Ardbeg
Vintage Y2K - 23 Years Old
- 46
- 70cl
- Taste: 4
- Islay
The current Ardbeg distillery on Islay dates back to 1815 but there have been records of legal distilleries on the same site since 1794. Ardbeg was closed in the 1980’s when it belonged to Allied Domecq, who also owned Laphroaig. In 1990 they started to run the distillery for a few months each year to get filling for the blend Ballantines. In 1997 the distillery was sold to the Glenmorangie...
Read more
Read more
The current Ardbeg distillery on Islay dates back to 1815 but there have been records of legal distilleries on the same site since 1794. Ardbeg was closed in the 1980’s when it belonged to Allied Domecq, who also owned Laphroaig. In 1990 they started to run the distillery for a few months each year to get filling for the blend Ballantines. In 1997 the distillery was sold to the Glenmorangie Company who, after updating the distillery, fully reopened it the following year. Moet Hennessy brought the whole company in 2004, and built a new still house in 2019, which is now running to capacity of 2.1 million litres of alcohol per year.
Distilled in the year 2000, Vintage Y2K encapsulates the optimism and excitement surrounding Ardbeg in that momentous year. This rare millennium spirit is characterised by bright, zesty notes, intensely sweet and sooty flavours and a vibrant effervescence. Matured for 23 years in ex-Boubon and Oloroso Sherry casks.
Official Tasting Notes
Colour - Pale Amber.
Aroma - Herbal, sweet and fragrant, with a subtle, distant perfumed smokiness. Next a quirky, zesty note like lemon balsam emerges, along with a suggestion of linseed oil and candied walnuts. A splash of water and the fragrance intensifies. Emitting heather honey, a touch of creosote and the tiniest trace of tent canvas.
Taste - The texture is fizzy and effervescing (sherbety), with a real, vibrant effervescence on the tongue. At first the flavour is intensely sweet. It shifts as aniseed, toffee, digestive biscuits, peppermint, menthol, tar and coffee grits burst through.
Finish - The sooty/tarry flavours keep building, until they finally dissolve into a long, lingering aftertaste of antiseptic lozenges, bitter oranges and oak tannins.
Limited to 1 bottle per customer.
Distilled in the year 2000, Vintage Y2K encapsulates the optimism and excitement surrounding Ardbeg in that momentous year. This rare millennium spirit is characterised by bright, zesty notes, intensely sweet and sooty flavours and a vibrant effervescence. Matured for 23 years in ex-Boubon and Oloroso Sherry casks.
Official Tasting Notes
Colour - Pale Amber.
Aroma - Herbal, sweet and fragrant, with a subtle, distant perfumed smokiness. Next a quirky, zesty note like lemon balsam emerges, along with a suggestion of linseed oil and candied walnuts. A splash of water and the fragrance intensifies. Emitting heather honey, a touch of creosote and the tiniest trace of tent canvas.
Taste - The texture is fizzy and effervescing (sherbety), with a real, vibrant effervescence on the tongue. At first the flavour is intensely sweet. It shifts as aniseed, toffee, digestive biscuits, peppermint, menthol, tar and coffee grits burst through.
Finish - The sooty/tarry flavours keep building, until they finally dissolve into a long, lingering aftertaste of antiseptic lozenges, bitter oranges and oak tannins.
Limited to 1 bottle per customer.
Tasting Rating Guide
1: Light, good for beginners - an aperitif on a summers day, i.e. Glengoyne, Auchentoshan
2: Also good for beginners but with more depth and body - a little stronger than 1, ie. Glenmorangie, Speyburn
3: A dram for everyone, a little more complex so the palate requires a little more experience, i.e. Cragganmore, Macallan
4: A stronger spirit, a big whisky with lots of character and body, excellent after dinner, i.e. Lagavulin, Laphroaig