On the nose, first off I get sweet bbq meats, along with some dark rich fruit, and then in the back some smoke. The nose is fantastic - I could just sit all night and sniff this and it would be a good night (: The taste sadly doesn't live up to the nose. It's not bad, but it's just not as amazing. I get ash, wood smoke and a peppery bacon. The finish is even more disappointing - it's spicy initially, but that fades quickly and is replaced with ash and dirt, and not really in a good way. Again, it's not terrible - it's just that the nose gave me high expectations that were not met on the taste or finish.
Adding water - the nose smooths out some, not necessarily better, but not worse either. The taste is sweeter, and the finish is probably better with some peppery heat and a nice tingle. Overall it's good, but compared to Ardbeg Uigeadail or Corryvreckan, it's just not as well balanced, and this was $120 retail when I bought it back in 2020 - which was nearly twice as much as Uigeadail at the time. I will pretty much always buy the Ardbeg special releases when I see them - regardless of if they end up being any good. This was was just not all much different to others in the standard lineup. Still - it's a pretty good Islay Scotch Single Malt - and I rate it a 3.75/5.0 - cheers!
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