Tastes

After trying both Lagavulin 16 and 8 and not feeling it (something in the aftertaste that I don’t agree with) I thought I would give the Distillers Edirion a go. The PX sherry influence just puts this in the sweet spot (no pun intended). The smoke is there but a bit subdued by the sweetness of the PX, the nose is so interesting that you can sit and smell this for a long time. Sweet and smokey in the mouth with tounge tingeling spice coming in at the end. Aftertaste is quite long and very pleasant.

Batch a120

Compared to the 10 this one has a much darker rich flavor but toned down peat and brine. I enjoyed this one a lot, but opened a 10 yesterday and I have to say that I prefer the 10 over this (even though they both get a 4.5).

Nose is very pleasant, the contents not so much. A dominating black tea note that I don’t agree with. It feels like they spent a bit too much on the bottle design which looks very nice.

Probably the most pure smoky Ardbeg I have had to date. On the nose it is a sooty smoke reminiscent of the coal fire steam boats that still operates in the archipelago of Stockholm. My mind jumped to the smells wafting from the chimneys of said boats when they are docked in the city center with the fire going. Intense smoke in the mouth and less sweet than your typical Ardbeg, quite spicy as well. The aftertaste is dry, long and the sooty theme persists from start to finish complemented with hints of anise. Not my favorite Ardbeg offering, but it is definitely in the tippy top of what I have had from the distillery. The price was quite steep though, I would buy the Corryvreckan any day over this one. I was going to write that this was review 100, but it is just my 100th scored bottle ;)

It is a serviceable Laphroaig, but nothing to write home about. The nose is the best part of it with the uniquely Laphroaigy smell and quite fruity. The mouth is quite subdued and feels very light, more of an ash flavor and sensation than in other offerings and the aftertaste is very short and thin. Bought this out of curiosity since I love Laphroaig, but wont be buying this again.