Ardbeg Corryvrekan

Description

Ardbeg Corryvreckan replaced the Airigh Nam Beist in the Ardbeg lineup in 2009.  It is created from a mixture of “French Oak” casks, which rumour has, includes some Burgundy wine casks. And it is named after the second-largest whirlpool in the world, which located north of Jura which is north of Islay. What’s more, it’s a powerful and brutish whisky with subtle notes and undertones that move and shift like the undercurrent that surrounds its namesake.

Bottled at a pounding 57.1% ABV, this dense dram brings a lot of multilayered facets with it. Like most whiskies bottled above 45%, it benefits from a bit of water to help unlock the true potential it holds.  Just a light splash will get this whisky churning, starting a chain reaction that opens the whisky and allows notes that were previously hidden deep to float to the surface. A fine dram indeed.

Powerfully peaty and immensely satisfying, Ardbeg Corryvreckan is what happens when the distillery of Islay’s Kildalton Coast aims to make a whisky with a particularly medicinal style than its usual expressions.  In a word, Corryvreckan is an intense dram that we simply love.

Awards for Ardbeg Corryvreckan

Tasting Notes

Nose: Sticking plasters, buttery, creamy, roast chicken crisps, herbal, almost a hint of pin.

Palate: Cream, spices, tingling, fresh fruit, medicinal, plasters, Clementines. Orange peels.

Finish: Salty, more medicinal, smoked meats, peat is fleeting, tarmac, chilli, salt.

Overall: Astonishing.

What some of our whisky enthusiast friends have said about Ardbeg Corryvreckan

Quote 1  “This is a great Ardbeg, very intense creamy smoke. Like smoked meats, and a strong coastal salinity.  At a high ABV just like all scotch should be. As far as Islay’s go I’d put this one as better than anything from Laphroaig or Lagavulin and Ardbeg 10, but in my opinion not quite as good as the Uigeadail. It lacks the amount of depth and sherry sweetness that the Uigeadail has.

Quote 2 “So far I only knew the 10 Yo from Ardbeg. The improvement is astonishing. For me, it is one of these few stellar whiskies you have tout try and buy. There is a kind of spicy salty bacon taste that goes all day long with also an amazing sweetness on the tongue. If you like peat and salty creamy taste, just buy it!

Quote 3  “I could try the 10, Uigeadail and this one. Uigeadail was great, but my god, this is an absolute beast of aroma and complexity. I can spend minutes just smelling it, and the sip is even better. No doubt, this is one of the few stellar whiskies I have tried. I can’t get enough of this bacon salty chocolate taste. Amazing!”