Tastes

The aroma on the nose is very fresh and inviting, of freshly cut grass, flowers (rose and magnolia), almonds, orange, a drop of honey, nutmeg. Lemon cream. Slightly balsamic. Warmer and stronger on the palate, with a slight spicy push (nutmeg and white pepper), flows oily while keeping its soul sweet and herbaceous soul, with more honey, orange, lemon and cereals. Slender peat in the background, little more than a curl of smoke with a metallic note. Constant and frank in the aromas, very drinkable. Long enough finish, with a touch of salt, spices, orange, honey. Complexity and evolution are certainly not among its characteristics, but it is a blended whisky quite pleasant to drink, well balanced in its aromas and rich enough to leave you satisfied.

Nose with a slight alcoholic hint (which with 40%ABV is never a good start), it is still quite fresh and clean, with herbaceous and mineral tones together with yellow fruit (peach, apricot and melon), orange, light vanilla and lemon peel. The peat is really a hint in the background, more vegetable than smoky. All in all pleasant, but so far it has very little of a "black" soul. The peat comes out in the palate, even if on the background, with an ashy and toasty contribution, while the citrus fruits and the fruity notes of the nose remain frontal with the addition of almonds and butter biscuit. Always herbaceous and fresh, with a light and subtle profile, with alcohol well present (too much) and a certain bitter and metallic note that develops over time. The finish is rather short, of citrus fruits, ash, metal. Drinkable but not too much, in small quantities it is pleasant but in the long run it expresses an unpleasant artificial note that breaks the lightness of the whole. All in all, it keeps what it promises, mixed it gives a touch of ash enough not to stir the spirits, and can be a good starting point for those who want to get closer to Scotch whisky.

The alcohol does not sting at all at the nose, letting the warm and fruity aromas flow, which are influenced by both Bourbon and Sherry: vanilla, caramel, ripe figs, dates, red fruits, candied orange, butter cookies, cinnamon. Very rich, with the wood as a background which tends to grow over time becoming drier, while the aromas turn to buttery with a hint of acidity. On the palate the gradation becomes pungent and spicy, combining cloves and rhubarb with cinnamon, with an acidity more present at the limits of the invasive, along with red fruits, chocolate, licorice, hazelnuts, orange and lemon tip. Full-bodied and oily, with the wood always present and rough, with a bit of bitterness more and more pressing. The finish is quite long, dry, of wood, cloves, orange, lemon, licorice. Alcoholic content not very centered, the wood clears up too much, disrupting the aromas that lose on the palate the amalgam initially perceived on the nose, with the bitterness that tends to eat the pleasantness of the flavors.

Nose very fresh and delicate, floral with balsamic touches (mint, even), accompanied by fruit (peach, apricot, apple) and cinnamon. Spice that opens in time to sherried hints, which gradually impose themselves with ripe plum, raisins in spirit, dark chocolate, a shade of coffee. Two souls that intertwine without stumbling, very interesting. The alcohol content is optimal, it warms up without exceeding in the mouth letting the freshness of the aromas pamper the palate in a full and oily consistency, encouraging the spicy side (again cinnamon with a pinch of pepper) combined with a delicate caress of the wood. The balanced marriage between American and Spanish influences remains, with vanilla, chocolate, yellow fruit (even some pineapple), orange, plums and liquorice. A rather long finish of orange, cinnamon, pepper, licorice and an impression of coffee. What a masterful balance for such a young whisky! Now I understand the desperate search for a bottle by many, a valuable distillate that blends the barrels of maturation without any effort into a full and satisfying drink.

