Cuvée presentation
A single cask (#1140) of Ardbeg, distilled in 1967, aged in an Oloroso sherry cask and bottled in 1997. Signatory Vintage's founder Andrew Symington first joined the whisky industry when he began selecting casks for Prestonfield House Hotel in Edinburgh. In 1988, the adventure continued when he founded Signatory Vintage, investing in a small bottling chain set up in his warehouses in Edinburgh. He began releasing editions bottled at cask strength without chillfiltration or colouring, practices that were still rare in the late 1980s. The legendary series of “Dumpy bottles” notably included information previously seldom seen on labels, such as the cask number, cask type and number of bottles. The bottle number was also written by hand. Signatory Vintage developed a strong reputation by selling not only iconic whiskies from well-known distilleries (Springbank, Ardbeg, Laphroaig and Bowmore) but also bottlings from very rare distilleries such as Ben Wyvis, Glen Flagler and Killyloch, and of course the many versions distilled in the Lomond stills of Miltonduff (Mosstowie), Glen Keith (Craigduff, Glenisla) and Glenburgie (Glencraig). Finally, in 2002, Andrew Symington bought the Edradour distillery in Pitlochry, in the Highlands of Scotland. Signatory Vintage was moved to the site, along with its warehouses, which face the distillery. A limited edition of 536 bottles.
The distillery Ardbeg
Scotland, Isle of Islay. Distillery operational. Owner: LVMH - Diageo
Founded in 1815 by McDougall & Co. in the south-east of Islay, near the Kildalton Cross, Ardbeg's malt was for a long time overshadowed by its neighbours and competitors Lagavulin and Laphroaig.It was under the patronage of the McDonald family (Glenmorangie Plc), who bought the distillery in 1997, that it was able to develop its potential and introduce the public to the treasures sleeping in its vaults. Between September and November 1997, no less than three bottlings - two of which would become great classics - were released on the market, the Ardbeg 17 Year Old, Ardbeg 1978 and Ardbeg Provenance 1974. The following decade was rich in single cask, cask strength bottlings matured in sherry and bourbon casks, each more impressive than the next. And it was dressed in a new green bottle with confident Celtic-Gothic aesthetics that Ardbeg flooded the market for fans of malts dominated by aromas of smoke, peat and tiger balm.
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