Advent 2020 #23 - Elements of Islay Ar11

One of the more intriguing drams in the lineup given the age and cask makeup. Ardbeg from a Sherry cask is insanely popular and pretty hard to come by. Any Ardebg that turns up in the SMWS store, particularly Sherried ones, regardless of the price, sell out even more quickly than other desirable casks and go for silly prices at auctions. Coming across a sample of this felt like a great opportunity and I’m glad it turned up in the Advent calendar this year, particularly toward the end to finish with a bang.

Elements of Islay Ar11, Islay Single Malt, 56.8% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in 2000 and matured for 12 years in American oak casks and 7 years in a 1st fill PX butt before bottling in 2019 yielding 840 bottles. 

Color: Brown Sherry, 1.9.

Nose: Dry winey fruit, smoke, must, molasses. 

Taste: Peppery, smoky fruit, cola.

Finish: Woody, musty, pecan pie but not sweet. Long

Guess: Laphroaig, either the 15 or more likely an older IB. I’d be stunned if Sherry wasn’t involved somehow.

Pretty close, generally speaking. I feel like I should have got this as after the reveal it does remind of Alligator and Day in some respects. Holy smokes is this good. I must say I’m very disappointed this isn’t readily available (where I am, anyway). If this was stocked by sites I can order from, barring an obscene price this would easily be included in my “post Advent calendar drams I liked enough to buy a bottle” order. I’ve had interest in the Sherried Ardbegs from the SMWS I mentioned above, but have thus far pulled out of the bidding when it got above what I felt it was worth. I might stick around a bit longer after having this one (or better yet check if any of these are up for bidding). Easily the darkest whisky I’ve reviewed thus far, and it’s all natural. I’ve got a sample of Traigh Bhan on the way from a swap and I’m super eager to try that given the similarities to this, but if I have expectations of this I think I’ll be let down so I’ll be trying my best to keep that mindset away.

Score: 92

Musical Evocation: Ennio Morricone – “The Ecstasy of Gold”

Here are links to the other posts from this calendar: