Ardbeg Supernova 2019

Amazing peat experience, nothing like I’ve had before. Takes a little getting used to but it’s brilliant once you do.

Sadly this is not like the original supernova or even the 2015. I definitely prefer the earlier released and sweeter supernova.

OK so this is going to be a different type of review. Supernova for me is not about the taste. It is about the journey that the whisky takes you on. That said lets do a quick review and then explain this. For me the nose is ardbeg and octomore meet. I get the intensity of the higher abv the clean candied cigarettes, clean malt, and that ardbeg smoke. The flavor is ardbeg and octmore with a lot of extra oak. Yeah there's more to it than that but that's my take. Now to the journey. This starts off with a smooth, high abv, intense, but smooth and inviting nose. The whisky hits the tongue and it warms it, adds some sweetness and peaty notes. It coats it and it heats up, and heats up, then as you swallow there is an honest physical explosion on the tongue. Suddenly there is a supernova like feeling where the heat comes up and the flavors completely change. Your mouth is left with this unique and I'm going to call it oaky peat but it's so much more complex and frankly unlike anything I can compare it to. Each pour the journey can take a slightly different turn but it always has this explosive change in flavors and notes. Each pour I get new notes and new flavors and honestly these are some of the most unique earthy and spicy and adbeggian flavors I know. If you say be damned with refinement, I want hair on my chest, a kick to the crotch and unbridled Ardbeg, this is without a doubt the Ardbeg you've been dreaming of. For me, someone who would like a bit more refinement, someone who loves Ardbeg 23 year or a Laphroaig 25 I still really enjoy the punch in the face. Don't buy this to sit back and ponder the great thinker's best works. This is the Ardbeg you drink when you need a slap in the face. I'm not sure it justifies the insane price point that put this near 200 after tax, but I am sure this is darn good whisky and there is no ardbeg fan who is going to be disappointed with the whisky on face value. 3.5 score but I got that high with a heavy point of caution that I believe this is priced beyond 90% of even Ardbeg's fans price point and as such 3.0 is if it's your price range BUY IT, this is worth a stretch but I'm not sure it's worth a big one vs getting a pour at a bar. I do think every Ardbeg fan should take this ride, it's truly a unique experience that I'm pretty glad I had the opportunity.

Hot on the tail of Ardbeg’s elegant Traigh Bhan comes its evil alien twin, a fresh iteration in the highly peated take-no-prisoners Supernova series. There’s no information on where its peat comes in on the ppm scale, but I clearly remember the 2014 version being so potent you could smell the smoke wafting out of the bottle. The 2015 dialed the smokiness down a notch in favor of a slightly sweeter profile, and it’s that version which appears to set the template here. Neat, it’s nowhere near as immediately peaty as the last two visitations. There’s camphor and lemongrass, but it’s not grossly out of whack with a typical Ardbeg, and therefore quite lovely. In the mouth, the peat explodes and clings to the side of the tongue on first sip. Once the numbness clears a tangy sweetness emerges, followed by a long slow fade to a treacly finish. An aftertaste of chilli spice keeps you company for a while. What elevates this whisky from interesting to great is a drop of water. It’s really quite transformative. The aroma of peat is kicked up to a pleasant nasal-decongestant level, even as the anesthetic qualities in the mouth recede in favor of a good balance of pepper, sweetness and tanginess. It’s not too dissimilar to an Octomore - at least those versions that eschew wine casks - though it doesn’t match the best of that series and costs more. Still, I found myself craving another glass. A welcome invasion.