Ardbeg Collectables & Other Special New Arrivals From Edencroft!

Yamazaki / 2016 Limited Edition

Summary: Country: Japan.
ABV: 43%.
Unit: 70cl.
Every year, Suntory releases a new limited edition of their Yamazaki and this year we have another masterpiece! No information on the number of bottles available was unveiled by Suntory for 2016 version however it is bottled at 43%, and it is a blend of young single malts matured in American oak casks, Bourbon barrels, European oak barrels, Sherry and Port Wine casks. Some of it has been aged over 20 years.
The nose is quite thick and resinous. There is a pleasant oiliness, with zesty citrus and peels, along with a hint of sherry. Plenty of oak and orchard fruits. The palate is of medium-body, with green notes and an earthen note, plenty of wood resin, and a floral character, with zest and sherried peels. The finish is of good length, with fruit and zest.

Ardbeg / Kildalton

Summary: Country/Region: Scotland/Islay.
ABV: 46%
Unit: 70cl.
Colour: Deep gold
Aroma: Seductive, exotic bouquet. Hints of smoked apricots in syrup, salt and pepper with soft, creamy vanilla. Smoky and herbal notes of woodsmoke and fennel. Water releases pine resin, vetiver root, coriander, liquorice and a curious soapy note.
Taste: The texture is soft and ‘sappy’, gently coating the tongue. An explosion of coal tar soap, aniseed, peppermint, coffee, sweet barley malt, and a lingering, aromatic smokiness.
Finish: Lengthy and fresh, with menthol, and spicy. Hints of allspice, clove and bitter almonds, revealing a distant vanilla essence sweetness.

Bruichladdich / Cask 1 "Wee Ruari"

Summary: Country/Region: Scotland/Islay.
ABV: 46%
Bottles Produced: 376
Bottle #: 210
This is a Lazarus whisky, the first single malt from one of Islay’s legendary distilleries, Bruichladdich, back from the dead on 29th May 2001 under new and collective ownership, reborn on that day with the first cask of its whisky produced by its signature traditional methods.
Bruichladdich 1On 29th May 2001, the honour of ‘filling’ that first cask was given to ‘Wee Ruari’, the five month old son of the distillery’s other legend, inspirational manager, Mark Reynier. It was his idea to buy the distillery into independent production. He then managed and stage managed the reborn distillery to a rolling success story, with a thrilling and ever inventive series of firsts.
We saw at first hand just how Reynier revolutionised the marketing of single malt Scotch. Always the master of the image and the master of ceremonies, he sent out stunning visual images no one could resist using; and he came up with fun ideas, events and sponsorships. All of these propelled the name of Bruichladdich into the spotlight and all of them underlined it cool sassiness with a hint of butch.
On 29th May 2001, while young Ruari was there in spirit, so to speak, his fond papa may have given him a little hand in filling Cask I.
That cask eventually yielded 376 bottles.
In the meantime, Bruichladdich’s success as a true independent was such that it became a target for the big spirits multinationals. On 25th July 2012, less than a year ago, the distillery was sold by its 60 shareholders to Remy Cointreau.
The only shareholder to oppose the deal was Mark Reynier, whose skills and imagination had driven its success.
With characteristic philosophical grace, Me Reynier understood the position of the other 59 shareholders who preferred to secure their personal finances and take the profit on the sale. He declined an offer to stay with the distillery, wished it well and walked away.
Now he and the not-so-wee now 13 year old Ruari, have asked Inveraray’s celebrated Scotch whisky specialist outlet, Loch Fyne Whiskies, under Master of Whisky, Richard Joynson, to sell 250 of the 376 bottles Cask I produced.
The family will retain the others and the 250 offered for sale to collectors are predictably vanishing at speed.
Loch Fyne Whiskies has made the decision to offer access to this historic malt to its own customers before they are all gone.
This whisky is not only unique and historic, it marks success and loss in a single dram. It measures the span of Mark Reynier’s life-saving connection with the distillery.
No Bruichladdich collection – and no single malt collection – will be complete without a ‘Wee Ruari’ – a 70cl single cask bottling, 11 years old, 46% Abv – an absolute one-off.
Source: ForArgyll.com