Yet another bottle from Ardbeg (#5) finds its way into the cabinet, and after reviewing everything from the punchy 10 to the chocolatey Corry to the fruity Blaaack, let’s see what this Jr addition brings. Initial thought is that it’s darker then I expected, similar to the 10 in color and I guess I thought it would be lighter. Nose is sharp and edgy, where the 10 jabs you with the gloves on, this beastie takes them off and replaces with brass knuckles. Lots of phenols here, rubber and plastic and iodine, but not smooth and integrated like a Springbank or Highland Park... just competing for attention. Let it breathe a bit and damp earthy peat can be found next, however it’s immaturity shows up again smacking you with ethanol when all you want to do is explore deeper. Palate delivers wonderful rubbery, ashy smoke right away, reminding me of the days I used to do burnouts at the track with friends. This then transitions quite smoothly into wet decaying vegetation. Chew on that for a few and a rich malted cereal makes an appearance. There isn’t much beyond that other then a few more wisps from the peat fire. Finish is dry and short, which I normally equate to wood impact, but with so little time in the barrel I don’t know if that’s having as much influence. Either way there’s a little warmth, a little char and that’s about it. Overall this is a fun little dram that I’m sure is only really comparable to the 10 both in taste and price. I like this one for its short attention span and obnoxious youth, and the 10 as it brings some more of that cured meat umami flavor. I suppose it’s like having 2 kids that are just loved differently :-)