Records indicate the Old Islay Malt was bottled from 1973-1976, though wider estimates hint it could have been as early as 1971. The Ardbeg/Glenmorangie archives reference a change in alcohol strength, and a new label design at the end of 1975, but the distillery shows inventory as late as 1977. We are still trying to define the exact years, but 1971-1977 would cover the only possible years it could have been bottled, while 1973-1976 is more accurate.
We call this a 10-year old as all archives present this one as a 10-year old in inventory records and communication with buyers and agents. A large number of bottles appear without the 10-year old add-on sticker, which might be due to oversight or loss of the sticker over time.
There are several unverifiable overprints and stickers on this release that remain questionable.
1.) The 1966 sticker must have been added by an entity after it was sold by the distillery or its agents. The bottle codes and supporting documentation prove that this could not have been bottled in 1966.
2.) The 10 and 12-year old red print is not supported by any distillery records, and there has been discussion that this was also added after it was sold by the distillery or its agents. More investigation is needed!
3.) The "Special" and "Special Reserve" overprint on the distillery landscape is also not mentioned in any archives, but just as the 10 and 12-year old, more investigation is needed.
NOTE: There are many fakes of this release in the market, and there are some identifiers on the front label that can easily be identified as fakes.
If you have any questions about fakes or have additional information on this release, please let me know through the contact page.
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