I am a big Ardbeg fan, that is no secret, i am quite the Peat-Head and as such every new expression from Islay’s best distillery (ok, Head to head with Laphraoig which i also adore) is great news. The 10-year-old is indeed a cornerstone of any whisky lover’s home bar. my current Ardbeg favorite is the Uigeadail, which is my favorite dram right now (that changes with the season and mood), which is hard to beat. sherry and peat are a match made in heaven.
When i first read about the release of the Corryvreckan , i just knew i was going to buy this baby, although it’s not a cheap malt, and costs more than the Beastie(Airigh Nam Beist) it replaces in Ardbeg’s line of products. i am going to do write a post about the soon to depart beastie, but it’s considered by some the best Ardbeg to date.
i got the Corry on the morning, and didn’t wait much to taste it, last night, and here are my notes:
Ardbeg Corryvreckan 57,1%, OB 2009
Colour: Golden yellow. darker than i had expected
Nose: Peat of course, undoubted peat, but not too strong. you can smell lots of Citrus notes here, mostly Oranges and kumquat, and hints of spice. definitely an Ardbegian nose in terms of lemons and citrus. love it!
Palate: This is a really complex dram. It starts with a wham! , the alcohol bomb is released into the mouth. first you get the sweet tones, malty kind of, some burnt sugar. then, it changes into a more spicy,peppery, and smoky tones. very interesting indeed!
Finish: on a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give it 11. it’s very long, smoky, the peat is there with you for so long.the ashes do not seem to go away, and the peat/spice/smoke lingers in your mouth for hours. they really do.
on an interesting note, i put the empty glass in the sink, and went to sleep. in the morning, when i woke up and went near the sink, i could smell the wonderful smell of peat smoke, still in the glass. after more than 8 hours!!!
To sum up: this is one of the best Ardbegs i have sampled so far. with it’s Cask strength and complexity, it’s well worth the price. i would put it one notch below the Uigeadail which is my favorite. but if you are an Ardbeg fan, or an Islay Peat-head, this is definitely a must dram got to have handy. i am waiting for the cold winter nights, to drink a wee dram of this, and get warm all over.
as I’ve live twitted this tasting on Twitter, you can see it all here also, read my minute to minute notes. here.
Slainte!
Sublime. Choosing between the Corryvreckan and the Uigeadail seems almost impossible