Ardbeg 14 yo Cadenhead 52.2% 18.75cl bottle

Ardbeg 14 yo Cadenhead 52.2% 18.75cl

Classic 70s Ardbeg. Salty sharp and awash in sparkling and yet very exact coastal elements, like pin points of light thrown by a polished gem. Salty sharp, fresh zest and preserved lemon rinds. White smoke, hot engines, menthol cigarettes and a deep dark peat that growls louder than any shout. So that is to say it delivers what is expected. This one however feels especially tarry and oilily phenolic, as compared to the pristine freshness that is a hallmark of these years, and one cannot help but think of another distillery on the Kildalton coast sadly closed and then belatedly revived. Waves of herbaceous medicinals like wintergreen gentian and angelica rushes forth (but not so much iodine thankfully) to match the oily black depth of the phenols. Amazing at 14. 92 pts