Ardbeg Supernova 2019

The nose is much less smokey than I expected, but smoke is clearly there. It smells coastal, a bit like a pier. It has a sweet, phenolic character. On the palate I get salty smoke, with a tingly brine on the tip of my tongue. The salt evolves and lingers. The smoke is dry at first and becomes sweet. It has a savory flavor reminiscent of smoked fish. Dry herbs, sage, pine, thyme. A bit of pepper mingles with the salt. The finish is salt, smoke, and is very astringent. I was pretty unimpressed, dare I say dissapointed at the initial experience, so I added a drop of water, something I tend not to do even with cask strength whiskey. I think this needs it. The nose becomes much more pungent- assaulting - more salty than smokey, savory smoked pork, maybe a touch of apple. It seems saltier on the tongue, harsher, more raw, like surf breaking on rocks. The sweet phenol is still there, but it gives way to a savory flavor. I do get a hint of pineapple- I still get sage, pine needles on the forest floor. The finish is long, harsh salt spray, pineapple, lingering smoke, blackened charred firewood. At this price point, it's competing with the glorious beast that is Octomore, and that is a tough sell. This is great(with water), but I think Octomore edges it out.

96/100* *I rank my whiskey based on a 100 point scale. It is a cumulative score with each category of nose, taste, finish, and balance worth up to 25 points. Here is how this score translates to the number of stars I give: 0 stars = 50 or below 1 star = 60 2 stars = 70 3 stars = 80 4 stars = 90 5 stars = 100 The score is rounded to the closest 1/4 star increment.