Whisky : Ardbeg 12 Year (1975) ‘Old Map Label’ Connoisseurs Choice

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 40%

Tasting : Neat in a Glencairn @ LMDW Singapore

Nose : Soft and subtle mossy covered oak; there is a green earthiness that comes through first. The aroma has a clean linen element to it, reminding me of fine cotton thread sheets or even a dryer sheet.

Palate : Mellow sweet smoke from a newly lit campfire, one in which someone has added too much green wood. Black pepper spicy carried by honey coats the palate… but disappears back into the woods very quickly. The profile is subtle and almost unrecognizable from modern Ardbegs aside from faint hints of salt or iodine.

Finish : Light and quick, subtle flavors linger, but the whole experience is more akin to a ghost tapping you on the back than a gorilla.

Score : 4

Mental Image : A ghost watching some campers try to light a fire with wet young wood just waiting till they get to scary stories to jump out from the trees.

Something Better : I am not sure I have a specific bottle in mind for this one; I certainly prefer the modern Ardbeg style. I’ve heard some of the older bottles distilled in 1975 are amazing, perhaps an older Laphroaig with a longer finish and subtle earthy peat would fit here.

Something Similar : Maybe Rock Oyster 18? It has some salty elements, but this Ardbeg was pretty different.

Something Worse : Johnny Walker Red. Well that was easy enough.

Notes : This was a weird one as my comparison above surely indicates. I am still not quite sure how to categorize it or rate it as from as an interesting artefact of how Ardbeg was made in the past— or the flavor expressions it used to have in the past. 

I am glad the bartender pulled this out for my wife. He seemed pleased to have found an Ardbeg fanatic whose head he could explode by pouring both this and a Signatory CS 18 Year Ardbeg (1998-2016). I am not sure she really cared for this bottle— there were elements of the modern Ardbeg profile flittering in the background, but it was so subtle and the 40% abv so devoid of any oomph. It may have fared even worse in her mind compared to the 18yr cask strength bottle— which was right up her alley.

Considering the price that Maison du Whisky is currently selling this bottle for ($1100+), I am glad we got to taste this for the price we paid. We can savor the memory and keep it as a useful point of comparison, but we will likely never taste it, or another Ardbeg of its vintage, again.