Bentley

► A deliciously untamed whisky

With towering cliffs that stand defiantly against the raging Atlantic storms, the Mull of Oa is the most untamed spot on Ardbeg’s remote Scottish island home. And yet...the headland’s protective bulk offers welcome shelter to the Ardbeg Distillery, nestled behind on Islay’s rocky south coast. Inspired by this place where storm meets calm comes Ardbeg’s sweet, smoky Ardbeg An Oa.

Since Ardbeg was first distilled more than 200 years ago, the world’s smokiest, peatiest Islay malt whisky has embodied the untamed spirit of its homeland. Now, the rugged beauty of the Mull of Oa – with all its contradictions –is summoned in Ardbeg’s bespoke Gathering Room, just a few miles down the coast. There, lies the vast Gathering Vat, especially created to bring Ardbeg An Oa into being. Within its depths, select parcels of whisky are gathered together by an Ardbeggian alchemy, culminating in a peaty, yet rounded single malt whisky which reaches new levels of complexity. Waves of powerful intensity are set against a sweet silkiness, in homage to the exquisite contrasts of Islay’s southernmost point. “Ardbeg An Oa is far more complex than the sum of its parts,” explains distillery manager Mickey Heads. “Its subtly smoky, rounded aromas hint at creamy toffee, aniseed, dates, peach and banana. On the palate, it is smooth and sweet. Milk chocolate, orange and smoky tea leaves mingle with sweet spices and cigar smoke, before a seductively smoky finish. We hope smoky malt whisky fans everywhere will be drawn to Ardbeg An Oa.” You can also taste Islay’s swirling mists and the waves which crash on its rugged shoreline in the peaty, briny intensity of Ardbeg Ten Years Old. In the luscious, treacly richness of Ardbeg Uigeadail, you may sense the mysterious depths of the distillery’s unique water source, Loch Uigeadail. Meanwhile, the turbulent, peppery taste of Ardbeg Corryvreckan evokes the treacherous Corryvreckan whirlpool, off Islay’s coast.

Above ► Inspired by Islay’s most untamed spot, Ardbeg An Oa is smoky, sweet and singularly rounded.

Below ► Ardbeg Single Malt Scotch Whisky range.

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Ardbeg