The color is quite dark for an Ardbeg. The nose has peat smoke and some citrus. Not as overpowering as you would expect for an ABV of 54%. The taste has the peat and sets your mouth tingling like a licking a 9 volt battery. Some dark fruits as well and bitter orange and even tobacco in the finish. Beautifully balanced, this is a massive whisky, a winter whisky, an after dinner whisky, OK so it isn't something you will reach for every time you fancy a dram, but at the right time and place it will scratch an itch in a way few other whiskies could. Perhaps the perfect dram to follow Christmas lunch (prior to the obligatory nap).
