The Ardbeg Corryvreckan is named after a treacherous whirlpool of the Scottish coast. It has claimed many lives and ships, and this fact may be intended to prepare drinkers for another offering from Ardbeg. It’s a big, peated cask strength whisky that’ll challenge anyone below an ‘intermediate’ Scotch drinker, if these things can be defined.
The nose is a hot combination of smoke, brine, raisins, caramel, honey & bacon. It’s very nice, but too enthusiastic a whiff might set your nose on fire.
The palate is plentiful smoke, brine, phenols, pepper and salted meat, with coffee, pine, charred oak present in lesser amounts. It a very hot whisky, which is to be expected from a cask strength, but especially so. Citrus and fruit notes are present as well, which is a little surprising, like a 300 pound muscle bound meal having a bowl of fruit salad for dessert after polishing off an entire pig for the main course.
The finish is a medium length & dry combination of peat & charcoal, with many of the flavors present on the palate popping up every now and then to say hello. It’s probably my main disappointment with this whisky – with such a hot and powerful taste I would have hoped that the finish would have dragged on forever to remind me of the experience. It does make you want more, however…
I like this whisky at full strength rather than with a touch of water. I normally take my cask strength watered down, but water seems to flatten out the Ardbeg Corryvreackan too much, like cooking a nice piece of meat well done.
This is a powerful whisky, and I’m ashamed to admit that it was a bit too much for me. Ardbeg do a great job of making powerful yet drinkable whiskies, and while I can appreciate this for being a good whisky I probably won’t be getting another bottle. I prefer the Ardbeg Uigeadail.
Ardbeg Corryvreckan Review Information
- Type: single malt Scotch whisky
- Region: Islay
- ABV: 57%
- Price guide: 70 pounds, 140 US dollars