Ardbeg hand bottled, 23 years old, 1975-1999, Sherry cask no. 4702, 248/961, 45.2% abv.

Nose: chlorine, public swimming pool locker room, dirty wash cloths, backend of a light concentrated fruit juice, light boiled peanuts; after some time its like chinese old soup (老火湯), has more body, retains the peanuts.

Palate: dry, mid palate has some fruit juice bit it leans more towards the wood side, back palate has a perfume like smoke, wood, like caramel but not as viscous.

Finish: slightly sharp, light mesquite BBQ, spice that just disappears instantly.

Surprisngly this doesn't lean towards the smokey or sherry side. Initially the nose was horrible and would remind any American guy their high school childhood in the locker room, especially during swim season. Luckily it disappears with time. Its a little caramel like and saddles in-between fruit juices and wood. I could not tell it was an Ardbeg. It's not too strong, decent flavor but lacks diversity, it only seems to focus on two or three flavors, which I can't accurately describe, and it doesn't even do that very well. Overall its a decent bottle, but nothing to be excited about for hardcore Ardbeg fans. Surprised there were such high scores from some expert opinionators, perhaps differing storage conditions? This cask no. 4702 seems to get around too.

Grade: C+

Whiskyfun.com, Serge Valentin, sgp:467, 93 points for 261 bottles version.
Malt maniacs, 91 points on 3 reviews for France bottling

Image courtesy of Eric Yee.

Eric Yee

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