Ardbeg 1975 R.W. Duthie for Corti Brothers 11 Year Old / US Import

This is part of a much sought-after series of independent bottlings produced by Aberdeen's R.W. Duthie for the Corti Brothers of Sacramento, California. R.W. Duthie was a subsidiary of Wm. Cadenhead, and also bottled esteemed independent distributors like Samaroli at the time. The Corti Brothers were a family grocer business founded in 1947 by Frank and Gino. Frank's son Darrell was the one to introduce a specialist spirits knowledge to the business, and they began getting their own Scotch whisky bottled for them in 1978.

This whisky was distilled in 1975 and bottled in 1986.

You would not think it to see it now, but Ardbeg had a difficult time of it for much of the 20th century. The distillery was bought in a joint venture between Hiram Walker and DCL in 1959, both intending to supply their blends. The subsequent years were very successful, but DCL backed out in 1979 (closing many of their other distilleries a few years later), and Hiram Walker then struggled in the 1980s era oversupply when interest is blended Scotch was waning. They closed it down for the majority of the decade. It re-opened briefly in the 1990s before being revived for good by Glenmorangie plc in 1997. The lack of demand in the period prior to this, thankfully, saw a lot of casks sold to independent bottlers, many of which have gone on to become legendary releases.