Ardbeg Corryvreckan
We are heading back to Islay to take a look at Ardbeg Corryvreckan, one of the two NAS whiskies in Ardbeg’s core line (the other being Uigeadail). We don’t know much about how this one was made, but if we read through the lines on the Ardbeg site we can infer that the Corry was aged in both ex-Bourbon (as the standard 10 year old is) as well as new French Oak barrels. French Oak is said to give more spicy/peppery notes compared to the American Oak (used for Bourbon aging) which is more vanilla forward. We do know that this is the highest proof of the core products, coming in at 57.1% so I expect this to have some extra horsepower and may use some water to open up other flavors as well.
One thing I would like to note, this review is going to be on the Corryvreckan only and its relative value for the price point it demands. This rating will not reflect how the Corry matches up in relation to the standard 10 year old or the Uigeadail. At a later date, after we have gone through all of the core bottles individually, we can do a big blind comparison and see how they stack up against one another and which is the best tasting vs. which best relative to its cost….
ABV: 57.1%
How it smells…sweet peatiness, smoke, band aids, briny, and BBQ Lays potato chips…with a dab of water you lose some of the sweetness but gain some fruitiness.
How it tastes….Smoked meat at the start followed by sweet honey and ending with some spiciness. Overall a very big bodied sip, finishing with sweet cherries and a whiff of peat and a building peppery spiciness lingering on….with some water you get a bit more peat & smoke from start to finish but the end is more mellow, losing some of that pepperiness. The finish remains sweet though.
Price...I purchased my bottle for ~$80 but I have seen it recently up at $95, but I will be reviewing this at the $80 price point that I purchased it at.
Rating...🥃🥃🥃🥃
Final thoughts….This is a great sip. It is very smooth for being nearly 60% (near cask strength?) with a good amount of peat and a nice balance of smoke and sweetness. If you put in some water, I recommend that you do so judiciously as too much water smooths it out too much and you lose some of the underlying character. The finish is superb, with smoke and fruit like you are a dragon sucking on some Skittles. I like the 4x 🥃 on this as you are getting a cask strength scotch (even if it is not labeled as such) with a lot of character. If the price continues to rise more towards that $95 level, then perhaps a 3x 🥃 would be warranted.
