Ardbeg Fermutation

The Nose I find amazing. Floral, bright, with sea water, citrus, and very light peat. Taste of Ardbeg with confusing notes, a little sour, sea water reminding me of Ardbeg Kelpie. Finish dissipates into a salty sour with light peat. Well worth the unique experience, but not enough for me to seek another bottle.

Peatiness lingers a bit - in a good way.

Nose is subtle--some salt, similar to Oban. Also some tartness like a sour mash beer. Body is thin, but the smoky peat really hits you on the finish and lingers for a while. An ok scotch, but kind of disjointed.

This was a sample shared with me by a friend who shelled out the dough. So I won’t talk about the price. Other than to say it’s too damned high. Sadly I don’t see this trend reversing anytime soon. Strong notes of lemon, followed by yoghurt funk and mild peat and smoke. It’s very balanced and easy to drink. Maybe it’s the extra fermentation or 13 years in the cask but the smoke and peat come on slowly and in moderation. Kind of a muted Ardbeg but enjoyable for all that. Since i didn’t buy it I’m giving it a 4. It was enjoyable and I wanted more of it. Not at $200 though. If I’d paid for it I might dock it .25-.5.

More medicinal than the typical Ardbeg, and peat seems more subdued. It's really a pretty average Islay at a much higher than average price. Only worth trying for the curiosity, glad I didn't find a whole bottle.

In my first opinion, the Fermutation smells more citrus/minty than pure peat. The initial sip lingers on your tongue longer than expected with a nice orange peel-like aroma. In terms of peat, this dram tastes more refined than Ardbeg 10/Cory/Beastie, but more similar to the differences between the Laga Distiller's Edition compared to the 8. Although the Fermutation lacked the insane PUNCH I was secretly hoping for, I'm glad I have it on my shelf.

Sometimes experiments work. Sometimes they don’t. But if you’re Ardbeg, even failures are cash generating. It’s very uncharacteristically Ardbeg. Citrusy. Almost tart. Then comes some soot. Then some sour lactic acid? Finally…then sudden sharp hit of peat comes at you. For me, it’s simply too discombobulated, just a stitched up mess. Mine was only a 1 ounce sample, but I’d be pissed as hell if I were to spend anywhere close to the market price. It lacks complexity and the fluidity I’d expect for something of this price ($250+). You first get citrus. Then soot. Then sharp peat. All as separate entities without one flowing to the next. Not to mention that sour lactic acid taste. That was very uncharacteristic Ardbeg. I’m probably the outlier…but another special release Ardbeg disappointment.