Ardbeg 1963 30 Year Connoisseurs Choice (Gordon & MacPhail)

It’s hard to rate this objectively given the rarity of the experience, for which it rates six stars out of five. And many of the flavours were so subtle that they were hard to tease out from a small pour at the end of an evening drinking modern Ardbeg. But what I got was as follows: gentle notes of sour fruits on the nose and a hint of something metallic. In the mouth it clings to the side of the tongue despite the low ABV, yielding grapefruit and lychee, specifically the flesh of the latter not the juice. A long finish of awe with a dash of greedy entitlement and a brief moment of unity with everything that has ever been and ever will. Yeh, no proper notes on the finish. Suffice to say this tastes quite unlike a modern Ardbeg, though the fruity notes are not dissimilar to other Islays of this age. An itch is scratched, for now.

Wow. So tropical. Nose: Mangoes, Passion Fruit, Raisins, Pineapples, Walnuts, Salted Caramel, Dark Chocolate, Coal, Roses, Coconuts, Brown Butter Palate: Pineapples, Dark Chocolate, Figs, Raisins, Honey, Butterscotch, Elderflower, Papayas, Mangoes, Yellow Plums, Key Limes, Anise, Licorice, Cinnamon, Sawdust Finish: Passion Fruit, Butterscotch, Brown Sugar, Pineapples, Walnuts, Leather, Raspberries, Morello Cherries, Salted Toffee, Raisins, Watermelons, Sultanas