Description
It has often been said “It’s the wood that makes the whisky.” By removing the cask heads and scoring them to expose more wood Ardbeg has given the cask a starring role in this release.
The whisky itself is complex and beguiling that has four distinct elements – sweet, smoky, herbal and spicy merging in a mesmerising taste experience. A complex whisky
Tasting Notes
Nose: Earthy, dusty, and slightly biscuity on the nose, this is a most curious Ardbeg, almost from an alternative universe. The sooty/tarry notes are clear but restrained, and are balanced out by some silky vanilla. Water opens up a myriad of herbal and floral notes- smoked etiver root, aniseed, fennel, chrysanthemum and jasmine, to name but a few.
Palate: The mouthfeel is peppery and warming, and precedes an explosion of fiery, spicy flavours – chili – flavoured chocolate, bitter sweet mocha, briar wood, birch tar, ground black pepper and smoked artichokes.
Finish: The sooty/tarry notes build up to a crescendo of rich, smoky flavours, with an incredible, lingering aftertaste of charcoal bitter almonds and molasses.
