A legendary vintage of Ardbeg, this bottle's sister was awarded a stunning 96 points by whiskyfun.com, one of the highest marks ever given to an Arbeg!

Distilled on 15th February 1967 and matured in a single pale Oloroso sherry butt # 575 for 28 years before bottling in November 1995 by Signatory Vintage.

This bottle was being poured at the Whisky Show in London last weekend. On the stand promoting the Whisky Show Old & Rare in Glasgow next February, in case you’re interested... (is that against the rules Serge?) Colour: Deep gold. Nose: Equally majestic as the 1975 but totally different again. This is a forest of resins, precious hardwoods, ferns, bracken, moss and then honeycomb, blossoms, medical tinctures, natural tar, gentian root, aged mead... the list could go on a long time. Sublime complexity and elegance. The peat has morphed into the most staggering mix of herbal and citrus liqueurs, delicate farmyard and mechanical aspects with qualities such as bergamot and a fragrant quince jelly note in the background. With time goes more towards coastal notes as well. Motor oil, crushed sea salt, grilled langoustines. A poem. With water: a subtle but perceptible elevation in beauty. A single drop just seems to make everything a little sharper and sing a little more exquisitely. Mouth: The peat is louder here but also deep and outrageously silky. A velvety sheen of gorse, wildflowers, ointment, orange peel, earth, smoked oats and mint jelly. With water: disgracefully beautiful! I think probably best not to go on from here... Finish: Endless. A cavern of earthy and bubbling peats, farmyard and seashore notes alongside more classical Ardbeg hallmarks such as natural tar, old rope and dried seaweed. Comments: It’s easy to balk at the prices paid for these bottles now but when you taste them again you understand: these bottlings were liquid art in many ways. Beautiful; haunting; unrepeatable; infuriating; emotional. SGP: 656 - 96 points