Whereas old school Scotch drinkers cut their teeth on Johnnie Black and Lagavulin 16, around 2007 a younger generationbegan gravitatingto Ardbeg instead with its big, brash flavors of smoke, salt, iodine, peat, and citrus. The Ardbeg 19 year Traigh Bhan is the first age statementrelease from Ardbeg in a decade, bringing 19 years of cask maturation and richness to a whisky often known for its youthful exuberance.

Ardbeg’s lighter body and profound salinity are what separate it from its neighbors on Islay, and are the result of a purifier that hangs under the lyne arm on its stills. Helping to separate out the lighter alcohol molecules from the heavier ones. The result is a refined and delicate texture, but still with plenty of concentration.