Ardbeg 1999 SMWS 33.114

Category - Single Malt

Distillery - Ardbeg

Bottler - The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS)

Bottling series - Sweet versus savoury

Vintage - 31.08.1999

Bottled - 11.2011

Stated Age - 11 years

Cask Type - Refill Ex-Sherry Butt

Cask number - 33.114

Number of bottles - 630

Strength - 56.3 %

Size - 750 ml

Ardbeg 1999 SMWS 33.114

“Sweet Versus Savoury” – 11 Years Old**

Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Islay, Scotland

ABV: 56.3% (Cask Strength)

Cask: Refill Ex‑Sherry Butt

Bottles: 630

Style: Fruity, tarry, smoky Ardbeg with a sweet–savoury tension

Appearance - Bright gold with a slight copper tint — classic refill‑sherry brightness without heaviness.

Nose - Ripe orange, lime zest, grapefruit oil. Kilnreek, tar, warm ash. Nutmeg, cracked pepper, dry hay, leaf mulch marzipan, vanilla pod, barley sugar. A faint medicinal thread of camphor and iodineA wonderfully complex nose — sweet citrus wrapped in tarry smoke.

Palate - The review highlights “marzipan sweet and smoky… pepper, camphor, orange marmalade, vanilla and malt” — here it is fully developed: marzipan, vanilla cream, orange marmalade. Peat embers, tar, charred driftwood. Black pepper, nutmeg, clove. Camphor, herbal smoke. Malt depth: toasted barley, light sherry nuttiness. The refill‑sherry butt adds subtle richness without overshadowing the distillate.

Finish - The reviewer describes it as “long, fruity and tarry” :Lingering tarry smoke, citrus peel, pepper warmth. A final echo of sweet malt and orange oils. Long, smoky, and beautifully balanced.

A vibrant, citrus‑driven Ardbeg with a compelling sweet–savoury tension. Bright fruit, marzipan sweetness, and vanilla glide over tarry smoke, pepper spice, and coastal medicinal notes. A superb example of how refill sherry can frame Ardbeg’s raw power without muting it.

A citrus‑bright, tar‑smoked Ardbeg from a refill sherry butt. Marzipan sweetness, orange marmalade, pepper, camphor, and long tarry smoke — bold, complex, and unmistakably SMWS.