It makes sense, of course, the number of reviews here that compare Uigeadail with Corryvreckan. They’re the Ardbeg high proof entries. Which is better? Which do you prefer? I had the Uigeadail two years ago and am on the verge of finishing Corryvreckan so I haven’t had them side-by-side. My impulse when it comes to what’s better is to answer: why do I have to choose? There’s virtues in both. But much as I prefer to go against the grain, I’m with the majority opinion that the Uigeadail is preferrable by a hair. Now they’re both fantastic. We’re really splitting hairs when we’re comparing these two, and my assessment of the Corryvreckan doesn’t align with the expert review here, which is funny. My dad tasted it and his assessment was almost spot on with theirs: bacon, dark berries. And I get that too. But the dark berries are an undertone. As far as fruit goes with this one, I get more a tropical fruit edge on the palate, primarily pineapple. And it’s strong to me here. My brother-in-law didn’t necessarily get that from it, but that goes to show how different palates can experience the same spirit differently. Now the whisky itself on the nose comes off amazingly similar to the Ardbeg 10 Year perhaps cut with the Beastie. There’s peat smoke with an underlying sweetness that reminds me of Werther’s original, maybe a touch of iodine but nothing so medicinal as you’d find in a Laphroaig, and there’s bitter dark chocolate mixed in the aroma as well. Quite lovely if you’re an Islay fan. On the palate is where I pick up the pineapple intermingling with that butterscotch and mixed in with prominent smoke that gives it that bacon fat quality. The finish is nice and long with a bit of tar mingling with pepper. All in all, an amazing dram that might be a smidge under Uigeadail in my rating, but one I’d gladly welcome any time it was offered. I picked this up a few months ago when my wife was coming back from a trip to Nashville. I’d been on my own with my two kids all week and I wanted to reward myself for holding up with them so well. Uigeadail went up in price recently here from about $80 to $90 but the Corryvreckan was still $90 as well so I figured that before that got jacked up by another $10 I’d nab it and it’s still at $90 so I might pick up another bottle to have on hand in my collection. I do have a bottle of Uigeadail in the cabinet but it’s unopened and I didn’t really feel like cracking it just to compare side-by-side. Memory serves. It’s the better of the two. PS. The more I sit with this and contemplate it, the more I think it drinks like a cask strength Wee Beastie.