The newest Ardbeg – ready to be released in 2017 – is named Ardbeg Kelpie. The label for a Committee Edition 2017 has popped up in the TTB Colas and this usually means the details are final.
Ardbeg Kelpie is matured in virgin casks, made from new oak grown in the Republic of Adygea (Russia, near the Crimea) by the Black Sea. The tasting notes are said to revolve around oily peat, dark chocolate and smoked fish (like any Ardbeg, right?). On the back label we also read herbal notes, hickory wood and seaweed (kelp).
The name Kelpie comes from a legendary water horse, that lived in the Gulf of Corryvreckan, according to the poem by Charles Mackay. The limited release of Ardbeg Kelpie is bottled at 51,7%, but after the Committee it will probably be available to the wide public at a lower strength.
Update 10/03/2017: the Committee Release will be available from 9am on Thursday 16th March, exclusively from www.ardbeg.com. The general release (pictured below) is available 3rd of June for Ardbeg Day 2017. It will be around € 100.
