Ardbeg Corryvreckan

Salty at first, kind of like sea water or Japanese soup. Then you get kicked in the mouth with peat and fire.

Ardbeg - and the hype goes on! Named after a whirlpool north of Jura, Corryvreckan is a NAS core range expression with cracking 57.1% ABV. With its combination of candy floss, orange zest and delicate BBQ peat smoke, the nose starts out promising. On the palate, the dry and spicy arrival is entirely dominated by French oak, followed by a blast of briny peatiness. Unpleasantly bitter herbs and grapefruit creep in, culminating in a peppery-dry finish which is medium at best. Not a complete disaster, but a bit disappointing given the whisky's reputation. RATING: 3.7/5.0 stars ≙ 85 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE [+]