Smoky malt whisky lovers will have the chance to experience Ardbeg’s latest permanent release – Ardbeg Traigh Bhan from next month.
This rare 19 Year Old single malt is inspired by the heavenly vista of Islay’s Traigh Bhan (pronounced ‘Tri-Van’)– known locally as The Singing Sands – and will be made available in annual small batches.
The captivating place to which this bottling owes its name has white soft sands that sing beneath your feet. But alluring as this beach is, it can also be treacherous. Bathing is ill advised in the seemingly tame crystal waters where jagged, volcanic rocks pierce the sands along the shore.
A perfect reflection of the place that inspired it, Ardbeg Traigh Bhan is seductively smooth on the nose, before sudden, intense and rugged flavour notes come to the fore. Its exquisite taste crescendo is a rush like a surf of salt, smoke, sweet and sour.
This is the first time in 20 years that Ardbeg will release an aged whisky that is a permanent expression, produced in a single batch each year.
To mark this occasion, each annual batch of Traigh Bhan will feature a unique code on the carton, bottle and foot label. With subtle differences in flavour profiles each year, Ardbeggians can research their batch code at Ardbeg.com for more information on their whisky’s story.
Dr Bill Lumsden, Ardbeg’s director of distilling, whisky creation and whisky stocks, said: ‘A new, permanent aged Ardbeg is a rare occurrence, and cause for celebration. We hope that, by slightly tweaking the batch recipe year-on-year, Ardbeggians can have some fun exploring the finer details of this ever-changing dram.
‘As far as taste goes, this 19 Year Old whisky plunges the palate into notes of smoky pineapple and aromatic wood smoke, with a sweet mouthfeel of smoked chilli chocolate and paprika. The intense notes then peter out through a long, smoky finish.’
Ardbeg Traigh Bhan will be available from Ardbeg Embassies and www.clos19.com from September, RRP £169.
TAGS
FOLLOW US
