Tastes

Final stop on my reviews on Douglas Laing core expressions; this is the time for BIG PEAT, surprisingly not that peaty, an Islay Blended Malt. Spoiler: it was great. Bottled at 46%abv, white wine color (as ardbeg). Before even reading the official story of the bottle i could identify ardbeg and bowmore on this one. It seems the third malt was port ellen, a silent yet famous distillery (closed since 1983). On the nose is absolutely beautiful, only surpassed by the incredible palate. Cheap Wine (the ones you get on a plane for free), Dry cake as in all douglas Laing. Black Pepper; Perfumed peatyness ultra pleasant, but dim, as in Bowmore. Grassy notes. Brownie burnt crest. Oregano. You can easily get the ardbeg-bowmore idea from this description. On the palate is divine. Sweet as honey/toffee with Pepper at the same time. Absolutely gorgeous toffee-ashy-smoky finish, Instant masterpiece. Aftertaste long, mint toffee, pepper. Wonderful. Balance is great here. Overall i give this beauty a solid 98 over 100 and for the price you should run and buy it. Slainte Mhath! Overall

99/100 one of my top 5 favorites of all time. I had this at a Russian Bar in a hotel, it was simply fantastic. Bottled at 40%abv (low for a bourbon), with a mahogany color. On the nose is a refined bourbon, perfumed, old grapes almost citric, peat, impression to be diluted on wine, elegant almonds, hard toffee candy, wet forest and bananas. OUTSTANDING. On the palate is even better, all spice notes, ginger specially, very smooth, beautiful, cough syrup, caramel, wine grapes, nutty. Finish is medium and spicy. Incredible. Overall is 99/100. Really fantastic. GO GET ONE NOW!

I had read before that this one was a great dram, but i didn't expect it to be so incredible. This one was an enormous experience for me, and it was because of its orange notes, they were simply amazing, i will get to that later. Bottled at 40%abv, burnished gold color. On the nose, it was fantastic. First a sherry elegant note, with some milk chocolate aroma. Then, out of nowhere: KABOOM! Did someone prepared a fresh orange juice just now?? I had never experience such a clean orange note. It was exactly the aroma of cutting a fresh orange in half and putting it on the Blender and then pouring the most fresh orange juice ever on your glass. AMAZING. (Spoiler alert for a future review: i also had the ballantine's 21 and it has the same orange note) On the palate it was also incredible: milk chocolate, oranges, amontillado sherry sweetness, clove and some herbal/lavender notes. Aftertaste was long and rewarding, a strong refined oaky note, with some brown sugar; and then some spices: black pepper and Ginger that makes your whole mouth numb. Overall this one was such a nice dram, a little complex but more than that, it was truly enjoyable. My score for it is 100 over 100 and i definitively recommend it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, i have finally drank whisky. If you haven't had Ardmore Traditional Cask, you haven't drink whisky in your life. It is one of the most exciting, fullfilling, marvelous and rewarding experiences i have ever had in a whisky. Kept away for a long time in my bar, since it didn't called my attention, i read Paul's review yesterday and decided to give it a try. I am glad i did. So far this is the top whisky in 2017 for me and it is a perfect 10. On the nose, Peat. peat peat peat peat. perfumed peat. Islay Peat (although it is a highland single malt), that kind of peat, resembling a Talisker maybe. Also on the nose: slight notes of almonds, medicinal plants, toffee, and something metallic that smells just like my gold wedding ring. Bottled at 46%abv with a polished mahogany color, non chill filtered. If it was wonderful on the nose, you can't even imagine it on the palate. Full bodied, Thick, starts with caramel, to rapidly change into a Spicy bomb, gentle hotness, Spicy wood, all spices on earth, spices mixed with angels, spices to the heart. Bonfire, peat and clove. All that wrapped up in spices. The finish is long and mouth watering, with peat and hotness. Simply amazing. Made my friday, exactly what you expect to leave behind a hard working week. It is so good i have already text every friend i have to find this bottle and buy it. I had the dram 10 minutes ago and my mouth still tastes ashes. BEAUTIFUL PERFECT DRAM, HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE HERE. SLAINTE!

KABOOOM A 100 POINTS WHISKY HERE. Oh my god this was perfect. I am a member of Ardbeg Committee but never had one of this special releases. Well, as you can already imagine it was an incredible experience. This one is the review for the Dark Cove 110, since the "93" is the regular one. Its called 110 because of its alcohol proof, meaning it has 55%abv. Amazing dark chesnut color. It is the darkest ardbeg ever, that is why it has this name. On the nose: Is this sherry with peat!? Smells WONDERFUL. The sherriness fights this bacon/buttery peat. Blackberry marmalde with peat. No alcohol note on the nose, Strawberry marmalade. Amazing. On the palate: thick Blackberry marmalade With peat. Raisins and strawberries, homd it in the palate till it burns like fire. Chilli. Aftertaste is strong but super pleasant. Long peppery ashy finish. Overall this perhaps is the best whisky i have had in 2019 so far, it will definitively reach my top ten in december and should be found and bought. 100 over 100, SLAINTE MHATH, friends.

