Ardbeg Corryvreckan

Served neat at room temp. Pours a white grape juice color...a little darker than normal Ardbeg 10 year old but overall very light SRM for whiskey. A gentle swirl provides small legs and a thick top ring laced with thick beads. Nose is really outstanding. Yes, it is clearly smokey but it is not something that stands out as smoke. No char, no wood, no burnt character. Instead there is honey barbecue, sharp chamomile, small peaty iodine, bitter citrus, very intense nasal "sting" from so much spicy alcohol character. Let this one open up into such a fantastic nose: very soft smolder and old world tar, very intense honey, flowers, herbs. In the mouthfeel, small honey viscosity with immediate saltiness and sharp brine moving to sweet barbecued meat and fat. On the palate it is sharp, softer, mildly warming on the esophagus with long, lingering heat and spice. Very long finish piling on honey, tea herbs, and sweet barbecue. Incredible softness with no single character dominating. Smoke is obvious, but not the only thing going for this one. Really incredible. Totally different from the normal Ardbeg 10. I'm not sure one is necessarily better, this one is just softer and more complex.

Find where to buy Ardbeg whisky