The Ardbeg Traigh Bhan is the best Scotch to hit the market in recent history for smoky malt whisky lovers.

Varietal: Scotch whisky

Aroma: Smoky pineapple, soured cream, sweet toffee, liquorice and wood smoke.

Tasting notes:  Peat, smoked chili chocolate, paprika, toasted oak, roasted tea leaves,  fresh peppermint fondant and salted white chocolate.

Style: Bronze-coloured, matured in American oak & Oloroso sherry casks

Alcohol/Vol: 46.2%

Price: $399.10 at LCBO

Argbeg, the Scotch whisky from Islay with a cult following, has added a new permanent release to their collection: The Ardbeg Traigh Bhan, a rare 19 year old single malt. The release will be available for purchase in small, limited release annual batches.

The new release is inspired by Scotland’s Traigh Bahn, also known as the “Singing Sands,” an alluring but treacherous beach with hidden volcanic rocks and swimming is ill-advised. The scotch, is similarly smooth on the nose with gentle aromas of smoked pineapple and sweet toffee, but flavour notes are sharp featuring an intense salty mouth feel that gradually drifts into sweet and sour notes before revealing a smooth finish.

“A new, permanent aged Ardbeg is a rare occurrence, and cause for celebration. We hope that, by slightly tweaking the batch recipe year-on-year, Ardbeggians can have some fun exploring the finer details of this ever-changing dram,” said Dr. Bill Lumsden in a statement.

This release is the first time in over two decades that the label will release an aged Ardbeg, with limited annual releases to follow that will feature slightly tweaked recipes. To mark this distinction, each batch will feature a unique code on the carton, bottle and foot label.