An old bottle of Ardbeg 1997 Very Young, this is the 'For Discussion' Committee Reserve edition, which was bottled in 2003 at its epic natural cask strength of 58.9% and offered exclusively to members of the Ardbeg Committee, framed as a sort of marketing consultation to see if this was a style of whisky that could catch on. 

The response, of course, was euphoric, and led to a wider release of Ardbeg Very Young, the first bottling on what was to become the Ardbeg Path to Peaty Maturity. This Commitee Reserve Ardbeg 1997 Very Young For Discussion was one of the most significant bottlings in the explosion of young smoky whiskies released in the early years of the millennium and it still stands up well today - it's not what you'd call a subtle whisky but if you like to bask in pure phenolic power, this is for you.