Ardbeg Scorch

What I would consider a classic Arbeg nose jumps out of the glass dominated by peat. Peat, iodine, and savory BBQ (sweet smoke?) on the palette and it hangs around awhile. A little bit of brine on the finish. From the name I was expecting much more smoke and char, but this is well balanced all around. If you like Ardbeg, you'll like this, but I'm not sure if any new ground has been broken. It is incredibly smooth and may serve as a good Islay intro or perhaps that first intermediary step in the journey.

I was lucky get this 2021 release as late in the game as I did. I haven’t been quite as diligent about grabbing these releases as I have been with the Cairdeas line. That’s partly do to sporadic pricing and inferior distribution. Because these tend to be solid when I do get them. The Scorch is aged in heavily-charred bourbon barrels. This should play well with the Ardbeg spirit—I think Ardbeg is the pound-for-pound PPM king of all the Islay distilleries. Nose: All the classics. Peat smoke and sulfur. Campfire smoke and iodine. Ammonia. Bandaid. Brine and sea salt. Heavy on tennis ball—this one is opening up a brand new three-ball tube. Black bean red pepper chili. Lemon and lime citrus. Sugar cookie. Spearmint. Vanilla custard. Hazelnut. Cinnamon and black pepper. Palate: Heavy again on the black bean red pepper chili. Red hot tamales. Vanilla custard. Salted caramel and peanut butter. Butterscotch. Ballpark soft pretzel. Hookah smoke and iodine. The campfire smoke is fairly prominent here as well. Some banana walnut muffin. Cinnamon and black pepper. Finish: Rich dark chocolate. Saltwater taffy. Ballpark pretzel. Sugar cookie and butterscotch. Spearmint. Black bean red pepper chili. Hazelnut. Moderate length. Smoke, brine, iodine, and bandaid. Moderate length. This is a winner. The profile-cask interaction and is excellent. It’s incredibly versatile in terms of notes and spans Islay funk, brine, smoke to orchard fruit and confectionary sweetness. It really is an enjoyable whisky. The concept here is incredibly simple. And though it lacks the age statement, this handily beats the Lagavulin 11 Charred Cask, which is probably the closest comparable you could come up with. At $96, this is about as close to MSRP as I could’ve gotten. Well worth the price of admission if you ask me. I ought not neglect this line going forward. Though it may be the least consistent of Islay’s big 3 limited release lines, there are diamonds the Ardbeg rough like this one that simply cannot be skipped. 4.75/5.

@Nitr0

Really nice. Sweet then peat

Review #078 Type: single malt scotch Proof: 46% Comments: NAS, matured in heavily charred ex-bourbon casks Tasted after: first up Appearance (no score): Russet color. Swirling reveals a thin line sticking to the side of the glass, legs are slow to form. Nose: 16/20 Black smoke and vanilla are most prominent. There’s also hints of barbecued meats, rusted metal, and briny coastal breeze. Strangely enough, maybe a few soap suds also? Palate: 34/40 Sooty ashes and smoked ham greet the palate. Searching deeper, there’s adhesive bandages (reminds me of how Laphroaig 10 smells), heavy cream, vanilla, black pepper, and citrus zest too. Finish: 32/40 Medium-long finish. It’s soot and wet ashes that kick it off, and this runs through to the end mingling with some mild briny and rubber flavors, then a bit of oak spice appears at the very end. With Water: A couple drops of water makes the nose is a bit sweeter, with yellow apples and cinnamon sugar. It also introduces some spicy oak tannins to the palate, but dilutes the other flavors too much. Total: 82/100 Final thoughts: This is a really nice whisky, but it’s not worth the price tag. I’m glad I had an opportunity to try it, but I’m sorry I had to buy a whole bottle to do so. I like the influence that the heavy charred casks had on the spirit, but watered down and muted a bit too much I think. I can’t help but wonder what the committee release version tastes like. Price: $110 Would recommend: no Would buy: no Scoring Legend: 96-100: The perfect dram, absolutely exceptional, nectar of the gods, I will savor this bottle and make it last, 5 stars. 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky, 4.75 stars. 85-89: Very good to amazing, almost the complete product, 4.5 stars. 80-84: Quite good, very enjoyable to drink, but doesn’t wow me, 4.25 stars. 75-79: Good, enjoyable but ultimately flawed, unlikely to purchase again, 4 stars. 70-74: A solid dram, but wouldn't go out of my way to get it, 3.75 stars. 55-69: Drinkable, 3.5-2.75 stars. Below 55: Suitable for cooking or direct contribution to the kitchen sink drain, 2.5 stars or less.

Value is the only thing holding this back. As with many of these committee releases, it's overpriced and underwhelming. If this were 30% cheaper I'd be all over it. N: Vanilla, cream, buttered biscuits, true to form ex bourbon Islay. Can't say the heavier char is coming through, but there is a spicier note that might indicate that. T: Medium mouthfeel. Wish it was longer. Smoke turns to spicy barrel char so it's coming through there. F: Sticks around, but not as much. Spicy. Smoke, ex bourbon clearly, which is great. This is a tasty release from Ardbeg. Wish it didn't cost what it did for the proof point.