Ardbeg Scorch

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.

Scorch is a bold experiment whose outcome is far more interesting than the hypothesis could have imagined. The aromas allure: burnt vanilla sugar, a peat fire, dark chocolate, wild thyme, and chile ristra. On the palate, a surprise beyond: tart raspberry, smoky pepper, steamed langoustine, candied orange peel, and suggestions of tar. Morphing on the palate is a double vectored mouthfeel, as if the viscosity spreads out across every surface before lighting to an astringent, charcoal cleanness. The charring deceives, making it hard to believe the spirit is only 46 percent. Somehow the finish is smooth and mellow, sweet and smoky, leaving the raspberry, chocolate, and chili flavors dancing gently. I’m glad to have partaken in this discovery, shared with Charles in gratitude for his helping me paint a new home.

The raspberries & cherries on the nose. Secondarily wood. Nice light straw color. Heavy wood, oil, creosote on the tongue. Easily my favorite heavy char m whiskey

Some pepper, vanilla, sweetish