Ardbeg 25 Years Old
A Single Malt that captures the wild spirit of the island of Islay.
Located in the west of Scotland in the Hebrides archipelago, the small, misty island of Islay holds a unique treasure in its heart. With its fertile land and deep peat bogs, it is home to one of the world's greatest distilleries: Ardbeg. Islay is a wild and antique place where the first distillers used to smuggle their illicit "aquavitae" into the rocky cove of Ardbeg. The small village has now 19 residents, whom the distillery likes to call the "lucky ones". Passionate about making spirits from a young age, Ardbeg's founder, John McDougall, used the family's barley harvest excess to make whiskey. This is how the tumultuous rise of this world-renowned distillery began.
It is by cultivating the traditions and the natural elements that the land of Islay has to offer, that Ardbeg’s whisky will become the best Single Malt of the region. However, the eventful history of the distillery will be marked by several ownership changes.
John McDougall’s first successor, Thomas Buchanan, was a spirit merchant from Glasgow. He took the lead in 1838 by buying the distillery for £1,800.
However, Alexander McDougall, the founder’s son, continued to supervise the company’s operations. When he died in 1853, the business was co-managed by Colin Hay, a former employee, and the McDougall sisters, Margaret and Flora. They became the first female distillers of Scotland. Soon, Ardbeg became the biggest producer of Single Malt whisky of Islay, with more than 1.1 million liters in 1887, it is more than today’s production. The name "Ardbeg" was officially registered as a trademark in 1911.
Under the commands of its new owner Colin Hay, the company will start to develop from 1922. He increased the production capacity of the distillery by installing new stills and building new premises for the storage of aging whisky. Colin Hay was the spearhead of the most prosperous period in Ardbeg’s history. After many years of dedicated service, he will retire to a house he built next to the distillery.
After his retirement, the successive management teams will face many crises. Despite a growing reputation, the Ardbeg distillery did not escape the whisky crisis and was forced to close its doors between 1981 and 1989. Despite an attempt to take over, a second closure will take place in 1996.
A year later, like a phoenix rising from its ashes, the distillery will reborn thanks to its acquisition by Glenmorangie, a distillery located near Tain, which also produces single malt Scotch whiskies. While supervising the renewal of the brand, full time production will restart with the bottling of Ardbeg 17 Years Old, 1978 Vintage and Provenance. The distillery will then experience a remarkable growth with the launch of several iconic creations such as the 10 Years Old and the Renaissance.
With the impetus of this new dynamic, the Ardbeg World Committee, which has nearly 140,000 members all around the world since the 2000’s, is formed to ensure that the distillery never closes its doors again. The members, willing to do whatever it takes to preserve the House's heritage, guarantee an increase of the demand for Ardbeg whiskies. Its president, Michael Heads, will become an iconic and highly respected figure in the world of Single Malt whisky.
Born and raised on Islay, he is in a perfect position to exploit the resources offered by these lands. According to him, the main strength of the distillery must be drawn from the quality of its production and not from its quantity. He was appointed as the head of the distillery for 13 consecutive years and was also considered its "guardian". His passion and dedication to whisky and Gaelic traditions earned the company many prestigious awards such as "World Whisky of the Year", "Scotch Whisky of the Year" and "World's Best Single Malt".
True pioneer in Scotch whisky, the Ardbeg Distillery will also expand its horizons with an extraordinary experiment. In 2011, NanoRacks LLC, a private space services company that builds space hardware offered Ardbeg the opportunity to analyze the micro-organic components of its whiskey in space. Preserved in small vials, the Ardbeg Galileo, a 12-years-old Single Malt, will then be sent on a mission to the International Space Station. Now collected in a laboratory in Houston, Texas, the samples will be examined to determine the impact of gravity on the maturation process of the whisky.
Thus, the limited edition Ardbeg Supernova 2014 was launched in honor of the landing of the spaceship on Earth, after spending 3 years in space.
In this way, the classic range as well as the numerous limited editions such as the 2015 Ardbeg Perpetuum, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the distillery and the many enthusiasts of the brand, are an integral part of Ardbeg's success. However, the reputation of these Single Malts relies on their extraordinary well-balanced flavours.
Prized by connoisseurs all around the world for its pronounced peaty taste and characteristic smoky aromas, Ardbeg’s whisky also exhibits a surprising sweetness known as the "peaty paradox". The peat, which is at the origin of this taste, is used as a combustible during the drying process of the barley grains which constitute the malt. Once burned, it releases aromatic components that preserve the smoky taste of the malt, essential to the conception of whisky.
The whisky that interests us today, the Ardbeg 25 Years Old, is a very rare whisky from the distillery, only available periodically.
Bottled from incredibly rare casks, the majestic Ardbeg 25 Years Old is a perfect example of what the "peat paradox" is. It is probably the most complex and balanced whisky of the distillery. Smoky earthy aromas mixed with layers of pine and scented candle wax. Warm pepper rises on the mouth, accompanied by the acidity of a lemon sorbet. The final note reveals hints of tar and anise. Its bright amber colour reveals itself once poured into the glass.
Presented in a metal bottle and an elegant box adorned with a metal "cage", it is undeniably an Ardbeg creation like you've never tasted before.
Of all the whiskies produced on the island, Ardbeg is the one that captures the soul of Islay the best: its predominant marine character, its smoky peaty aromas, its salty Atlantic wind smell. Each element is a testament of Islay’s wild beauty and reflects in this famous whisky.
Balance is the key word in the elaboration of these Single Malts, placed under the recent direction of Colin Gordon. With more than 50 gold medals and titles such as "Distillery of the Year" in 2018, 2019 and 2020, Ardbeg distillery is now one of the most successful distilleries in the world.
ARDBEG 25 Years Old - Bottle of 70 cl
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