Ardbeg 1966 Moon Import The Birds Cask Hogshead 348 Matured in Sherry Wood Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky ABV 46% Vol 700ml / 70cl

DESCRIPTION

A ridiculously rare and hugely sought-after Moon Import bottling of Ardbeg 1966 bottled in the late 1980s.

TASTING NOTES (by Whiskyfun.com)

Cask #2443 by the same bottlers was superb (WF 93) but I never tried cask #348. Now’s the time. Colour: mahogany. Nose: it’s rather quieter than the Bowmore at first nosing, quite astonishingly, maybe because there’s a lot of dry sherry that tames the malt. Having said that, the whole never stops developing after one or two minutes, all on roasted nuts, tar, old orange liqueurs, old balsamic vinegar, cured ham and camphor. Then more chestnut liqueur, mint, ginger and a little coffee. The other 1966 by Moon had much less sherry if I remember well, but this one is stunning anyway. Utterly stunning. No water. More tar. Mouth: well, it’s very big but it’s also a little drying in the attack (a little too much cinnamon/cardboard) while there’re also bags of liquorice and tar as well as something very medicinal. Salmiak, kippers, molasses, roasted peanuts, melon liqueur. Gets then saltier and brinier, with also hints of lime and cough drops. Excellent – should I add of course – but a tad roughish and too dry. Also ‘a taste of gasoline’. Finish: long, dry, smokier. More cough syrup and a leathery aftertaste. Comments: a very big Ardbeg from the 1960s – while others were rather rounder and more approachable. It’s a superb whisky, but other old Ardbegs (most from the 1970s) have been even more superb in my book. SGP:367 - 92 points.

PRODUCT SUMMARY