Ardbeg Corryvreckan Tasting Notes and Ratings.

Ardbeg Corryvreckan

Added on Thursday, Oct 15, 2009 at 08:35 PM

Bottler:

Age:	N/A	Type:	Scotch
Vintage:	N/A	Subtype:	Single Malt
ABV:	57.10 %	Region:	Islay
Price:	$82	Availability:	Specialty Stores

Member Ratings and Notes

Adam

Intense, earthy smoke dominates the nose. Beneath are mushrooms, dank forest floor, and trademark musty aspects. Cedar, coal, and a tobacconist's shop join in. Traces of menthol and eucalyptus too, then cloves after time. Neato! I was hoping I'd get a lot of complexity on the palate from all that (similar to Uigeadail), but what's delivered is a blast of serious smoke, followed by moderate sweetness. I mean serious smoke. I may have tasted an apple in the background. This is just a massive smoke bomb, but a really enjoyable one -- thick, rich, chewy Ardbeg smoke. That lingers very long in the finish, which dries a bit. Whereas the Supernova doesn't hit your palate with full-on smoke (it creeps in and then stays for days) this one nails your taste buds immediately. The Ten seems like water compared to the Corry. I do like this a lot, although the smoke is so center-stage in the palate that it basically blocks out whatever else might be in here. Nose is my favorite part. For something so massively smokey, it remains very drinkable at length. B+/A-

RETASTEs: You know, expectation plays a huge role in what you taste, and this is a great example. I still like this whisky, but it's just not as great as I once thought. Completely B, in a decent but you-don't-need-to-do-this-every-darn-year way.

The nose is sweet, fruit and smoke - fantastic. On the palate it's initially quite sweet and then the smoke and charcoal characteristics become somewhat overwhelming. But it remains very warm and very tasty. A complex finish of smoke/charcoal and fruit/fruitcake lingers for quite a bit, but what you're left after that is almost purely the smoke/charcoal aspect, which sticks around for several minutes. Overall, this isn't profound, but is extremely solid and if you are in the mood for something with this flavor profile, it is outstanding and a solid value if you can find it.

Andy

Nose has red hots and fruitcake. Strong and sharp. The palate is Christmas! Evergreen (noble fir) and christmas spice all lingering over this smoky base that reminds me of a fireplace whose flames just died out. Stunning OB by Ardbeg. This is exactly what I'm going to tell my son to leave out for Santa. B+/A-

Dave

This could be one of the best price point values out there for peat lovers. Great campfire notes that reminded me of old Lagavulin. Salty earthy classic Ardbeg notes but a great campfire smoke that takes Ardbeg to a new level.

Chris

I'm actually less enthusiastic about this for the same reason Dave liked it. The campfire smoke. This is much more of a Caol Ila profile to me and while it's still good, I'd prefer the sweet and spicy peat of Ardbeg 10 or Supernova.

Sku

Nose: Yeah, this is Ardbeg. Lots of sweet smoke; it starts with fire smoke and then waves of smoke fish and that smell that makes you go "hey, someone's grilling" on a summer afternoon. The palate starts sweet, followed by smoke and leaves with you the trademark Ardbeg smoky finish.

I haven't had the Ardbeg 10 in a long while, but this is pretty close to my recollection of it. A solid whisky, but not as exciting as I'd hoped for.

Kevin

N: Much different than other Ardbegs - sweeter

P: Very metallic.

F: Hits hard in a good way. Doesn't taste like 57.1%

Really really great. Not your average peat.

Fuji

N: light toffee, cinnamon, mint, cloves, ans a bit of wine. Theres loads of ashy smoke here.
P: Toasted malts and very sweet. Dark peatiness, licorice and tobacco dominate the palate.
F: Smokey and ashy

Tasted blind

Tim

N: A nice, earthy dose of peat with a slightly, almost Laphroaig-like medicinality for a second. Malty sweetness underneathw ith buttercream vanilla.

P: Big, strong peat with smoke and tar. Bold, warming, powerful with a medium mouthfeel. Medicinal and slighlty briny.

F: Lightly sweet. Peat recedes from its prominence in the palate; maltiness comes more to the fore with light earthiness. Tends to favor the malt, satisfying and lasting.

I'm a sucker for that malty/buttercream combo. The peat is satsifying, the finish hits some nice notes.

Ries

n: dank earthy peat with a candied cinnamon and moth balls. Burnt fruitcake with pine tar and seawater doused campfire.

t: Hard caramel with a bit of red cinnamon candy that turns briney and sea salt in middle. Burnt mineral quality, like boiled down water in a kettle. Spiced almonds and dry tobacco leaf. Finish is the BBQ meat and wood char typical to Ardbeg and I love the higher ABV, this is a great release. [B+. solid]

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