Ardbeg Corryvreckan

Complex and deep sweet with a selenic finish

Good bottle of whisky. There's everything you could possibly hope for coming from the region of Islay: smoke, peat, and spice wonderfully balanced. Does that mean I would go out and pay for this bottle? No. But I sure as hell wouldn't refuse a dram.

My confession, right up front: I know I'm supposed to like this one better than the 10 year, but...I'm not sure if I actually do. This is Ardbeg on sherry, and it shows - the nose has dark dried fruit, nuts, tar, and a more overtly medicinal quality than the 10 year. The palate...well, it's a complex whirlpool all right, of sooty smoke, sea air, smoked fish, tar, dark fruit, nuts, and iodine. It's a thing of beauty, but...I miss the lemony freshness mid-palate that's present in the 10 year. That said, this is a dram that keeps on yielding its secrets over time...far too complex to be immediate and obvious.