Ardbeg 23yo 1991/2014 Douglas Laing Old Particular

This was the 5th sample provided by the Whisky Wire as part of the Big Peat tweet tasting

Colour: Pale hay

Nose: Once again meaty, hints of roast juice, chocolate, honey. Fruity: raspberry and cranberries, overall a blend of various red fruits with something more tropical hidden in the mix. Scents reminiscent of strips of old leather and orange peel.

Mouth: Rich, old and balanced. An oily palate, chunks of dark chocolate, a fine selection of redolent herbs, humid forest soil, rich smoky peat, notes of raspberry, a hint from the wood and some more sweet sugary notes.

Finish: Orange oil in the finish, tobacco, peat and strips of leather. Sweet and soft, well balanced fruity notes.

Conclusion What a way to finish a tasting, a pure class-act. My guess was that this could well be a Port Ellen (yes, I know, maybe a bit amateurish of me). No this winner was an Ardbeg, well out of my price-range of course, but nonetheless a stunner. A blast from Ardbeg's Past, ... I could keep talking in hyperboles, but that's a bit of a cliché in itself, isn't it? No, this simply was a great dram. You simply can't beat a well matured Islay-malt, no matter what the NAS-crowd says.

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