Ardbeg Corryvreckan

It makes sense, of course, the number of reviews here that compare Uigeadail with Corryvreckan. They’re the Ardbeg high proof entries. Which is better? Which do you prefer? I had the Uigeadail two years ago and am on the verge of finishing Corryvreckan so I haven’t had them side-by-side. My impulse when it comes to what’s better is to answer: why do I have to choose? There’s virtues in both. But much as I prefer to go against the grain, I’m with the majority opinion that the Uigeadail is preferrable by a hair. Now they’re both fantastic. We’re really splitting hairs when we’re comparing these two, and my assessment of the Corryvreckan doesn’t align with the expert review here, which is funny. My dad tasted it and his assessment was almost spot on with theirs: bacon, dark berries. And I get that too. But the dark berries are an undertone. As far as fruit goes with this one, I get more a tropical fruit edge on the palate, primarily pineapple. And it’s strong to me here. My brother-in-law didn’t necessarily get that from it, but that goes to show how different palates can experience the same spirit differently. Now the whisky itself on the nose comes off amazingly similar to the Ardbeg 10 Year perhaps cut with the Beastie. There’s peat smoke with an underlying sweetness that reminds me of Werther’s original, maybe a touch of iodine but nothing so medicinal as you’d find in a Laphroaig, and there’s bitter dark chocolate mixed in the aroma as well. Quite lovely if you’re an Islay fan. On the palate is where I pick up the pineapple intermingling with that butterscotch and mixed in with prominent smoke that gives it that bacon fat quality. The finish is nice and long with a bit of tar mingling with pepper. All in all, an amazing dram that might be a smidge under Uigeadail in my rating, but one I’d gladly welcome any time it was offered. I picked this up a few months ago when my wife was coming back from a trip to Nashville. I’d been on my own with my two kids all week and I wanted to reward myself for holding up with them so well. Uigeadail went up in price recently here from about $80 to $90 but the Corryvreckan was still $90 as well so I figured that before that got jacked up by another $10 I’d nab it and it’s still at $90 so I might pick up another bottle to have on hand in my collection. I do have a bottle of Uigeadail in the cabinet but it’s unopened and I didn’t really feel like cracking it just to compare side-by-side. Memory serves. It’s the better of the two. PS. The more I sit with this and contemplate it, the more I think it drinks like a cask strength Wee Beastie.

amber color, fantastically complicated nose with anise and burnt sugar and Carolina gold tobacco, palate salt and caramel and dark fruit

Sweet smoke swirls around a hint of peppermint and eucalyptus on the nose. The palate is smooth and as it warms up lemon and tart pears begin to come out. The finish is long, a bit peppery but this is an incredibly smooth dram for the percentage. This was complex, lovely, and full of depths that you could play with.

I’ve heard some big things about this monster of a dram. 57.1% ABV, phew this is likely going to rock my socks off, and I’d expect nothing less from a whisky named after a freaking whirlpool. N: Wonderfully phenolic, bold, and rich. There is a well balanced intensity of a rotisserie chicken, creamy butter, some pine, fresh cold maritime air mingles with light herbal smoke and tarry-antiseptic. Beautiful. P: Intensely ashy arrival with a healthy creamy backdrop. Lemon, a little anise, charcoal. Big dry-oakiness, dark fruit compote adds a vaguest hint of sweetness, espresso, bacon grease. There is almost too much going on here, spices are punchy and the thread of antiseptic that runs through everything does a remarkable job of keeping everything tied together. The smokiness is vibrant and somewhat piney/menthol. Monster of a palate. F: Long. Warming, lemon, cocoa powder, cinnamon and pepper, salty smoke. Deliciously dry. I’ve hit this with about a teaspoon of water and let it sit for few minutes. The nose softens and brings the smoke forward with the antiseptic moving into sinus opening menthol territory, saltiness dials up a little. The palate loses a little spice, charcoal comes through and the lemon heads towards the territory of a sharp mandarin. Fruity dark sweetness unfolds into some cherry and blackcurrant. The finish loses a little dryness. Cripes, I knew this would be a heavy hitter but I wasn’t expecting to actually get sucked into a whirlpool. This is an unrelenting monster that doesn’t stop coming at you with waves of flavours and textures. Heavy hitting notes are tempted by a surprising softness and just enough sweetness to keep it approachable, and at times even delicate. Well played Ardbeg, that was delicious. Distiller whisky taste #225 [Pictured here with another wee beastie, apparently that will now be the Ardbeg rock theme. This beastie is from the genus Cyphaspis, a 395 Ma trilobite that called the ancient sea floor of what is now Erfoud in Morocco home. The name cyphaspis means ‘devil horned’ in reference to its long spines, the purpose of which are still not understood. The physiological features of these devil horned beasties means they were fast carnivores.] Ardbeg running scores: Ardbeg 10: 4.25/5 Wee Beastie: 3/5 Corryvreckan: 4.5/5