Ardbeg 19 Years Old Traigh Bhan Batch 5 to be released

Petra Milde |

Peat smoke meets tropical flavours

 

The next batch of Ardbeg Traigh Bhan will be released on 25 September 2023 and is the fifth edition of the 19-year-old Ardbeg. Traigh Bhan Batch 5 is announced by Ardbeg to be the most tropical dram to leave the distillery. The reason for this is not only the high proportion of whisky from Oloroso sherry casks that was used in this edition, but also the almost tropical tides during bottling, as the Ardbeg homepage humorously says.

A focus on Oloroso sherry casks

Since the first Traigh Bhan was released in 2019, ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks have been used to create the whisky, but their composition and thus also the aromatic expression always varies somewhat. For example, while mainly first fill bourbon casks characterised Batch 2, with Ardbeg Traigh Bhan Batch 4 there was already talk of a slightly increased proportion of sherry casks. With Batch 5, there is now a clear focus on Oloroso sherry casks.

This year, Ardbeg Traigh Bhan shows the initials of Gillian Macdonald, Ardbeg's Master Blender and Head of Whisky Creation. She says that Ardbeg Traigh Bhan Batch 5 has a vibrant flavour profile with tropical notes, something completely new for Ardbeg and its fans and they look forward to this release generating lots of conversation and its balance being compared with fine details from previous batches.

Like all editions of the Ardbeg Traigh Bhan 19 Year Old the 5th batch was also bottled unchill-filtered, uncoloured and at 46.2% ABV.

Producer's Tasting Notes for the Ardbeg Traigh Bhan Batch 5

Aroma: Perfumed aromas of luscious tropical fruit flow on the breeze, while curious notes of herbal incense and smoke follow closely behind. Menthol lozenge and saddle soap laps over charred green pepper, before smoked mango, guava and coconut mingle in an effervescing top note.

Taste: A creamy mouthfeel leads the way into a crashing symphony of herbal, spicy flavours. Smoked maple cured bacon, charcoal, white pepper and clove rush forth amid gentle overtones of the outdoors in wood smoke and sea spray.

Finish: A satisfyingly long finish welcomes more tropical notes, with fragrant heather, warm toffee and smoked butter on the horizon.

 

Images: Moet Hennessy

About the author Petra Milde

Petra Milde is a freelance author of books and specialist writing about spirits and food. She has been supporting the Whisky.de editorial team since 2015 and creates informative and entertaining articles in the news section.

Besides her writing work, she moderates tastings and can be met at spirits fairs, both behind the stands and in front of them, looking for new products and interesting people to talk to.

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