2000 Ardbeg Vintage_Y2K 23 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

"A glitch in the Ardware" reads the inside of the futuristic presentation box. Welcome to the first in a new limited edition series, created during a milestone year at Ardbeg. Each one will represent a different side of the distillery with no two whiskies alike. ‘Y2K’ is pronounced ‘Year-Two-K’. While the year 2000 will be remembered by many for bootcut jeans, flip phones and the elusive millennium bug, it went down in Ardbeg history for very different reasons. Following decades of neglect, the Distillery had been saved from extinction by The Glenmorangie Company in 1997 and meticulously restored. As the clock ticked over from 1999 to 2000, Ardbeg was returning to full production. And while the rest of the world partied, with many distilleries shut down in fear of computerised chaos, its dedicated stillmen stayed up all night to keep the spirit flowing.

Crafted with some of the very first spirit of the millennium, the inaugural edition in the Ardbeg Vintage Y2K series is unlike anything before. It was distilled in the historic still which served Ardbeg for 51 years, before being retired in 2001. And with an increased rigour applied to cask selection under the new ownership, the whisky was laid down in some of the finest bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks around. The result is a single malt jampacked with bright zesty notes and intensely sweet, sooty flavours – a smoky anomaly never to be repeated. Aromas of lemon balsam reminisce with linseed oil and heather honey, while soot and peppermint stir up memories of ground coffee and aniseed on the palate.

Says Dr Bill Lumsden, Master Distiller, "Ardbeg Vintage Y2K is a phenomenal souvenir of a pivotal year at Ardbeg. Crafted at the dawn of a new era in our historic still, this ultra-rare whisky has been stowed carefully at the Distillery ever since. Herbal, citrusy and sweet on the nose, before soot, peppermint and coffee explode on the palate, this retro collectors’ classic is pure Ardbeg nostalgia.” 

Other reviews... Distilled in Ardbeg’s historic still that was retired in 2001 after 51 years of service, this vintage has a sweet and zesty nose with coal soot, honey-lemon lozenges, Peppermint Pattie, and traces of black licorice. Silky smooth on the tongue, with sweet vanilla, lemon, peppermint creams, doughnut custard, ashy peat smoke, and orange pith, with creamy coffee, aniseed, and vanilla on the finish. No water needed. 94 points - whiskyadvocate.com

Notes from the producers... Colour: Pale amber. On the nose: Herbal, sweet and fragrant, with a distant, subtly fragrant smokiness. A closer look reveals tangy notes of lemon balm, linseed oil and candied walnuts. Theflavourintensifies with a splash ofwater, followed by notes of heather honey, creosote and some tarpaulin. On the palate: A tingling, sorbet-like structure, vibrating on the tongue. The initialflavouris intensely sweet, with a burst of aniseed, toffee, digestive biscuits, peppermint, menthol, tar and coffee grounds. Sooty and tarry flavours then develop. Finish: The long, lingering aftertaste reveals notes of antiseptic lozenges, bitter orange peel andoaktannins.