ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and peaty. At first there’s a fresh juicy pear note with a base of burnt wood. It’s very mild and easy on the nose but it’s not thin or brittle. After a few seconds there’s a vanilla cream coating forming around the pears. There’s also a hint of unscented lotion, but it sits in the background behind the peat together with a tiny medicinal note. In the end all the flavours seem to level out and create a complex mix of sweet, fruity and peaty. This is a great nose which slightly suffers from the low ABV.

Mouth: It starts out with the fruity pear note sitting together with burning wood in the center. It’s surrounded by vanilla cream and a quite noticable oakiness. The whole thing comes through as quite mineraly and way too mild to make an impact. The lotion note as well as the medicinal is not present on the palate. The fruitiness develops over time and moves towards a more acidic fruitiness. There’s also a slightly bitter note in the background.

Finish: The tranisiton is seemless and it just seems like the flavours keeps on going without a big kick or anything flaring up. It’s still pears, now with a twist of lemon, with a peaty and oaky exterior with a dash of vanilla added. There seem to be a separation between the fruity center and the burnt wood and vanilla after a few seconds and when the fruitiness fades out there’s just a nice mellow woodfire burning in the background. This is a great whisky which would have been fantastic with a bit more bite to it. The nose is the best part of the journey.

Additional information
This whisky was part of the Ardbeg core range but it’s now discontinued. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels.