Ardbeg is a great distillery however, it can be off-putting to some who are afraid of venturing in the peat world. Ardbeg is one of the bigger peaty monsters out there, and if you don’t do it right, it can steer you away from whisky permanently, which would be a shame. As whisky is one of those things, that just makes life so much better. After doing Ardbeg right, and starting off with the norms of regular ardbeg, and the 10 year, and a few others, I wanted to give this bad boy a try. Boy was I surprised at just how delicious this dram is. This Ardbeg Dark Cove is matured in ex-bourbon and dark Sherry casks which give it a nice caramely sweet flavor on top of all the peat. Great balance.
Name: Ardbeg Dark Cove Single Malt
Region: Islay, Scotland
ABV: 46.5%
Nose: This comes off at first very savory with bacon fat undertones. You don’t even get to smell the sherry or dark chocolate initially. It’s overpowered by earthy savory scents. There is a good amount of smoke and burned char on the nose as well. Not enough to warrant adding a drop of water, but maybe let it sit for a few minutes.
Palate: On the tongue its bold and beautiful. Honey and butter sweetness with iodine like char smoke and dark chocolate. You can also taste cocoa and figs, raisins and believe it or not some floral notes.
Finish: The finish is medium to long and quite nice. The peat does not overpower the sherry, and vice versa. Bitter dark chocolate with hints of leather and tobacco mix nicely and remain on your tongue for quite a linger.
