Ardbeg Dark Cove

Pale Gold. Aroma of smoked pear. Touch of airplane glue, but not in a bad way. Some toffee sits in the back and evolves into full-on maple syrup. Some orange spice. Taste, brings the smoke but subtler than I was expecting. Present, and more of a burnt smoke but mixing quite nicely with a cereal flavor. Fruity on the back end, definitely some sweet orange and green fruit. Smoke turns into ash. Finishes medium long, not quite as long as expected. Does disappear a bit mid palette.

Fun, easy to drink for an Ardbeg. More fruit on nose than smoke. Sweet. Lighter than you’d think on the palette. Wispy smoke lingers on tongue but as mentioned in Distiller review, very light in mid palette. Touch bitter at end but not unpleasant. Definitely a woodsy bitterness on the tongue. Enjoyable. Not a re-buy.

Surprisingly ashy on first taste, but add some water, and it opens up into dark plum fruits and dark coffee behind the peat

N: pancake syrup, bacon, and Ardbeg smoke. P: rich sweet earthy peat smoke, brown sugar, molasses, and dried dark fruits F: lingering smoke, brown sugar, dry citrus lingers after the smoke.

Nose: Rich dark fruits, overripe oranges, whiffs of smoke and ash Palate: Cream, raisins, black pepper, flowers, glorious peat! Finish: Long, spicy, toasted caramel, smoke fades away