The smell is initially in the groove of tradition, with fleshy and marine peat not particularly pungent, which tends to fade over time leaving room for light spicy tones (cloves, pinch of pepper), orange, vanilla, lemon peel and a herbaceous touch. In the end, the smell is fresher than the usual seafaring brutality, softened even. And the palate continues on similar connotations, with the alcohol that warms without burning and that, together with the oily and marine component, brings in the mouth the same sweetness of the olfactory aromas, if possible even softer and more creamy, from vanilla cream, ripe yellow fruit, apple, orange. More spices with cloves and chilli pepper, with an adding of olive pâté. The peat is there, don't worry, mineral, smoked and fishy, but it is not the protagonist. Medium long finish, of spices, salt, orange (a lot), charcoal. Unusually quiet and drinkable, an Ardbeg almost for white souls that moves away from the comfort zone of the fans without really abandoning them, a half way that lacks personality and decision despite being a pleasant drink. The price at which it is found, it must be said, is totally off-centre and purely inflated by the market.

Peat with a vegetal and fleshy smell at the same time, with a good component of aniseed to spice it, enriched by a massive contribution of ripe yellow fruit (peach, apricot, melon). In the bunch we also put custard, toasted cereal and a sea breeze that caresses the aromas bringing a bit of sparkling freshness. On the length, light balsamic scent. Very rich and stratified. Warm and spicy at the mouth, with cinnamon, nutmeg and a touch of ginger, it releases smoky and oily peat scents in which the sweetest component is crushed and muted, bringing out dried fruit (hazelnut and plum), licorice and dark chocolate. Over time comes some orange juice shaded on smoked fish. The finish is quite long, spicy, cinnamon, orange. Less complex and bursting than the brother 10yo of 2019, however, presents a nice evolution and is more than willing to drink, confirming this as a really successful series.

Smoke and ocean are there, but not as abruptly and grumpy as the label would suggest: wet peat with barbecue ribs, oranges and lemons, with a sprinkling of pepper. Touch of sweet licorice. Tones from Ardbeg but all in all quiet and simple, we are more on the side of a ladybug than a horsefly... The palate becomes harsher in the aromas, while flowing oily on the tongue, bringing out the burnt tires sprinkled with black pepper and cloves, with sweet hints that go in the background (candied orange, more licorice, hazelnuts). Very marine, especially in length, with salt permeating the mouth. Quite static, but pleasant, for those who love the genre, of course. The finish is quite long and ashy, where the tarry blanket drags some licorice, pepper, orange and a lot of salt. Far from the grumpy little beast evoked by the name, it is a basic but pleasant expression of Ardbeg for those who want to get closer to the notes of the distillery, all too muffled especially if you think of the Ten and how much more representative it is at a similar if not lower cost. If this expression is really here to stay, the price should be reconsidered, although I fear this could lead to an increase of the 10yo (with a relative decrease in production) also to give more breathing space to the production of the distillate.

The smell is warm and welcoming, inviting to drink it when outside temperatures are colder. Cherry tart, raisins in alcohol, prunes and dried dates, candied orange, cinnamon, caramel, chocolate. Some lemon peel breaks the sweet bomb, at times a little 'excessive, along with a grassy background that fights to emerge. It is actually quite fresh on the palate, with the alcoholic charge that pushes the spices (a touch of cloves) and pinches in the mouth, while red fruits and hazelnuts compete for the podium along with fruit tart, candied fruit and more chocolate. Less full-bodied than expected, with a bitterish base that breaks down the aromas. The finish is quite long and astringent, of hazelnuts, prunes, cinnamon, cocoa powder. Only three years less than Parliament and yet so far from its balance and elegance, with the influence of the barrel that is more messy and dry and the intrusiveness of the tannins that debase the whole. Pity.

Wood and cereal greet the nose, accompanied by a fresh floral note that caresses the nostrils. Pear tart, vanilla, honey, unripe banana, shortbread. Sweet orange and a splash of lemon. Sugar lump. Sweet but not cloying, with minerality that balances the aromas and freshness that lightens them. Soft and warm on the palate, with cereal biscuits smothered in milk, honey, a lot of fruit (peaches, apricots, mango), candied orange, caramel. It flows away oily and mineral, as if some salt crystals had been sprinkled on the fruit. Pinch of white pepper and nutmeg. Pasty and rich. Medium finish, made of wood, orange, pepper, cereals, light pinch of salt. For a basic malt it already has a lot to say, complex and rich as few peers, with a more interesting smell than what it offers in the drink.