Ardbeg Anthology: The Harpy’s Tail
Ardbeg launched the Anthology series in 2023, inspired by tales of unbelievable encounters. The distillery’s marketing department has long loved to connect their releases with stories digging into the legends around Islay and of Ardbeg, and the Anthology opens with just such panache. The Harpy’s Tail is a 13 year scotch that is partially matured in ex-bourbon casks and partially matured in ex-Sauternes casks, then combined much in the same way that a Balvenie 12 year Doublewood would be. The actual tail of the harpy in question is told on the box and involves some highjinks around the distillery, even if it involves a creature out of Greek and Roman legends rather than Scottish, it is a creature still said to control storms, something the Scots on Islay would be long familiar with.
Morris Australian Signature
Morris of Rutherglen is an Australian winery and distillery located in the northeast of Victoria province. Founded in 1859 by the one of the more prominent winemaking families in Australia, Morris is now run by sixth-generation winemaker Madden Morris. The history of spirit making is slightly shorter at Morris, where a still was installed in 1941 – now nicknamed “Ella”- but lay dormant for decades until being resurrected in the 21st century. The head distiller is Darren Peck, who has been crafting whiskies there since 2015 from local Australian barley and water, and aging them in casks made on site and used to previously hold red and fortified wines from the vineyard. The Morris Australian Sigature is, as the name would imply, their signature expression and anchor of their core offerings.
Deanston 18 Year Cognac Finish
Deanston began it’s life as the Adelphi Cotton Mill in 1785 but after the mill had run its course along the River Teith, the site became a distillery in 1966. Though founded by Brodie Hepburn in the village of Deanston, the current team is made up of master blender Julieann Fernandez, Distillery Manager Murray Kerr and Visitor Center Manager Belen Catalan. This team has crafted a set of offerings ranging from No Age Statements to distillery exclusives. This Deanston 18 Year Cognac Finish takes the concept of finishing too added lengths. After maturing for 12 years in ex-bourbon barrels, this whisky sat another 6 years in ex-cognac casks. Cognac, as a reminder, is named after a commune in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France.