Ardbeg 1976 Feis Isle 2002 Cask 2390 53.1% 1976

Professional reviews

Serge Valentin (96)

Of course we tried this one several times before but we never wanted to publish tasting notes as it was part of a very traumatic experience back in 2002. To cut a long story short, somebody stole several bottles of this one (and other fab Islayers) while we were flying back from Islay in 2002, thanks to the interstellar level of incompetence of both Heathrow and Swiss. We needed seven years to recover…

Colour: dark amber.

Nose: we are not very far from the old MC (a sister cask!) but this is certainly more ‘chiselled’ and both more austere and more majestic. An amazing nose where beef stock (yes, again), leather, bitter oranges, eucalyptus, chocolate, unlit Habano, game, old car engine, cooked seashells, dried seaweed, wet leaves, smoke and pumpernickel (wet black bread) keep whirling tirelessly. With water: this cask must have been touched by a god (pick your favourite).

Mouth (neat): okay, the sister cask was a scoundrel, this one is a lady. Same flavours and feelings (please read above) but subtler, more serene, more appeased… In short, simply more elegant, and isn’t elegance what we all miss and lack in f****g 2009? I don’t know why, this one makes me think of Joni Mitchell (strange how our brain works, eh!) With water: more of the same, with a little more salt.

Finish: eternal.

Comments: you should try to put your hands on one of these bottles. SGP:457 - 96 points (unchanged).

BOW (96)

It simply doesn't get better than this...just one of those drams of a lifetime...a bloody incredible dram. 96 points
Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2004