Ardbeg Scorch

Managed to get a bottle of this year’s Ardbeg Day release from Total Wine Concierge so it wasn’t marked up to some of the wild prices I’ve seen for this. It was released to celebrate Ardbeg Day and, while it was a nailbiter, I got the email to pick it up in time to review on Ardbeg Day! Of particular interest to me is that evidently some amount of casks involved in this were filled right after they were dumped for Alligator, the current crownholder among whiskies I’ve tried.

Ardbeg Scorch, Islay Single Malt, 46% ABV

Minutia: Matured in casks which were previously used for Alligator, this time called “dragon-scorched,” filled when they were dumped putting them at just shy of 10 years old. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Amontillado Sherry, 0.9.

Nose: Earthy. Green smoke.

Taste: Sweet smoke, like cake but not cloying. There’s no meatiness that I got, but it made me think of a barbecue sauce heavier with the brown sugar and not so much the vinegar being cooked over a grill using wood, not charcoal.

Finish: Light feel, into a pretty big smoky finish. Charred wood. Medium-long.

I was quite taken by this. I’m not used to big sweetness in Ardbeg as it usually runs in that earthy/vegetal/herbal world for me, and it was a welcome sweetness without approaching that confectionary level that, while it can be nice sometimes, would not have played well with the rest of this. The CR must be something else.

Score: 91

Musical Evocation: Epica – “Chasing the Dragon”