Islay distillery Ardbeg has announced the second expression in its Anthology Collection. New release the Unicorn’s Tale is a 14-year-old single malt.

Ardbeg’s Anthology Collection is a stage for experimentation for the distillery, used to try new and unusual flavour combinations. Each expression is named for a different mythical creature, a nod to “rare and strange” collection of “hybrids”.

The Unicorn’s Tale was aged in Madeira wine and bourbon casks for its 14-year maturation. It follows first release the Harpy’s Tale, which included whisky from the distillery’s first Sauternes casks.

Dr Bill Lumsden, director of whisky creation, explained: “At Ardbeg we love to experiment with how we can push our spirit’s smoky balance into new worlds of flavour. Some time ago, we decided to try maturing Ardbeg in unusual cask types for the distillery to create sweet and smoky ‘hybrids’ — and so the Anthology Collection was born.

“The Unicorn’s Tale is the second release in this series, which has been created by marrying classic Ardbeg matured in bourbon casks with a parcel of whisky wholly matured in sweet Madeira wine casks. The outcome is a whisky bursting with notes of banana bread and tropical fruit, fused with Ardbeg’s hallmark flavours of camphor, lime zest, and wood smoke. This 14-year-old whisky may appear sweet in nature, but its smoky side is not to be underestimated!”

Ardbeg Anthology: The Unicorn’s Tale (46% ABV) will be available at RRP £130 from Ardbeg online and at the distillery, and from selected retailers.