Ardbeg Ardcore

 

Unfortunately I didn’t have this up in time for Ardbeg Day, when I usually like to post these, but I did manage to get it pretty close to then, so here we go. Unfortunately this was much harder to get ahold of (and more expensive) than in years past, but hopefully by next year the undue hype and shipping and stuff will have died down enough where I can get it on release (spoiler: it won’t). Anyway…

Ardbeg Ardcore, Islay Single Malt, 46% ABV

Minutia: Distilled from a mash of heavily roasted black barley. Aged some amount of time in some casks. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Pale gold; 0.3.

Nose: Peaty, earthy, green, lemongrass, woody, coffee grounds. Overall pretty dirty.

Taste: Ashy, earthy, some bitterness, industrial, coffee grounds.

Finish: Smoke, ash, smoky chocolate. Wood. Medium-short.

The taste is just alright, the nose and moreso the finish I quite like, despite its length. Nothing close to what they charge for it, but overall a fine expression and would fit in well with the main range if priced like them.

Score: 84

Musical Evocation: Darkthrone – “Whisky Funeral”