Ardbeg 15 Year Old "Trudernish" Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)

There’s simply no question that the great producers in Scotland are going to need to shift their strategy to recapture the hearts and minds of many drinkers who have abandoned the category. The softness in the broader Scotch category has almost nothing to do with changing tastes or the economy, but rather with the increased knowledge and expertise among consumers of single malt and the prices producers felt comfortable asking for their products. This all made sense when consumption spiked and it seemed like the world would be guzzling malt indefinitely. But the truth of the matter is that part of the reason consumption increased so much was that these products were creating a huge amount of value for their customers—not simply because people during COVID had extra money and nothing to do. Even the simplest economic theory should have informed the forecasters at the large producers that if you’re going to raise your prices while lowering the quality of the product available, you should expect to see a slowdown in sales. But instead, people continued to buy. So prices kept going up and quality kept going down. Now, faced with a consumer base that remembers the great deals and exciting whiskies of just a few years ago, producers are struggling to continue to connect. We’ve been incredibly lucky to be positioned in a way that allows us to continue offering great whiskies at incredible prices, thanks to our direct imports and incredible relationships with independent bottlers. But very few of the big brands are nimble enough to react in a meaningful way to the current market conditions. That’s why it’s so exciting to see a brand so near and dear to our hearts bring such an incredible whisky to market and offer it at an altogether reasonable price. Ardbeg at 15 years old is simply wonderful, and this expression does everything I want it to do. Let’s have a go! The color is a simply lovely deep gold (0.8). The nose is exquisite and perfectly Ardbeggian, with sooty white smoke, sweet lemon oils, hints of lanolin, ginger root, and craggy, salty ocean rocks. The smoke is so well integrated at this age that it almost seems approachable to a novice nose—but I know better. The beautiful, oily texture on the palate holds those aromas perfectly, offering green peat, tarry white smoke, sweet, lemony grassy malt, and a tense, wafting sweetness that balances everything perfectly. It’s simply so pleasurable that, in my opinion, it’s an instant classic. They say this will be VERY available, but I’m still buying as much as they’ll give me. I have a feeling they’ve forgotten just how much Ardbeg we can drink when the price and flavor are both there.