The Islay distillery of Ardbeg has re-issued a classic – the Ardbeg 17 Years Old. The returning whisky was limited edition and exclusive to Ardbeg Committee members when released in 2024. The original Ardbeg 17 years old was released in 1997 shortly after the distillery reopened, but was retired in 2004. Now 20+ years later, a complete replica is back. The whisky has been created by Gillian Macdonald, Ardbeg’s Master Blender, and matured in ex-bourbon barrels as the original was.
The Ardbeg distillery is located on the southern coast of the Hebridean island of Islay. It was founded in 1815 by John MacDougall, although records have distillation taking place on the site as far back as 1794. The recent history shows numerous changes of ownership from the 1950s through to a fallow period in the 1980s and 90s. The Glenmorangie Company (now Moet Hennessy) took over in 1997. This signalled the rebirth of Ardbeg and a significant upturn in fortunes, including the foundation of the Ardbeg Committee in 2000. The distillery now has a worldwide fanbase and an annual production of 2.4 million litres per year.
The Ardbeg 17 years old 2024 Edition is bottled at 40% ABV, just as the original was. When released in 2024, it was originally available to Ardbeg Committee members only via www.ardbeg.com, the distillery visitor centre shop and in Ardbeg Embassies worldwide. Now, several onl;ine retailers are showing it in stock. A bottle should cost around £150.
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is pale lemon yellow and the nose is instantly sweet, smoky and ashy. Aromas of heather honey and vanilla infused sugar battle with bold peat smoke. This has elements of wet tar, dried seaweed and damp moss to it. The aroma is pleasing and catches in the nostrils. The feel of dying bonfire embers grows with time in the glass, and is accentuated by some candied lemon and dried apricot.
On the palate this whisky feels slightly oily and chalky in texture and has a good balance of sweetness and smoke, as on the nose. The bold peat smoke hits the taste buds first and gives incredible depth and complexity. This again is reminiscent of wet tar and damp moss, plus a hint of the seaweed and some creosote. As before, it becomes more ashy with time, and also a little more peppery and hot.
The sweeter elements work nicely alongside the smoke. Notes of baked apple, vanilla custard and heather honey come through well – the combination is reminiscent of tarte tatin. These are joined by hints of golden syrup and lemon curd. Then comes some white chocolate and a hint of cocoa powder
The finish is long and is increased by the smoke, which lingers and drifts around all the other characteristics. It almost seems to bind everything together. The sweetness fades to leave the lemony element to compliment the smoke. This smoke becomes drier and more like ash and embers with time, then a final gripping peppery note.
What’s The Verdict?
This whisky is sublime. It gives a glimpse into Ardbeg’s past and Gillian Macdonald has done a great job. We have never sampled the original version of the 17 Years Old, but we like that she has tried to replicate it as closely as possible. This includes the use of ex-bourbon casks for maturation and the bottling strength of 40% ABV.
When this was released back in 2024, we saw some whisky commentators bemoaning the fact that this new expression was not bottled at a higher strength. But we are glad that it is not. We opened and shared this with a group of whisky fans and they all agreed that some balance of flavour would be lost with a higher ABV. This whisky is a proper sip and savour one.