Remember that one review where i told you that Ardbeg Galilleo was said to have been in space but it wasn't? Well... THIS ONE HAS BEEN TO SPACE. At least a couple molecules of it. Brace yourselves, this is going to be a long but beautiful (for me) review. Ardbeg Supernova has four expressions so far (they have announced a new one for 2019 with a lovely UFO label), this review if for the 2015 Committee release, THE SPACE EXPERIMENT ONE. Space experiment you say? Yes. Actually this whisky was part of the 2011 experiment where Ardbeg sent vials of Ardbeg-Crafted-Molecules to the International Space Station, and once there, this vials orbited the planet for 3 years. Finally it landed on september 12 of 2014, in Kazakhstan. But... are this particles inside the whisky? No. They are not. The molecules that were actually Ardbeg's new make spirit with micro staves of oak returned in a status called "Micro-Gravity" and what they actually did was to compare this micro gravity Ardbeg vials with the normal Ardbeg... and guess what... they were different. Some particules of phenols and high alcohol had different values so you can say the experiment was a success. I don't know if anyone has ever tried them but that Ardbeg from Space is a different dram. But don't believe me. Everything you need to know about the experiment is in this .PDF: https://www.ardbeg.com/sites/ardbeg.com/files/2017-10/ARD9109SupernovaWhitePaperA4.pdf So.... what is Ardbeg Supernova? It is a tribute to that experiment. The special thing about it is that this Ardbeg has 100ppm peat, and the normal expressions are only 55ppm. The label is lovely, the name is amazing.... LET'S TALK ABOUT THE WHISKY! Bottled at 54.3%abv (similar to the Uigeadail). On the nose is sublime: Citric; the Peatinesson this is beautiful, not invasive at all; Grapefruit. I got TEA. Herbal Tea notes. Vanilla after first sip. Cigarrettes note. On the palate it is a very enjoyable whisky. Caramel, Lime, Peat. Beautiful salty dram. Caramel chocolate. Aftertaste is where the sun dies to release the explosion known as Supernova. Wasabi - Pepper - Sugar -Heather and Peat. Overall this feels like a sweeter version of Ardbeg's Uigeadail. A great dram, with a great story and a lovely bottle. 96 over 100 here, grab your 5 stars.... in space.

Wooooohoooo that is a powerful dram! I have seen a lot of cask strenght reviews in this month, so i am trying to keep up with the trend. Ardbeg Corryvrekan is one of those mythical drams out there that if you try at least once you must talk about it everytime, everyday. 57.1%abv, surely feels like a 90%. On the nose is quite interesting without been perfect. Smoked pork, Green grapes, Peat, Butter, White wine, Water balloon latex. Those are my notes on the aroma. On the palate, it is THE BOMB. Tasty and powerful. Way too powerful. A spice bomb, Nerf toys (yep, you read that right) (yep, i have tasted them) grape juice. Margarine. Incredible. Aftertaste is salty but mostly sulfuric. Too much for a normal human. Overall this amazing dram, deserves a 98 over 100. Slainte!

89 rated whiskies after, i have finally had Ardbeg. F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C. Bottled at 46%abv, pale gold color. I have read so much about it and i was saving my 5cl bottle for the moment i had a more refined palate, and it was worth the wait. On the nose is beatifully peated. So marvelous. Smoke and peat. Pleasant peatyness, there is grapes and wine there, like sparkling wine (champagne) and ashes. Also wet forest or wet plants. On the nose is absolutely fabulous. On the palate, is complex, mouth watering, beautiful. Starts pleasant, with almonds, oranges, then it turns hot and ashy, peaty and smoky, with a small spicy flavor out there, very complex on the palate, full of flavor. Medium to full bodied, the finish is full of ashes, bonfire and smoke. Perfectly balanced, this is a jewel. Loved it, my life has changed. Long live Ardbeg.

This is, Without a doubt, The best peaty whisky i have ever had. Should i end the review right there? I should but i wont. I need people to read this, to discover it (it is actually part of the core range of ardbeg) and to buy it. I just called all my whisky lovers friends, and told them to get it. Lets start with the basics. 54.2% abv, amber color. On the nose is the perfect dram. It has every freaking aroma there is in any aroma chart: Peat. English sauce. Cream vanilla. Prunes. There is a beautiful balance between sweet and peat. Toffee. Bread. Wet vanilla cake, actually Banana bread but not banana. After a while, earthy peat, you can smell the mud mixed with the not-decomposed plants. Citric notes in small puffs. I wanted to give it a 24 at the beggining, but because of how complex it is, i got to give it a 25/25. It is absolutely overwhelming. Complex. Changing. Superb. Much better aroma than any other ardbeg i have had. Incredible. After more minutes, bonfire. Cake burnt. Hard dulce de leche. Even sherry and frozen red fruits after 20 mins. Or am i crazy? (Actually im not, i just read it has a sherry maturation). On the palate is also incredible. Pepper, Toffee, Ashy, Smoky, Sweet. Superb full mouth sensation. Very pleasant and full of flavor. Some sherriness present. Wow. Meat is also present. Aftertaste is magnificent. Smoke, Ashes, Mint, Ginger. It is eternal. More Ginger and a dim English sauce in the back. Overall i think this is one of my top 5 whiskies ever, (from this point on) dont be like me and wait this long to try it, buy it, IT IS NOT EXPENSIVE which makes it even more fantastic. I feel that i can now conquer the world, 100 over 100 is my score. SLAINTE MHATH!!!!!!!!

What a fantastic whisky this is. Its just perfect. The Amrut Intermediate Sherry is one of their older expressions (about 6yo) and it is called that way because it is first matured in ex-bourbon casks, second it goes into sherry butts and finally the whisky is finished in virgin oak casks, so the Sherry is the "intermediate" one. Bottled at 57.1%abv, chesnut color. On the nose the rollercoaster begins. Tamarind, guava, prunes, molasses, quince, maraschino cherries, orange marmalade, champagne soda, orange cake, port, and wine from a church. It is just amazing. On the palate, more red flavor madness: cinnamon liquor, liquorice, orange peel, cane, cherries, peanut butter chocolate. Aftertaste delivers something totally different. Lots of minerals, spicy, pepper, sherried port, cinnamon and the sauce used to glaze the pork. Overall, this is an amazing dram, an incredible experience. Super sweet and spicy, the higher abv is present in fluent tasting and aroma notes. Just buy it. My score: 100/100.