Do you believe in unicorns? It appears the folks at Ardbeg do. On Wednesday, the brand announced the release of the second scotch within its Anthology Series: The Unicorn’s Tale. The Unicorn’s Tale spent 14 years resting in a combination of bourbon and Madeira wine casks.
“At Ardbeg we love experimenting with how we can push our spirit’s smoky balance into new worlds of flavor,” Ardbeg Director of Whisky Creation Dr. Bill Lumsden said in a news release. “Some time ago, we decided to try maturing Ardbeg in unusual cask types for the distillery to create sweet and smoky ‘hybrids’ — and so the Anthology Collection was born.”
Ardbeg shared that its Anthology Series celebrates “rare and strange” malts, and this experimental line focuses on a hybrid-style aging regimen. This particular scotch spent time resting in casks that previously housed America’s native spirit and Madeira. Madeira is a type of fortified wine produced on the Madeira Islands off the coast of Africa. Wine Folly claims it is known to possess nutty and cooked fruit flavors.
Each expression in the Anthology Series is named after a mythological creature.
According to Ardbeg, some claimed they have seen these mystical creatures on Islay.
Whether there are unicorns present within the scotch whisky region remains up for debate, but as far as concrete facts are concerned, Ardbeg The Unicorn’s Tale hosts an ABV of 46% and a suggested retail price of $159.99.
This latest release follows The Harpy’s Tale, which debuted in August. The mythical expression was aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and Sauternes cask for 13 years. The brand shared that it chose to name the scotch after a half-woman, half-bird creature to celebrate the scotch whisky’s hybridized aging regimen.
As for The Unicorn’s Tale, Lumsden shared his thoughts on the dram:
“The Unicorn’s Tale is the second release in this series, which has been created by marrying classic Ardbeg matured in bourbon casks with a parcel of whisky wholly matured in sweet Madeira casks. The outcome is a whisky bursting with notes of banana bread and tropical fruit fused with Ardbeg’s hallmark flavors of camphor, lime zest and wood smoke. This 14-year-old whisky may appear sweet in nature, but its smoky side is not to be underestimated!”
The Unicorn’s Tale Tasting Notes, Via Ardbeg
Nose: Richly sweet, with fruity baked banana bread and sponge pudding. Ardbeg claims a bit of water reveals tropical fruit coupled with Eucalyptus oil and smoke.
Taste: Lime zest coupled with sweet peaches, rich and smoked fruit, baked bread and mentholated lozenges coupled with anise. Nutmeg interlaced with peat smoke dances on the palate.
Finish: Whimsically smoky, with menthol, clove, smoke and camphor.
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