Ardbeg, The Rollercoaster 1989 Cask No 17

Filled shortly after Ardbeg reopened under Allied Distillers, this single-cask release represents a new dawn. Production during this era was limited and intermittent, with Ardbeg operating primarily as a blending malt and using lower peat levels than before. Few casks from this period endured. The resulting whisky showed a lighter, waxier profile, closer in structure to modern expectations yet shaped by restraint and age. Reduced peat evolved into savoury, farmyard smoke, layered with coastal notes and subtle medicinal character, offering a rare insight into an often overlooked and transitional phase of Ardbeg’s story.