This whisky is the first ever permanent 15 year old in the domestic core range of the Islay distillery of Ardbeg. It is named after the ancient settlement of Trudernish, which is located close to Ardbeg on Islay’s south eastern coast. The settlement is said to have a legendary well that never freezes and is difficult to locate. The whisky has been matured in a combination of ex-bourbon, ex-Oloroso sherry and new charred oak casks.
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. During this time, Ardbeg only operated for short periods of time each year.
The Glenmorangie Company (now Moet Hennessy) took over in 1997, renovated and restarted production. This signalled the dramatic rebirth of Ardbeg and a significant upturn in fortunes, including the founding of the Ardbeg Committee in 2000. The distillery now has a worldwide fanbase and an annual production of 2.4 million litres per year.
Ardbeg Trudernish 15 Years Old was created by Dr. Bill Lumsden and Gillian Macdonald, the Director of Whisky Creation and Master Blender at Ardbeg respectively. It is released at 48.8% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. It will be available via specialist whisky retailers and Ardbeg Embassies globally, plus at the distillery visitor centre on Islay from September 15. A bottle will cost £80/ US$105.
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is bright gold and the nose is sweet, punchy and smoky. Early aromas of golden syrup and vanilla pod are quickly joined by some fragrant heather honey and caramelised apricot. A distinct malty aroma underpins everything, as does ashy peat smoke. This has a wisp of woodiness about it with hints of pine and eucalyptus in the background. Black pepper and a hint of old cigar box are also evident.
On the palate this whisky is bold and sweet with a creamy, almost oily, texture. The sweetness hits first with the golden syrup and floral heather honey notes to the fore. Then comes some vanilla ice cream and the barbecued, caramelised apricot from the nose. Hints of fairground toffee apple and sultana also shine through with time. Further hints of toasted coconut, white chocolate and dried pear also come through.
Ardbeg’s bold signature peat smoke is never far away. Again it has an ashy, almost woody, quality and wisps its way around every characteristic. Imagine dying bonfire embers mixed with damp moss and drying seaweed. The smoke’s bitterness contrasts the sweeter elements very well and creates balance, depth and complexity. The malty note appears with time again to give a biscuity feel.
The finish is very long with the smoke lingering nicely and drawing out the other elements. The smoke maintains its power and bitter, smouldering ashy quality throughout and the hint of eucalyptus from the nose appears towards the end. The sweet and fruity notes slowly fade with to toffee apple and vanilla lasting longest. The finish becomes more drying and biscuit-like right at the death.
What’s The Verdict?
This is an excellent whisky from Ardbeg and one that will show the wonders of extra age to a wider audience. Older Ardbegs have been largely restricted to limited edition or Committee releases, so this is refreshing to see. The whisky is packed with flavour and is highly enjoyable. We are delighted to have a bottle and urge any Ardbeg or Islay fans to do the same once it is released. The brand really seemed to have listened to their fans and gone almost ‘back to basics’ with recent releases. And the results have been magnificent.
