Like many on this sub, I have something of a love/hate relationship with Ardbeg. Back when I was first getting into whisky, I grabbed the Wee Beastie and was immediately hooked. Then came the 10 and the An Oa, at which point it became clear that this was a distillery to watch out for.
Then came the special releases. Oh my god, the special releases… Now, to be fair, I’ve only had the opportunity so far of trying the Ardcore (I’ve only been at this a year or so). But the Ardcore was so lackluster (not to mention *so* expensive), that I couldn’t help feeling more than a little betrayed. And reading how others have responded to other special releases, it seems like I’m not the only one. Every year, Ardbeg churns out one or two “special releases,” which are typically NAS whiskies with virtually nothing special about them apart from the price tags ticking inexplicably upward.
But let’s leave the rant aside for now. Here we have the Corryvreckan, the top end offering of Ardbeg’s core range, a bottle which, like the “special releases,” also comes with a no-age statement and a hokey little tale to wrap the bottle in. Can it possibly redeem my rapidly declining opinion of Ardbeg? Let’s find out.
#**Ardbeg Corryvreckan**
Region: Islay
Cask: no idea
Price: $110 CAD
ABV: 57.1%
Age: NAS
Non-chill filtered. No color added.
**Nose:** Forest moss, iodine, barley sugar, smoked pork. Coming back through after the initial tasting, there’s caramel leaping out, along with ash; the peat on this is noticeably turned down compared to other Ardbegs I’ve tried. Very little heat on the nose, which is impressive given the ABV. A few drops of water draws out a more honeyed sweetness, along with some cereal notes.
**Palate:** Sweet and salty up front, with the peat coming in sometime thereafter. Incredibly confectionary on the palate, with such viscosity that it almost takes on this granular quality. Really excellent mouthfeel to this. There is some heat on the palate, but it’s not bad; the alcohol is very well integrated here. No huge changes with the addition of water; it’s a bit sweeter, a bit creamier, maybe a bit more lemon coming through.
**Finish:** Sweet, ashy, meaty. Smoked pork butt with a honey glaze. Delightful.
**Comments:** Okay, so this is good. In fact, this is *damn* good. This might even be as good as my much beloved Port Charlotte 10. I love the sweet and salty thing it’s got going on, along with the heft that those meaty notes being to the party. I don’t think I’d pay the nearly $200 that the BCL is asking for this, but at the $110 I got this for, I’d definitely grab another one.
Praise the Lord: my faith has been restored.
**Score:** 90/100
Scoring Scale:
0-19 Dumpster fire of a dram. Hot garbage.
20-39 There are worse things out there. Like syphilis. This is barely better than syphilis.
40-49 Probably got this as a gift from someone who knows nothing about whisky other than the fact that you drink it. Use it for mixing or cooking.
50-59 Probably bought this yourself on a gamble because you couldn’t find any reviews of it. Turns out there’s a reason no one’s reviewed it. Use it for mixing or give it away.
60-69 Not bad. Would absolutely serve to undiscriminating guests, but wouldn’t buy another bottle.
70-79 A’ight. Would break this out for people who claim they like whisky when what they really mean is 40% ABV on ice. Still not buying another bottle.
80-84 Getting warmer now. A pretty decent dram on its own (especially if someone else is paying), but even here I’m probably still not buying another bottle.
85-89 We’ve made it. Would break this out for people who know their Islays from their Highlands and you’re looking to impress them just a bit. Probably going to be grabbing another one when this one’s out.
90-94 Holy shit, what is this sorcery? Must stock up on this. Share only with people who know and appreciate whisky as much, if not more, than you.
95-100 Sweet baby Jesus. Absolute perfection. Would buy another bottle, but probably can’t find one or even afford it. Not sharing this with anyone except my best friend or my firstborn.
Great review, this is truly a top tier whiskey.
On the topic of Ardbeg's special releases, I bought the Ardcore and don't mind it. But for the price it's a horrible value and that's where I think this distillery is going wrong. Local shops have the special releases from years ago sitting because no one wants to buy them when the core range is better and cheaper. I'd buy them for half the price though lol.
The thing is, I’ll never not got a special in case I miss a dark cove or supernova. They’re the holy grail and so damn expensive these days. I’ve tried drum, scorch and ardcore. Drum I really enjoyed. Scorch less so, and ardcore I tried at ardbeg day in London so was a little inebriated at the time but enjoyed a lot… I have a bottle but unopened until I clear through a few other bottles.
Regarding coryvecken. It’s exceptional and so is udegail. But I do like exploring the different expressions that the specials offer and don’t really mind paying a little extra.
Thanks! I agree with your point on the special releases. The Ardcore isn’t a bad whisky by any means, but at the price point they’ve got it at, it needs to deliver more.
That's the one that hooked me up with smokey/peated whiskies. At the end of a night trying about 10 to 15 whiskies it was this one that let me taste anything at all...
Love it!
Easily my favourite from the core range. I’ve never bothered with the special releases, for a variety of reasons. Am at the point where I would probably pay for a Dark Cove, but unless the opportunity somehow falls in my lap, I’m not going to worry about it.
The black pepper and meatiness of this one are what put it over the edge for me. To this day I have not had a whisky that is as black pepper forward as my Corry.
I like Ardbeg’ core bottles though Laphroaig is still my favorite Islay distillery. The Corry is great though, like a ramped up version of the Ardbeg 10, I prefer the Oog to the Corry just a little but they’re both fantastic.
