Ardbeg Arrrrrrrdbeg!

The nose starts with a campfire by the ocean with a light breeze blowing the salty air towards you then charred fruits of lemon and orange followed by candied bacon, smoldering peat briquettes that transitions to a mix of new car/tire, gingersnap cookies, and toasted pumpernickel bread with light ethanol burn. The taste is a medium to viscous mouthfeel starting with fruits of lemon, tangerine and dragon fruit, then sea salt caramel, smoked pork belly, freshly opened bag of rubber mulch, gingersnap cookies, white pepper, toasted pumpernickel bread and light oak with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with tangerine peel, dragon fruit, gingersnap cookies, campfire ash, chocolate covered pretzels, charred pork belly, pumpernickel bread and new tires that lingers for minutes. The rye flavors aren’t big or bold in this one, but play as a background note to the Ardbeg character that comes in right towards the end of the nose, taste and light on the finish to help complement those Ardbeg notes and provide something a bit different and interesting. The peat notes are toned down in this much like an older Islay whisky and are well balanced with the rye spices adding some additional notes to the Ardbeg DNA without any note overpowering the rest but work harmoniously together in this tasty dram.

This is not your typical Ardbeg (nowadays almost monthly) release. This one has made with love. To commemorate Mickey Heads, who has been Ardbeg's Master Distiller for 13 years and is now retiring. He wouldn't pick any normal Ardbeg for his own tribute, so, there is this Arrrrrrrdbeg! (With 13 letters, one for each year). A lovely looking label with Mickey Heads drawed as a pirate with shortie the dog in his arm. Bottled at 51.8%abv, finished in Rye casks. On the nose... KABOOOM! Bacon, car tires, white wine, green grapes, plastic, horse saddle, pork rind, thick vanilla and Smoke. Yes, it is THAT crazy. After a first sip, the aroma changed into a more maritime profile. Gooseberries, iodine, povidine, and those diet rice rounded cookies. Smells like a pond, a nerf toy, or a water ballon. Very "Rocky" and mineral. Fantastic stuff. On the palate, it is an amazing rollercoaster. Starts with chocolate fudge, salt, sulphur, red fruits, spiciness from rye whiskies. Powerful, yet friendly. Super smooth, smokey, thick delicious vanilla. Aftertaste just follows on how great this whisky is. Chocolate, mint, a pair of new cotton socks, a leather wallet, aniseed and smoke. Very long finish, smokey, tar, petroleum oil. INCREDIBLE. Overall, this whisky felt perfect. Everyone on the tasting event i hosted loved it big time. It is not harsh at all, but super powerful and incredibly complex. A marvelous dram, my score for it is 100 over a 100. Slàinte Mhath Mickey Heads!

Italian wines are hard to distinguish out of their subtle similar flavours. Ardbergs are hard to distinguish out of their concentrated overpowered notes

Nose is very mild for a peated islay scotch. There is definitely briny charcoal bricketts, and sweet vanilla but it doesn't punch you in the nose. Taste is sweet vanilla ice cream, smoky bacon, herbal like mowing your lawn and spicy smoked paprika. It's oily and sticks around tingling your lips. Minty finish maybe from the rye barrels.