Sunday! (Sunday!) (sunday) ... Day 19 of 24 Days of Whisk(e)y. Tonight, I'm trying Ardbeg Scorch, Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, "Limited Edition Fiercely Charred Casks", 46% ABV. This was the standard yearly release for Ardbeg Day. They can be hard to track down, but as a fan of Ardbeg, I've been on the hunt for these the last few years with limited success. Let's see how this one is.
On the nose, I get campfire smoke, ash, some brine and a touch of orange. The taste is charred wood, charred fruit, minty freshness, and a touch of sweet. The finish, some smoke and charred wood, with some brine that lingers.
Adding water, the orange on the nose turns floral and takes over, the taste is mint and floral up front, then char and some heat in the back. More heat on the finish as well - I probably prefer this neat, but it's probably worth trying both ways as it does seem to be significantly different.
While this is pretty good overall, it's not as good as any of the standard Ardbeg releases, including the 5 Year Wee Beastie which is less than 1/2 the price and can be found fairly easily. Ardbeg Scorch does have more char - which seems like the intention. Rated 3.5 / 5.0
No comments:
Post a Comment