ARDBEG - 19 years old - Traigh Bhan - Vintage 2004 - Batch 5 - 46.2%
Ardbeg is a distillery located on the island of Islay , Scotland . It is one of the oldest distilleries on the island and its whiskeys have a reputation for being among the most peaty. Ardbeg was the first whiskey to travel to space: the distillery was the first to experiment with extraterrestrial aging when it sent part of its production to the International Space Station in 2011 to examine the effects of weightlessness on the taste. Whiskey has been produced on the site since 1798, and it was first marketed in 1815, the same year as its close neighbor Laphroaig. Ardbeg enjoyed immediate success, with high demand for its spirit for use in blends, but from 1838 the distillery entered a prolonged phase of ownership changes and bankruptcies, until it finally closed in 1981. It reopened in 1989, but was only operational for two months out of the year. Finally, in 1997, it was bought by Glenmorangie and production resumed full time. The distillery is still owned by the French luxury group LVMH , within its Glenmorangie group .
Ardbeg's two stills produce one million liters of alcohol annually, which is only available in the form of Single Malt . The whiskey is aged mainly in Bourbon casks , with a small portion aged in Sherry casks . It is heavily peated , but does not have the same marine character as many Islay whiskies; Ardbeg is known for its smoky, spicy and sweet character.
This rare and ever-evolving 19-year-old takes its inspiration from Islay's Traigh Bhan Beach, known locally as the Singing Sands. Ardbeg Traigh Bhan Batch 5 was distilled in 2004 and matured in American oak and Oloroso Sherry barrels .
Peated (+ 50-55 ppm)