Ardbeg 1990 High Spirits 12 Year Old / Signed by Nadi Fiori

You would not think it to see it now, but Ardbeg had a difficult time of it for much of the 20th century. The distillery was bought in a joint venture between Hiram Walker and DCL in 1959, both intending to supply their blends. The subsequent years were very successful, but DCL backed out in 1979 (closing many of their other distilleries a few years later), and Hiram Walker then struggled in the 1980s era oversupply when interest is blended Scotch was waning. They closed it down for the majority of the decade. It re-opened briefly in the 1990s before being revived for good by Glenmorangie plc in 1997. The lack of demand in the period prior to this, thankfully, saw a lot of casks sold to independent bottlers, many of which have gone on to become legendary releases.

This 1990 vintage Ardbeg was imported by High Spirits and bottled exclusively for Ristorante Pietranera - Vedriano di Canossa (RE) by Gordon & MacPhail in 2003. This particular bottle is signed by High Spirits founder, Nadi Fiori himself.

High Spirits are the second bottling company started by Fiori, co-founder of the acclaimed Intertrade. Like many of his contemporaries, his bottlings are known for their artistic labels. In 2008 High Spirits bottled a series for the renowned collector, Valentino Zagatti to celebrate his 50th year of buying whisky. These and many of the earlier High Spirits releases are highly collectible.

One of 312 bottles.