Cold relief:
SPOILERS! (Click to view)
After the cult following that Ardbeg Very Young collected it appears that enthusiasts of Ardbeg are keen to sample a 'work in progress'. So now its spirited sibling, 'Still young' is ready to take its first peated steps to maturity. Released just over one year on from Very Young it is wonderfully robust, still peaty and gristy but ageing well. A final limited release, 'Almost There' to be bottled in 2007, will complete the family and show the development of the vintage 1998 spirit as it journeys towards becoming a fully fledged ten year old in 2006.
Tasting Notes : Pungent aromas of heathery wood smoke, peat and coal tar soap are softened by top notes of pear drops, fig rolls, peaches and sea air. On the palate it is powerful and smoky, yet silky and smooth as the peat oils and flavours of chewy treacle toffees coat the mouth.
Producer : Ardbeg
Method of Production : As with the Very Young bottling, this expression is a vatting of heavily peated spirit from 'normal' barrels (i.e. ex-Bourbon barrels; with the untouched ones destined to become the 'house' ten year old) from the 1998 vintage. This however, was bottled in 2006 at cask strength without chill filtering or the addition of caramel; thus making it an eight year old.
Totally caned it last weekend and had a night of cocktails mid week. It's all caught up and I've got a stinky cold. Maxing out on the Echinachea and the Whisky. Well you've got to retain a balance right? Played the decks at this great party last Saturday on the Royal Mile. Nice big living room, loads of nice people, dancing until 8am Sunday, didn't want to leave! Walking home in the rain was amazing. No one about.
Christmas shopping has kicked off so work has gone hectic. Went in today with great plans of cashing up then fucking off but sods law ended up leaving at 4.30pm. Home now with two new whiskys though. The above Ardbeg and a Balvenie 12 year old double wood. Guess what I'm doing tonight?
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Fucking hell that Ardbeg is some good shit. Not as instantaneous as the 'Very Young' bottling but very good all the same.
But it might just be the Jameson.
I used to think she was saying "She's so fucking ill" in Peter Gabriel's "Games Without Frontiers".
My image of her was quite skewed.