Ardbeg 1967 32 Year Old Old Malt Cask

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Scotland / Islay / Ardbeg

700ml Bottle
Normal condition

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700ml Bottle

Normal condition

700ml Bottle - Hong Kong

HK$ 30,780

Descriptions, Ratings & Tasting Notes

The Old Malt Cask series is one of the most established independent labels on the market. It was launched by Douglas Laing in 1998 and bottled by them until 2013 when the brand became part of the Hunter Laing portfolio instead.

This is a 1967 vintage Ardbeg, bottled in January 2000 at a cask strength due to the whisky having dropped below the brand's preferred 50% ABV. This expression scored an impressive 90 points on WhiskyFun.

90
score

whiskyfun.com

May 04, 2022

The owners have missed the 1960s completely (only lousy efforts have been made – white gloves, come on!) but neither Signatory Vintage nor Douglas Laing have been as conspicuously absent. Having said that, I've never tried this one, neither formally nor informally. Colour: dark bronze. Really, it is virtually green (greener than the green Springbanks, if that rings a bell). Say as green as olive oil, really! Nose: it is not surprising that you would find a few similar aromas as in the G&M 13/72, especially rubbers, tyre inner tubes, then rather mushroom cream (truffle), some kind of old style oils and polishes (what we were having in my time in the French army), stewed rhubarb at the fruit section, a blend of pipe juice with 'secret Chinese medicine', baijiu (really, not making this up, I swear), prunes, dried figs, longans, hoisin sauce… Pure madness. Patches, nails in the cask? You say patches AND nails? Mouth: it is incredible that it would be this green. The taste is a little funny, I have to say, not exactly 'rotten' but you do feel that something is not exactly right, perhaps. Something metallic indeed, bitters, tobaccos, very old oloroso, salty liquorice, turpentine and eucalyptus… Now the heart is beating steady and strong, this is not a foul old Ardbeg at all, it's just 'different' and makes you reconsider your tasting paradigm (what? No way!) Finish: while it got even greener, or so it seems… More metallic notes, various old embrocations, liqueurs and unknown liquids, oils, dried fruits, baijiu indeed… Comments: you can't quite score this. Crazy colour, crazy drop. I've never seen any spirits as green as this – not talking about green chartreuse, naturally. Camouflaged whisky, almost. SGP:475 - 90 points.