Blasda represents a rare chance to sample a lightly-peated dram from the powerhouse Ardbeg distillery. The malt is peated at 8ppm as opposed to the standard 55ppm.
We all know Ardbeg packs a peaty punch, but if you remove some of that peat, can Ardbeg still retain its perfect balance? The mind boggling answer is "yes"!
A significant departure from their traditional style, the peat has been subdued for this limited edition, dialled back from Ardbeg's lairy standard of 55 phenolic parts per million to a delicate and breezy 8ppm. Although it was a short lived experiment, only produced between 2008 and 2010, Blasda continues to prove popular on the auction circuit thanks to its "sweet and delicious" flavour.
About Ardbeg
Ardbeg distillery has been producing whisky since 1798. The distillery is owned by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, and produces a heavily peated Islay whisky. The distillery uses malted barley sourced from the maltings in Port Ellen.
The Ardbeg distillery was officially founded in 1815 by John McDougall. But Whisky was distilled there long before that. There are no documentations, as Ardbeg was an illegal business back in 1794. The distillery is now owned by LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy), which also owns Glenmorangie distillery in the Highlands of Scotland. The current capacity is just over one million litres per annum and its water source is Loch Uigeadail, after which one of its famous releases is named.
