Alter the flavour of the ultimate smoky malt? Have we lost our heads? Yes. We have. Removing the cask heads and scoring them deeply to expose more wood during our intense “high mocha” toasting process, we’ve turned Ardbeg upside down and inside out…Tempering briny overtones, ramping up hidden chocolaty sweetness and magnifying sensations of mocha. The result? A multidimensional dram that morphs between four elements – SWEET, SMOKY, HERBAL AND SPICY – all seamlessly merging in a mesmerising taste experience. As enigmas wrapped up in conundrums go, this takes Ardbeg to a whole new level. Non chill filtered at 48.2%. Earthy, dusty, and slightly biscuity on the nose, this is a most curious Ardbeg, almost from an alternative universe. The sooty/tarry notes are clear but restrained, and are balanced out by some silky vanilla. Water opens up a myriad of herbal and floral notes- smoked etiver root, aniseed, fennel, chrysanthemum and jasmine, to name but a few. The mouthfeel is peppery and warming, and precedes an explosion of fiery, spicy flavours – chili – flavoured chocolate, bitter sweet mocha, briar wood, birch tar, ground black pepper and smoked artichokes. The sooty/tarry notes build up to a crescendo of rich, smoky flavours, with an incredible, lingering aftertaste of charcoal bitter almonds and molasses.
