Ardbeg Auriverdes

I tried a few glasses of the new Auriverdes at Ardbeg Day yesterday in Oregon City. A dram was only $10 at the Highland Stillhouse for one day only, a real bargain! Here are my tasting notes:

Color: A shade darker than standard Ardbeg 10 year (which is pale straw).

Nose: Caramel nougat, vanilla bean, toasted malt, smoked ham, clotted cream, wet moss.

Palate: More caramel, light peat, pine needles (mild), some phenols (mild), a little more vanilla.

Finish: Medium in length; marshmellow, ash, peat, hardwood smoke, caramel.

Comments: This is fairly mild for an Ardbeg. If given this blind folded without having tasted it prior to the taste test, I would not have identified it as Ardbeg. It does not have the typical full bodied flavor of an Ardbeg and the complexity doesn't compare to the cask strength Uigeadail. This said, it's a very enjoyable dram. I gladly drank a few glasses yesterday at Ardbeg Day and would have had a third if not for the temptation to order an Alligator (one of my all-time favorites).

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