I’ve had this forever since it came as a pack with a bottle of Ardbeg 10 and finally got around to it. Turns out when you go hard into this hobby you really want to open everything and even if there were no long term health concerns you just can’t get to all of it quickly enough. But finally I’ve gotten enough experience where I feel comfortable getting to this one.
Minutia: This is an NAS release, but I’ve read it's mostly the 10 combined with the other casks which have been matured for an indeterminate amount of time. Regardless of whether they spent a full ten years in casks, I believe the bulk of the contents are matured in ex-Bourbon casks as the 10 is, with the rest of the casks being virgin French Limousin Oak. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn paired with getting my backlog of written notes typed up.
Color: Deep gold.
Nose: Bright sweet smoke. Leather and vegetation. Pepper and medicinal aroma. Oak strong after a bit.
Taste: Peppery with a sweetness, smoke, rubbery peat.
Finish: Pepper, but less than the taste, which ramps up to be more rather quickly. Smoke, oak, brine. Very long finish, with oak coming in later.
This and Uigeadail both perform better than the 10, but not quite so much better where they are worth twice the price or more. That said, they are very good deviations from what you’re used to with Ardbeg and would be worth it for the occasional change of pace. At this strength with as strong as the flavors are, this is not for a newcomer to spirits or whisky and I am glad I waited until I had much more experience than I did when I bought this.
Score: 88
No comments:
Post a Comment