A special edition single malt launched on Ardbeg Day 2014 - a day celebrated both at the Islay festival, Fèis Ìle and around the world. Auri(Gold)verdes(Green) is a name used to refer to Brazil's sports teams (including the football team, of course), but in this case it refers to the golden whisky and the iconic Ardbeg green bottle it dwells within. Striker!
This bottle was part of a private collection - if you'd like more detailed photos just get in touch!
Smoked bacon, Tarry ropes on a not-long-dry seashore. Loads of Vanilla. Pomegranates, Fizzy-sweets (refreshers, Sherbet Lemons) and Lemon-zest. Not convinced I’d have got Mocha, if not for the autosuggestion, but it’s definitely there now I think about it.
Initially sweet, restrained, more of that bacon, but this time it’s been cured with Muscovado sugar and maybe a touch of Juniper? Progresses through the inevitable onslaught of peat, but it’s there in a slightly different way – more ‘high’, medicinal phenols than we've come to expect with Ardbeg. From the palate alone, I’m not even sure I’d peg this as Ardbeg – I might be tempted to go two distilleries further down the coast…
Long. Cocoa, Charred corners of a pulled pork butt, becomes more ashy as it fades, but clearly from good honest casks albeit with charred heads.
It’s good. Funnily though, as the spirit’s not being bombarded with finishes/extreme cask-techniques the difference between this and the 10yo is strangely pronounced. There are palpable elements of Bowmore, and Laphroaig in this dram, whilst it does absolutely retain the overall Ardbeg character we know and love. To my mind that’s a good thing.
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...cant be true, stop bait people with 5 bottles in stock.
very disapointed after 2 minutes sold out.........think a case of friends looked after first. extremely disapointed
... a keeper, not a drinker.
The price point and the rather inoffensive blandness (once you get past the burnt wood note that dominates the nose) make this Oman vs Yemen rather than Brazil vs Germany.
Initially hot bordering on volatile, Classic Ardbeg notes missing. Absent midpalate. Finishes sweet, almost to much. While good, not worth the dollar compared to previous versions at 140 AUS. Past 2 years far superior and Corry and Supernova a mile above this. If I didn't want to keep the collection going I would not have bought.
