I don’t trust Scotches with “Dark” in the name. It translates to, “I am young, and I cut corners.” Right, so I’m going to go out on a limb and call this Ardbeg that is mostly 10 years old and finished in PX seasoned casks. This has become a pretty collectible Ardbeg day special release because it has obvious appeal to whisky reviewers looking for obvious flavors. A peat monster AND a sherry bomb, with PX influence to boot. Who can resist? Me. A heavily peated distillate matured in a sherry cask takes a long time to create something natural and cohesive. This whisky, in contrast, feels engineered and forced. Dark chocolate, maraschino cherry, pepper, espresso, rubber, clay, and campfire. It sounds good on paper, but the flavors just don’t play well together. I’ve never been a fan of the Ardbeg Day releases. They are enjoyable whiskies, but way overpriced. This is probably my least favorite of them all, especially because it is starting to show up at crazy secondary market prices. Score: 0 (forgettable) How much does a bottle cost: retail was $100-120, but this is hard to find at this price now. How much is a bottle on secondary market: $150-300 How much do I think a bottle is worth: $60