Ardbeg has launched two new whiskies, with its first vintage of the millennium, the 23-year-old Y2K and a tribute to a fan, and distillery, favourite with Ardbeg The Abyss, which is drawn from the heart of the original, limited-edition Ardbeg Corryvreckan.
The year 2000 marked a pivotal time for Ardbeg, as the distillery was returned to full production when the clock ticked over from 1999 to 2000. Having been bought by The Glenmorangie Company in 1997, the distillery was then meticulously restored before its new beginning in the 21st century.
The Ardbeg Vintage Y2K has been crafted using some of the very first spirit of the millennium and using the still which served Ardbeg for 51 years, before being retired in 2001. The whisky was laid down in some of the finest bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks available at the time.
The result is a single malt jam with tasting notes that describe a whisky that is “packed with bright zesty notes and intensely sweet, sooty flavours – a smoky anomaly never to be repeated. Aromas of lemon balsam reminisce with linseed oil and heather honey, while soot and peppermint stir up memories of ground coffee and aniseed on the palate”.
Dr Bill Lumsden, Ardbeg Master Distiller, said: “Ardbeg Vintage Y2K is a phenomenal souvenir of a pivotal year at Ardbeg. Crafted at the dawn of a new era in our historic still, this ultra-rare whisky has been stowed carefully at the Distillery ever since. Herbal, citrusy and sweet on the nose, before soot, peppermint and coffee explode on the palate, this retro collectors’ classic is pure Ardbeg nostalgia.”
In addition to Y2K, Ardbeg The Abyss has also been released as a 34-year-old whisky which has the original, limited-edition Ardbeg Corryvreckan at its heart. Corryvreckan was first released in 1989 having been aged in bourbon casks and then finished in unique, ‘ultra-active’ French oak casks, which were heavily toasted.
While most of these unrepeatable casks were consumed in the 2008 limited bottling, a small handful were stowed away. Now, from those last surviving barrels, comes Ardbeg The Abyss, a rich and unusually dark Ardbeg that “draws drinkers deep into swirls of toasted marshmallows and tea leaves, while notes of dark chocolate, pecan, leather and creosote circle nearby”.
Speaking on The Abyss Dr Lumsden added: “Ardbeg The Abyss is the stuff of Ardbeggian legend. Formed from the rare heart of that original, sought-after 2008 limited release of Corryvreckan, this 34-year-old whisky has been transported by time into a new world of flavour.
“Held in a tiny handful of those rare, heavily toasted French oak casks, its 400 bottles contain mysterious depths of toasted marshmallows, dark chocolate, pecan nuts and leather – a rare taste of an Ardbeg icon revived, and reimagined.”
