Ardbeg Hypernova

Chemically, high pitched peat, and ground after rain on the nose. Some smokeiness as well. More vegetal, earthy, peat smoke than the other bbq style smoke from other ardbegs on the palate. Intense ashtray smoke and peat on the finish. Overall, fairly sanitized tasting like a hospital. Funky and unique.

Nose: Bandaids straight from the box and hospitals with a hint of seal salt Palate: Ashtray licking goodness with underlying savory spice Finish: Long finish with high smoke and bitter lemons

In prefixing the syllable “hype” to its third special edition of the year, Ardbeg risks suggesting it is thumbing its nose at anyone who dares question the velocity of its release schedule. At face value this is an evolution of its long established and loved Supernova series but the long-term Ardbeg follower could be forgiving for questioning whether it will shoot to the same stellar heights. A healthy pour at the New York launch event yields good news. The nose is a cool and minty peat, with lime, chocolate and a touch of heather. It’s sweet, citrusy and tangy in the mouth, like a chocolate lime candy. The finish is long, smokey, sweet and a little bitter — the image of licking a smoked fish came to mind. It's certainly peatier than the Ardbeg 10 but not as off-the-charts as the most extreme Octomores. All in all, it’s a decent dram and I’d gladly add a bottle to the home bar were the price more reasonable.