Ardbeg Dark Cove (2016 Committee Release)
Peated Single Malt
Ardbeg // Islay, Scotland
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Cost
Bottled for Ardbeg Day of 2016, the Dark Cove bottling is a special release for Ardbeg Committee members (keep an eye out for a lower-ABV bottling coming out later this year on Ardbeg Day, May 28). The Dark Cove marries spirit aged in ex-Bourbon casks with a percentage of spirit aged in casks that once held "dark" sherry, an extremely rare version of the fortified wine Master Blender Bill Lumsden found in his travels (rumors have it around two to three times the percentage of ex-Sherry as in the Uigeadail). Expect some variation in color, as the Dark Cove is non-chill filtered, has no added coloring, and is bottled at 55% ABV.
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ageNAS
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abv55.0
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Peated Single Malt100% malted barley from a single distillery. Dried with peat.
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Cask Typeex-bourbon and ex-sherry
Tasting Notes
"If you're a sherry cask-finished fan, this is your holy grail. It's a big, lush sticky toffee pudding (the good kind, when the baker really knows how to make it) - butterscotch, raisins, figs, dates, almonds, cashew, cinnamon, clove, toffee and vanilla. A pleasant swath of orange peel mixes in here to keep it from going too overboard with the richness. The characteristic Ardbeg peat smoke is dialed down significantly, and while still showing its brininess, tastes more like smoked ham than rubbery peat. Definitely add a couple of drops of water to wander farther into the Dark Cove. "
Reviewed by
Amanda Schuster