Ardbeg 22 Years Old 1991 (Hunter Laing)

Released in 2013 by Hunter Laing, the new family business Stewart Laing founded that same year with sons Andrew and Scott after leaving Douglas Laing. The Old & Rare Platinum Selection had been Stewart Laing's premium single cask programme at Douglas Laing and moved with him to the new venture, continuing under the Hunter Laing label from 2013 onward. Hunter Laing later acquired the Ardnahoe distillery on Islay in 2018, with first production in 2019.

Filled into refill American oak in 1991 during Allied Distillers's intermittent reopening and matured for twenty two years across the 1996 final closure, the 1997 Glenmorangie acquisition, the 2004 LVMH purchase and the 2013 Hunter Laing split. Bottled in 2013 at 55.8% ABV for the German market, non chill filtered with no added colour. The release carries the new Hunter Laing imprint while drawing from stock originally accumulated under the Douglas Laing family business.

Twenty two years of refill American oak maturation builds developed oak expression. Cis and trans oak lactones (coconut, oiled wood) reach expressive concentration, hemicellulose breakdown furans deliver caramel and toasted almond, and lignin vanillin and syringaldehyde layer vanilla and baking spice. The 1991 Allied era peat phenols (guaiacol, syringol, 4 methylguaiacol, p cresol) carry strong intensity with moderate oxidative shift emerging. The Ardbeg purifier ester signature delivers concentrated tropical fruit beneath the phenolic core.