Tastes

Real beauty!

A brash young upstart, bruichladdich gets away with selling 5 year old whisky for wild amounts, why not Ardbeg for more moderate prices. Clearly not as sophisticated as an octomore, but nevertheless enjoyable. Nice to see something different in the market but not overpriced (rare from Ardbeg)

Bright golden straw colour in the glass. Petroleum (maybe more Vaseline than Petrol) on the nose, piles of smoke, mild peat, very sweet. Taste is sweet and thin with more smoke, hard time finding the peat here. Finish is fast and drying. Honestly tastes more like mezcal than whisky. VERY VERY young. This will be a mixer for sure, might be interesting in home aging experiments or an infinity bottle.

Very thick and syrupy in the glass, deep amber colour. Big butterscotch on the nose. Extremely mellow mouthfeel, not spicy at all. Feels more like a scotch than a bourbon somehow. Very fine and delicate. Beautiful little number

Beautiful, rich, complex. Has the classic Ardbeg brine and tarry rope, a little jet fuel. The wine influence manifests in a rich red fruit flavour that rounds out the profile beautifully

Young but vibrant and complex. Delightful nose of fresh hay, lemon, brine and peat smoke. Honey, heather, pepper and meaty smoke. Finish is long and warming. Love this.

Floral and stone fruit on the nose, thin with a little spice on the taste, brief finish with a lingering burn, not too hot.

Beautiful expression of the Arran. While it is very hot it has plenty of flavour to back it up. Nose of lime chili and sea air. Hot, Smokey and salty on tasting. Long peppery finish. Brilliant. Each Arran is unique but fantastic

Beautiful peat, but with a tremendous depth of flavour to compliment the smoke. Sherry, salt, oak, barley, grain. Love it

I am a sucker for anything with peat that is finished in wine/port/sherry casks, and this is no different. A touch sweet, but complex, deep and fascinating. Lots going on, but in a delightful way. Nothing out of balance or too strong all bound together with the sweetness underpinning it all.