Ardbeg has always had more of a cult-like following among savvy single malt afficionados. Right up there with some of the best (and better known) Islay-based Scotch producers, the brand may not ring quite as familiar as hallowed neighbors like Lagavulin or Laphroaig—also located on the island’s famed southeastern coast. But few Scotch makers reach the level of innovation of Ardbeg, and its popularity is now soaring accordingly.
Those who love Ardbeg have remained almost fanatical—and ever since LVMH purchased the brand in 2004, that name recognition has continued to grow. The brand's whisky makers have in turn used the opportunity to create boundary-pushing bottles—including Ardbeg's latest member of its renowned Anthology Collection, The Unicorn’s Tale.
Launched last year with the 13-Year-Old Harpy’s Tale, the Anthology Collection is comprised of experimental single malts that use unique stock to create new flavor combinations. Each whisky in the series gets its name from a different mythological creature.
Ardbeg Anthology: The Unicorn’s Tale is the Islay brand’s first whisky matured in a marriage of Madeira wine casks and bourbon casks. Aged for 14 years, the bottling mixes smoky flavors with sweet notes from fortified Portuguese wine barrels.
The resulting whisky offers a blend of rich and fruity notes, including banana bread, treacle, and burning cedar wood. The palate features zest flavors of lime and sweet peaches as well as bursts of smoked fruit, aniseed, and peat. The influence of Madeira casks can be found throughout the finish, which delivers notes of menthol, clove, wood smoke, and camphor.
“At Ardbeg we love experimenting with how we can push our spirit’s smoky balance into new worlds of flavor,” says Dr. Bill Lumsden, Ardbeg’s director of whisky creation. “Some time ago, we decided to try maturing Ardbeg in unusual cask types for the distillery to create sweet and smoky hybrids—and so the Anthology Collection was born."
Bottled at 46 percent ABV, Ardbeg Anthology: The Unicorn’s Tale will be available for purchase online and at select wine and spirits retailers across the U.S. for a suggested retail price of $160.
