Style: Honey and Smoky
Nose:
Begins with salty breeze, seaweed and soft mineral notes. Then unveiled the thick pancake stack steaming with honey maple syrup! Powerful spice, going slightly vegetative, aroma of sizzling pan fried onions and crisp bacon. A lick of strawberry jam at the bottom. A Scottish breakfast indeed!
Palate:
Heading happily to dessert wine time, starts with a light mineral, mossy introduction then we have big juicy honey malt battling with fuming smoke and peat. Oranges and elder flower pressed hard against the charred oak and strikes a good balance. Chocolate, perhaps a bit of meaty malt towards the end.
Finish:
A big puff of smoke with some decent vanilla infused. Spoonful of honey melting slowly on the palate, long and satisfyingly sweet finishing.
Thoughts:
Smoky Ardbeg with a delicious honey core. Quite enjoyed the bold, dimensional nose which left quite an impression on me. The dram has more interesting edges and as a result, a bigger personality which is something really hard to get from original bottlings, especially these days. A robust, energetic and stylish Ardbeg single cask which is gradually becoming a rarity!
[60.5% • 2015 Bottled • Independent Bottling • Single Cask • Cask Strength • Non Coloured • Non Chill Filtered • Aged 8 Years • 654 Bottles]
☆ [Recommended]
-Esmond
WhiskNick 