Ardbeg Corryvreckan

I agree with the review. Great bacon nose and taste. Sweet smoke. Also pick up notes wheat bread. Just fabulous.

Tang. Salty with huge smoke, but the fruity caramel can't hide even if it wants to. Cured meat and fresh, unripe pears in the back. The woodiness comes out with a drop of water. Huge smoke on the palate, kinda tart aswell with hints of ashes and black pepper. Hot the sweetness to balance it out. Quite oily but dry at the same time, grainy in a way. Kicking finish, goes on for quite while. First sweetness, then smoke and pepper. Turns into hay and smoked fish. Keeps on developing for miles.

Stop number 11 on the SDT is Ardbeg. I reviewed Corryvreckan a little over a year ago and I'm excited to put it to the test once more. Bottled at a whopping 57.1% ABV, this Islay single malt is non chill filtered and natural color of light amber. I believe it is matured in European oak casks. Just pouring this liquid gold into the glass 2 feet from my face I can already smell the peat. The nose is just bursting with voluminous peat smoke. Like a peat bog that was once ablaze and now is smoldering, damp and thick after a heavy rain. Smoked meats, especially brisket. Briny sea air wafting over that peat bog. Old oak, old leather and sweet tobacco...it's like your Grandpa's old leather chair he sat in and smoked his pipe, just beautiful. If you can manage to work past the overwhelming peat smoke you will find dark stone fruits like black cherries and plums. Christmas fruitcake, dense and loaded with fruit and some dark chocolate on top. There are some sweet notes in there too like dates and some orchard fruits and oranges. There is a slight waxy note and perhaps even some fresh coffee grounds. I could nose this for hours and, like the whirlpool it was named after, get lost in its swirling magnificence. The palate is a big blast of smoky peat with more of those smoked meats. Strong and full bodied, hot at first from the higher ABV but very drinkable at the same time. Some oak and tobacco as well. Dark dried fruits and fruitcake. Not much after that, the peat smoke just dominates so much it's hard to get much else, but I'm not complaining! Oily, creamy, smooth and mouthwatering. The finish isn't long...it's eternal. Do not attempt another tasting after Corryvreckan, it won't be fair to the next dram in line. Dry with more brisket and fruitcake. This is my 11th review from my Scotch Distillery Tour and it couldn't be more fitting because this scotch goes to 11! If the tour ended here and I couldn't drink anything else I would not be upset. It's just that good. Well worth the price (about $90 locally). Some people say the Uigeadail is better than the Corryvreckan, if that's true I think my head will explode from pleasure. I have a bottle and will open it eventually and find out for myself. Until then I think I will chip away at the bottle I have. This review came from a sample provided by Scott. Thanks Scott, this made my day. 5 out of 5. Cheers my friends!