Ardbeg has been all over the place lately. And they surely have suffered a little backlash from some whisky connoisseurs here and there. One of their recent committee releases is this "Fermutation", a single malt that promises a nice backstory but it certainly makes me skeptic of what i am going to taste.
Basically the story of this whisky goes like this; there was a broken boiler in 2007; as a result, distilling had to suddenly halt while the washbacks were full of fermenting wash, leaving the wash fermenting for 3 long weeks. (Usually it is between 56-72 hours in Ardbeg).
That wash was later distilled and matured for 13 years, and bottled at 49.4%abv. That is how you get Ardbeg Fermutation. But, is it any good?
On the nose, amazing terrible stuff. Noticeable notes of cotton socks, tennis balls, swamp and lemon. Plants, seaweed, sown land and rainforest. You get the idea by now. After a first sip, it became super yeasty. It smells like craft beer, bread and some maritime notes. Citric forest fruits. Very interesting.
On the palate, starts with plastic, earth, sown land and marshmallow. This is so tasty, but you get the feeling that even if this one is so enjoyable, this can't be good for your body, lol.
Aftertaste can be defined as a "Wimbledon Tennis Final": sweat, grass, tennis balls. It has this sharpie marker note. Feels so artificial, like a factory. Mr Clean chemicals.
Overall, there is no reason for this thing that i have described to you to be any good... and it is not good... it is INCREDIBLE. Everything i have just described just feels amazing in every sip, it is like a whisky adventure. This is exactly what i am looking for in new single malts: something interesting and new. What a glorious dram this has been; it is 10000 times better than both "Ardcores". My score for this marvelous experience is 100 over 100, and i will find another bottle for my home bar.