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4th September 2020 |
Ardbeg
announces the launch of the second batch
of the American oak & Oloroso sherry
cask matured Ardbeg 19 Year Old Traigh Bhan.
 Ardbeg
has announced the release of Ardbeg 19
Year Old Traigh Bhan Batch 2, or to be
more precise Batch No:
TB/02-18.09.00/20.JT. Ardbeg Traigh
Bhan’ (pronounced ‘Tri-Van’) was
launched last year and was the first age
statement whisky to join the Ardbeg core
range in 20 years.
Ardbeg 19 Year Old Traigh Bhan was
matured in American oak and Oloroso
Sherry casks, Ardbeg tells me that Batch
2 is subtly different to the first
release of Traigh Bhan. This time round,
the 19 Year Old takes on an altogether
more silky-smooth character, thanks to a
higher proportion of 1st-fill Bourbon
casks, alongside refills and Sherry
casks.
Ardbeg describe Traigh Bhan Batch 2 as
having an aroma of sweet wood smoke and
tart crème fraîche which flow gently
into bold notes of savoury fennel,
celeriac and roasted tea leaves. On the
palate, they say it has an intensely
salty mouthfeel shifting like the tides
into soothing medicinal notes, followed
by salted peanut brittle, smoked
pineapple and lime juice. Waves of
aniseed lap over the palate, before rich
fudge, birch tar and peat smoke crash
down wildly.
The taste profile isn’t the only thing
that changes year on year. Each Traigh
Bhan whisky carries its own unique batch
code, batch symbol and signature from
one of the Distillery’s famous faces –
this year it’s Jackie Thomson, the
Distillery Visitor Centre Manager.
With distillery manager Mickey Heads
pending retirement at the end of October
after 13 years overseeing whisky
production at the Ardbeg Distillery this
may possibly be the last new Ardbeg
release under Mickey's reign that will
carry his name, will that make it more
sought after by the Ardbeg whisky
collectors, who knows? One thing is for
sure it will no doubt be sought after,
difficult to get hold of and sell out
quickly just like the previous batch
even with its new slightly higher RRP of
£199.
Ardbeg’s Whisky Creator, Dr Bill
Lumsden, said: "To me, this whisky is
the epitome of an aged Ardbeg. It
somehow manages to balance the complex
with the classic. It’s a truly unique
bottling and we hope Ardbeggians
everywhere look forward to comparing
notes with the previous batch. I know I
did!"
Ardbeg 19 Year Old Traigh Bhan Batch 2 has a RRP of £199 and will
be available from
September from specialist online whisky
retailers such as
The Whisky Exchange,
The Whisky Shop and
Master of Malt
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Ardbeg 19 Year Old Traigh Bhan Batch
1 Review
|
Note that this is a review of the
outstanding Ardbeg 19 year Traigh Bhan
Batch 1 and given Ardbeg's record for
consistency and quality in their core
range I would be confident Batch 2 will
match it for quality but as the is the
very nature of single malts it will
likely vary slightly in its flavour
profile but I wouldn't think by much.
William
Morrison's Tasting Notes:
Nose:
Sweet vanilla toffee infused with subtle
and charismatic Ardbeg peat smoke and
dusted with white pepper, even subtler
lemon lurking in the background
Taste:
The sweet vanilla and the now not so
subtle peat smoke burst onto the palate,
filling every corner of the mouth with
its smooth, barley sugared sweet,
vanilla'd, peaty pleasures. Lemon zest,
oak spice, white pepper and a wee hint
of liquorice join the party.
Finish:
Deliciously long, the peat, vanilla and
pepper linger for an age.
Comment:
I thought the peat was going to be much
tamer on the palate after nosing this
but it certainly isn't tame at all on
the palate. I recall the old Ardbeg 17,
although an outstanding dram it fell
just a little short with the peat smoke
on the palate so I wondered what this
new Ardbeg 19 year old would be like and
I am very happy to say that it does not
lack in peat smoke on the palate, it is
simply a stunning, mature Ardbeg which
is packed with peat just as the fans of
this dram want. You will need deep
pockets to make this your every day dram
but if your pockets are deep enough and
you are an Ardbeg fan you will not be
disappointed.
SMW Score
95/100
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