Ardbeg Hypernova

Body looks thin in the glass. A swirl coats, but quickly trails to stasis with a few thin tendrils lingering for less than a minute. Nose is patent Ardbeg - Dry hay, dry peat, pear, a whiff of diesel and sea salt potato chips. It's good, but not all that different from the 10yr. Palate is surprisingly sweet to start, and those pears on the nose become charred and salted on the tongue, offering a nice balance of sweet and savory. The peat finally shows up mid-palate, but it's not rude or obtrusive, and instead adds depth to what had become a fairly monotone, albeit enjoyable, taste. The peat carries the mid-palate from briny seaweed to dry cigar ash on the close, with the ashy smoke hanging around for 10-15 seconds. I love Laphroaig, but I keep trying to find a second favorite and my brain keeps telling me it should be Ardbeg. Which means I've had more Ardbeg releases than I care to admit. I've had a lot of committee bottles, the Anthology series, the special releases, and all of the core range. Some were winners (Scorch, Airigh Nam Beist, Harpy's Tale), some are consistent repeat winners (10, Wee Beastie) and some are not worthy of the hype (most of the 19yr range, for example). This Hypernova release falls in the latter category. It's tasty. I enjoy it. It's nothing special. It's expensive. I'm not going to say I regret buying it, but my brain keeps telling me I could have had 2 bottles of Laphy 10 CS plus a Wee Beastie for the same price. And I like those a lot more. I'd tell anyone who isn't an Ardbeg-head to find it in a bar or a sample pack before you commit to a full bottle. And if you are an Ardbeg-head, it will slot nicely into the back of the bottom shelf between your rarely touched bottles of Drum, Ardcore, and that really dusty Perpetuum that you just can't bring yourself to finish.

Fairly sweet at first and the develops into a rich peat that lasts a long time. Potentially very concentrated pear so it actually doesn't taste as "peaty" as say the oogie but very yummy!

Vanilla and campfire on the nose. Tastes sweeter than you think. Doesnt taste as peaty as the 170ppm implies “The classic horseshoe theory”

Spicy and sweet and peaty. Very very good. Easy drinking - sweet was first impression