Ardbeg Renaissance
Gratulerer med dagen, Ardbeg! Ventetiden er over. "They've Arrived!"
12.07.2008
Tekst:
Bjørn Skauge
Foto:
Moët Hennessy
Ventetiden er over, den nye Ardbeg-en er blitt 10 år gammel! Siden den ble lansert i UK tidligere i år har Renaissance skapt mye buzz på nettet, og de fleste synes å være enige om at dette er en knallwhisky! Vi har ventet og gledet oss til dette, og helt siden 2004 har vi fulgt denne legendariske whiskyen fra den var en bitte liten seksåring med navn Very Young, til Still Young, til Almost There, og nå ”Ardbeg Renaissance – We’re Arrived!”
Royal Mile Whiskies og The Whisky Exchange fikk Ardbeg Renaissance i hyllene sine 6.juni, og den lanseres i Norge i september.
Ardbeg Renaissance er tappet på 55,9%, og er foreløpig i begrenset opplag. Hvis vi skal våge oss å tolke pressemeldingen, kan det se ut til at Renaissance bare er avslutningen på føljetongen, og at en helt ny "Ardbeg 10" vil dukke opp senere. Uvisst hvor veien går videre nå, men at vi kan vente oss mye spennende fra dette kult-destilleriet i tiden som kommer, er helt sikkert.
Moët Hennessy Norge sendte ut pressemeldingen nå i forbindelse med felles lansering i Norden. Her gjengir vi den i sin helhet :
Ardbeg Distillery is proud to present a limited bottling to celebrate its mighty renaissance in 1997 and at the same time, concluding the 'Peaty Path to Maturity' series with 'Ardbeg Renaissance'.
Ardbeg, the peatiest of Islay malts, has been tantalising its fans with a series of bottlings of `work in progress' all from the 1998 distillate. This journey began in 2003 with a limited bottling for members of The Ardbeg Committee. After resounding approval was gained, Ardbeg aficionados have been able to monitor the evolving taste profile of the 1998 distillate as it has changed from the initial zesty Very Young in 2004, through a soft, malty Still Young in 2006 into the deliciously explosive Almost There in 2007.
Distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2008, Renaissance provides a unique and limited opportunity for Ardbeg fans to indulge in a 'full strength' bottling of the most heavily peated, smokiest single malt scotch as it completes its journey to become Ardbeg Ten Years Old. It is non chill-filtered for maximum texture and mouthfeel.
The Ardbeg Committee - a group of Ardbeg fans around the world that are joined in their appreciation of the 'Ultimate Islay Malt Whisky' gave their support for these three young expressions so the restricted Renaissance bottling bears 'Committee Approved' on its label. The packaging also features a darker peaty coloured label indicative of its ten years age and a distinctive outer carton that outlines the renaissance and history of the Ardbeg brand and some of the momentous achievements along this peaty path.
Hamish Torrie, Ardbeg Brand Director, says: "Renaissance is a celebration of the re-opening of Ardbeg Distillery in 1997 by The Glenmorangie Company and is the last opportunity to track the progress of Ardbeg distilled in 1998 as it has now developed its full, distinctive and distinguished smoky and peaty character.
"As with all Ardbeg, this is a limited release to celebrate 10 years of 'revival' and as such marks a pivotal point in the development of the brand and distillery."
The launch is supported by The Ardbeg Committee's own 'Momentous Minutes' newsletter and web page e-mail alerts from the distillery, as well as in-country sampling and ambassador endorsement.
Bottled at 55.9% ABV, this limited bottling of Ardbeg Renaissance will be available at key specialist retailers, bars and restaurants or directly from the Ardbeg distillery via www.ardbeg.com.
Ardbegs smaksnotater :
COLOUR: Luminous gold.
AROMA: Leap into this Ardbeg with a blast of peat soaked in vibrant tropical juices. Toasted vanilla and sizzling cinnamon escape into the atmosphere with sherbet space dust and smooth Swiss chocolate spheres. Wispy creamy malt brings a light frothiness, softening the effervescent fruits and sizzling spices as they continue to erupt from the inner peaty core.
Add water and observe the aromas accelerate and explode.
Juicy melons, pineapple chunks and lime jus bring sparkling zest and vitality as they fizz from the glass, released against a background of musky scented peat with clouds of jasmine and violets. Fresh summer blackberries and redcurrants bring a rich fruity display before a shockwave of camphor and menthol freshens and cools the air with bursts of aniseed and spiced rum. In the background, the smoky remnants of a fireworks display linger and dissipate.
TASTE: The effect of the full ten-year-old maturation explodes on the tongue. An explosive crackle of peat sizzles and pops setting off a chain reaction of flavour explosions: cinnamon-spiced toffee and smoked chocolate limes fuse on the tongue; warm toasted bananas and bitter almonds meld together; ginger-spiced apples and pears soak into the palate; Seville orange crystals in marmalade bring a zingy bite.
As the fizzy explosions reduce to a sizzle, smoke from the explosions builds up; developing into a smoke house filled with freshly ground dark espresso coffee, sticks of liquorice root and a bowlful of sugared almonds, coating the palate with chewy peat oils.
FINISH: The taste goes on and on leaving a smoky jet stream of simmering peat oils, wispy vanilla cream and chewy liquorice whirls.
For flere smaksnotater anbefaler vi deg å ta en kikk på Royal Mile Whiskies som kaller whiskyen "abso-bloomin-lutely fan-bloody-tastic", og hvor de ansatte har moret seg med å notere ned sine inntrykk.
Ardbeg Renaissance på royalmilewhiskies.com
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