A heady nose, rich and peaty with loads of iodine, salty seaweed, ozone, ashy but resinous cherrywood, a dusting of black pepper, a touch of licorice root and star anise, some rosemary, sweet florals, honey, vanilla, and a tinge of citrus zest. Far sweeter on the tongue than the nose would suggest. Smoky, earthy, and peppery but delectably sweet. Rich buttercream frosting on burnt vanilla cake, toffee and coffee, more star anise, cayenne, cinnamon, and key lime pie with toasted meringue. Legs form quickly yet hang on for awhile, heavy and healthy uniform veins subtly fade into a dense cloud of plump droplets. The mouthfeel is velvety until swallowed then coating in a waxy sort of way. It’s overall on the lighter side of full bodied. The finish is long, peaty, grassy, oaky and tannic, briny and reminiscent of salted caramel and dark chocolate with walnuts. Nose:9 Palate: 10 Body: 9 Finish: 10
About this bottle
This is the the third batch of Ardbeg's permanent 19 year old expression, Ardbeg Traigh Bhan (pronounced TRI VAN). Always produced in small batches and released once annually, this dram draws its inspiration from Islay’s Traigh Bhan beach, known as “the Singing Sands”. For this release, there was a slight difference in cask selection in order to convey a spicier flavor profile. Each batch has its own unique code, batch symbol and signature from a famous member of the team. This one is from Dr Bill Lumsden, Ardbeg’s Director of Distilling and Whisky Creation. It is bottled at 46.2% ABV and available as of September, 2021.
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 8 parsed reviews.
Très iodé au nez comparativement au 10 ans, on dirait presqu’un Laphroaig à l’aveugle. Beaucoup d’algues salées, mais aussi de fumée, le tout bien enrobé par de la poire et des fruits à noyaux. La typique explosion cendrée cendrée d’Ardbeg arrive en deuxième moitié, avec le trait de gingembre mariné pour équilibrer le tout. Il m’est évident que les barriques de bourbon pour ce scotch sont beaucoup plus actives que celles utilisées pour monter le 10 ans régulier (que j’adore aussi). Bref, un scotch hyper complexe et généreux. Absolument fantastique!
Wood sap & smoked brown sugar. A little Bitter like unripe nuts. Admittedly, we had done a cask strength Laphroiag tasting just before. So I don’t think this guy got the justice he deserves. Will be keeping my eye out for it if it ever reaches the states.
Strong peat aroma, but light overall. Clear but not overpowering. Peat and sweetness on the tongue, spicy smoke with vanilla and toffee underneath. Tons of fire, blends in with that spice. Cinnamon lingers very clearly on the tail.
Just perfect. The whisky is that kind of whisky you would expect and all the flavours come and you will enjoy this one. Yes!
Stuk milder dan de gewone Ardbeg. Lekker!
2 more reviews were collected for this bottle. The longest ones are shown first.
Tastes like this
Closest flavor profiles across the whole catalog.
