Dreaming-of-Islay
Ardbeg Perpetuum
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
October 6, 2017 (edited March 31, 2018)
This limited release from 2015 is supposedly a mix of "very old" and "very young" whiskies. I traded for a sample of the distillery release, which as the name suggests was available only at Ardbeg and in more limited quantities than the other version of Perpetuum (which also was a few points less alcoholic). So this review is for a slightly different version (this Distiller page is for the 47% percent version, the one I tried was 49.2%). After this sample, I like it but don't love it -- it feels like a slightly smokier and much more expensive Ardbeg 10. The nose is dominated by smoke and wood, so it almost smells like the inside of a longstick matchbox and spent embers from a fire. The only other note I detect is pepper. The palate is also peppery and smoky, although it has more sweetness, hay, and citrus than the nose. The finish is peppery and smoky, with a mouthful of oats at the end.
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Hey Ardbeg---heard that re: Corry as special release? If you do that, we three here deserve a free bottle every year for the idea. 😊
Agreed with both of you. Ardbeg's core line is incredible. If Corryvreckan didn't exist and came out as an annual special release, it probably would be getting a 95-98 score here.
Ardbeg's basic core line is so good that it's hard to justify buying any of their one-off special releases. None of these match against the 10, Uigi, or Corry
I had a very similar experience as well. If I am in the mood for a Lagavulin 8 though, I think this is on par.