93 Malt Advocate

Straw-gold color. On the nose, sweet toffee, citrus notes, seaweed, and spice complement a powerful peat smoke infusion. In body, it is thick and oily. On the palate, a somewhat sweet maltiness up front is run over by a powerful peat smoke locomotive. Again, the whisky is enriched with citrus and pear notes, spice, and seaweed. The finish is powerful, long, and warming. The smoke lingers for minutes, if not hours. If you like your Ardbeg to go to a phenolic extreme, you will cherish this one. This big, powerful whisky makes no apologies for its Islay roots. And the fact that this whisky is bottled at 46% ABV just makes this big whisky even bigger.

93 The Whisky Advocate

A whisky so aromatic that peat lovers will likely smell an open bottle within 10 miles. On the nose there are kiwi, pine needles, fennel seeds, hot asphalt, lemon lozenges, iodine, peppery herbal notes, and briny aromas. Sweet and smoky with intense spicy heat on the palate, there’s honey, lemon, shortbread, and maltiness, though water yields sweeter citrus flavors, candied lemon, cinnamon, nutmeg, toffee, and molasses, with a finish of butterscotch, menthol, eucalyptus, and salty seaweed. Darn good.