Ardbeg Feis Ile 2020 Whisky Sample Blaaack Committee Release 20th Anniversary (30ml, 50.7%)

Ardbeg Feis Ile 2020 Whisky Sample Blaaack Committee Release 20th Anniversary (30ml, 50.7%)

The Ardbeg Blaaack Committee Release was the celebratory bottling for Ardbeg Day 2020 (Feis Ile), marking the 20th Anniversary of the Ardbeg Committee. It is famous for two things: its striking "solid black" bottle design and its use of New Zealand Pinot Noir casks—a first for the distillery.

Tasting Notes

Nose: It begins with the signature Ardbeg "soot and salt," but it is immediately softened by a "velvety" fruitiness. You’ll find baked summer fruit pudding, cedar wood, and bitter cherry. There’s a distinct floral note—like crushed violets—mingled with savory hints of honey-glazed ham and damp earth.

Palate: The mouthfeel is famously "furry" or velvety. The Pinot Noir influence creates a wonderful tension between sweet and savory. Intense notes of aniseed and soot are layered over tart red berries (cranberry and raspberry) and dark chocolate. Mid-palate, it develops a spicy kick of white pepper and clove.

Finish: Long, warming, and remarkably "sooty." The smoke lingers alongside a drying oak tannin and a final, nostalgic wisp of mint choc-chip and black liquorice.