough - Lock oog dial)
Ardbeg Uigeadail - voted the best whisky in the world - 2 x distilled - Cask Strength - aged in 60% bourbon and 40% sherry barrels - named after Ardbeg distillery's water source Lake Uigeadail -
Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist - aged in ex-bourbon oak barrels for 18 years and a small amount of time in Sherry barrels - a limited expression from finite whisky stocks entirely from 1990 distillate - named after a 'beast' spotted between the loch and the distillery by two of the 9 people responsible for the production of Ardbeg during a tremendous storm and after imbibing some of the same 1990 distillate.