Ardbeg Kelpie

Well, it's the Tuesday evening before Thanksgiving and there is a chill in the air. Wood stove is running. House is full of family. The youngest is home from college. All is right with the world at this moment in time. Sort through the samples from the SDT (I am so far behind and in need of working through the backlog) and what better pour is there than Ardbeg. A rubber-esq and smokey, seaweed briny sweetness fills the nasal senses. Nutty caramel and brown sugar come through along with pungent lemon polish and a hint of Iodine. Very much an Ardbeg brethren. Can I have a sip now? The palate is greeted with a deep, rich peaty char. Almost tar-like. Traces of brown sugar take the tarry btternes in check and blends. As the sweetness is absorbed and weakend, oak, black pepper and a bakers dark chocolate intermingle and bring you to a finish. A lemon zest provides a foundation of the finish where cigar ash and coal tar take front and center. Add a dash of black pepper for some spice. A deep and earthy ending. An Ardbeg foundation that, for peat freaks (hand raised), is very much satisfying. Though it's peaty with a sweety-brine, it does have a weakness in that it has a somewhat rushed quality and a bright youngness. The flavors are there but are not overly vibrant (Could it be tired casks squeezing the last bit of flavor from them?) That being said, I did enjoy this, and is a good dram. I do still prefer the 10 or Ugi, and at $30 to $50 dollars cheaper. [Dry Glass: Peated bog][86/100][Tasted: 11/21/17]