Ardbeg Supernova 2014 Committee Release.
A resurrected dram from the past – a new Ardbeg Supernova. The first edition was the peatiest Ardbeg ever and this new release treads the same path. A big whack of smoke with a terrific backbone of fruit and sweetness.
NOSE
Damp peat and sea spray, sour cream, grass and mint. Straw follows along with coal smoke.
PALATE
Orange peel leads, with damp earth, peat smoke, liquorice, cherries and bitter dark chocolate.
FINISH
Sweet smoke, dark chocolate and ash, with lingering menthol.
AROMA
Intense zestiness of smoked lemons and pears, lemongrass and pine needles, embedded in a deep, resinuous, sticky waxy base.
TASTE
Distinctively peppery, spicy and electric. Powerful peppermint, antiseptic lozenges and other familiar, medicinal tones. Dark, dark birch tar intermingles with spicy-sweet chilli flavoured chocolate, while the entire mouth and palate are coated in luscious linseed oil.
FINISH
Rich flavours of tar, creosote, briar wood, spicy tobacco and liquorice root.
NOSE
Big mulchy peat, with sweetness and brine. There are some soured cream notes, with grassiness and a touch of herbal mint. More savoury herbal notes come in, along with coal smoke and burning seaweed. There’s also a bit of straw and hay, adding to a decently farmy background.
PALATE
Softer than the nose suggests, at least at first. Gentle, sweet orange peel starts, but intensifies with charred peel, damp earth and pungently sweet peat smoke. Liquorice notes sneak in behind, with ferns, TCP and brine. Dark chocolate bitterness is joined by a hint of cherry fruit, with rich loam and wood smoke adding a dryness.
FINISH
Sweet smoke – both peat and wood – dark chocolate and ashy touches. Menthol hints linger.
COMMENT
It’s quite light in colour, and relatively fresh on the nose, but it’s still a bit of a beast. There are darker notes underneath the initial feisty smoke, and a decent amount of complexity. It’s Ardbeg looking fondly back on the crazy days of late noughties.
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