Ardbeg Twenty Something 22 Year Old Committee Release

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 2018 edition of the Twenty Something releases, the third bottled exclusively for the Ardbeg Committee, the distillery's fan club.

This 22 year old expression has been matured exclusively in ex-bourbon barrels, and is comprised of some of the most limited stock in any Scottish distillery warehouse. With the bulldozers lurking at the distillery gate, and little hope for its future, very few casks were being filled and laid down. These bottlings are a testament to the faith of those who persevered with the operation, and are bottled in honour of the Ardbeg Committee who's mandate is to ensure the distillery never experiences such fears for its existence again.

The ex-bourbon casks were distilled in the spring of 1996 in the still that now sits monumentally outside the distillery gates, and they were bottled in July 2018.