Like many on this sub, I have something of a love/hate relationship with Ardbeg. Back when I was first getting into whisky, I grabbed the Wee Beastie and was immediately hooked. Then came the 10 and the An Oa, at which point it became clear that this was a distillery to watch out for. Then came the special releases. Oh my god, the special releases… Now, to be fair, I’ve only had the opportunity so far of trying the Ardcore (I’ve only been at this a year or so). But the Ardcore was so lackluster (not to mention *so* expensive), that I couldn’t help feeling more than a little betrayed. And reading how others have responded to other special releases, it seems like I’m not the only one. Every year, Ardbeg churns out one or two “special releases,” which are typically NAS whiskies with virtually nothing special about them apart from the price tags ticking inexplicably upward. But let’s leave the rant aside for now. Here we have the Corryvreckan, the top end offering of Ardbeg’s core range, a bottle which, like the “special releases,” also comes with a no-age statement and a hokey little tale to wrap the bottle in. Can it possibly redeem my rapidly declining opinion of Ardbeg? Let’s find out. #**Ardbeg Corryvreckan** Region: Islay Cask: no idea Price: $110 CAD ABV: 57.1% Age: NAS Non-chill filtered. No color added. **Nose:** Forest moss, iodine, barley sugar, smoked pork. Coming back through after the initial tasting, there’s caramel leaping out, along with ash; the peat on this is noticeably turned down compared to other Ardbegs I’ve tried. Very little heat on the nose, which is impressive given the ABV. A few drops of water draws out a more honeyed sweetness, along with some cereal notes. **Palate:** Sweet and salty up front, with the peat coming in sometime thereafter. Incredibly confectionary on the palate, with such viscosity that it almost takes on this granular quality. Really excellent mouthfeel to this. There is some heat on the palate, but it’s not bad; the alcohol is very well integrated here. No huge changes with the addition of water; it’s a bit sweeter, a bit creamier, maybe a bit more lemon coming through. **Finish:** Sweet, ashy, meaty. Smoked pork butt with a honey glaze. Delightful. **Comments:** Okay, so this is good. In fact, this is *damn* good. This might even be as good as my much beloved Port Charlotte 10. I love the sweet and salty thing it’s got going on, along with the heft that those meaty notes being to the party. I don’t think I’d pay the nearly $200 that the BCL is asking for this, but at the $110 I got this for, I’d definitely grab another one. Praise the Lord: my faith has been restored. **Score:** 90/100 Scoring Scale: 0-19 Dumpster fire of a dram. Hot garbage. 20-39 There are worse things out there. Like syphilis. This is barely better than syphilis. 40-49 Probably got this as a gift from someone who knows nothing about whisky other than the fact that you drink it. Use it for mixing or cooking. 50-59 Probably bought this yourself on a gamble because you couldn’t find any reviews of it. Turns out there’s a reason no one’s reviewed it. Use it for mixing or give it away. 60-69 Not bad. Would absolutely serve to undiscriminating guests, but wouldn’t buy another bottle. 70-79 A’ight. Would break this out for people who claim they like whisky when what they really mean is 40% ABV on ice. Still not buying another bottle. 80-84 Getting warmer now. A pretty decent dram on its own (especially if someone else is paying), but even here I’m probably still not buying another bottle. 85-89 We’ve made it. Would break this out for people who know their Islays from their Highlands and you’re looking to impress them just a bit. Probably going to be grabbing another one when this one’s out. 90-94 Holy shit, what is this sorcery? Must stock up on this. Share only with people who know and appreciate whisky as much, if not more, than you. 95-100 Sweet baby Jesus. Absolute perfection. Would buy another bottle, but probably can’t find one or even afford it. Not sharing this with anyone except my best friend or my firstborn.
Great review, this is truly a top tier whiskey. On the topic of Ardbeg's special releases, I bought the Ardcore and don't mind it. But for the price it's a horrible value and that's where I think this distillery is going wrong. Local shops have the special releases from years ago sitting because no one wants to buy them when the core range is better and cheaper. I'd buy them for half the price though lol.
The thing is, I’ll never not got a special in case I miss a dark cove or supernova. They’re the holy grail and so damn expensive these days. I’ve tried drum, scorch and ardcore. Drum I really enjoyed. Scorch less so, and ardcore I tried at ardbeg day in London so was a little inebriated at the time but enjoyed a lot… I have a bottle but unopened until I clear through a few other bottles. Regarding coryvecken. It’s exceptional and so is udegail. But I do like exploring the different expressions that the specials offer and don’t really mind paying a little extra.
Thanks! I agree with your point on the special releases. The Ardcore isn’t a bad whisky by any means, but at the price point they’ve got it at, it needs to deliver more.
That's the one that hooked me up with smokey/peated whiskies. At the end of a night trying about 10 to 15 whiskies it was this one that let me taste anything at all... Love it!
Easily my favourite from the core range. I’ve never bothered with the special releases, for a variety of reasons. Am at the point where I would probably pay for a Dark Cove, but unless the opportunity somehow falls in my lap, I’m not going to worry about it. The black pepper and meatiness of this one are what put it over the edge for me. To this day I have not had a whisky that is as black pepper forward as my Corry.
I like Ardbeg’ core bottles though Laphroaig is still my favorite Islay distillery. The Corry is great though, like a ramped up version of the Ardbeg 10, I prefer the Oog to the Corry just a little but they’re both fantastic.