Of all the Scotch distilleries on the isle of Islay, none have quite the cult-like reputation that Ardbeg does. Like many other distilleries, Ardbeg has a free membership club for its fans; theirs is called the Ardbeg Committee. Every year Ardbeg sends at least one committee bottling to the states at cask strength and then shortly thereafter at a lower proof.
One bit of housekeeping before we move on: I received a sample compliments of Ardbeg and their PR agency in exchange for my honest feedback and review. While life would be much easier if I was on the take like a dirty cop, I’m not, and all my reviews are honest. The presence or absence of a media sample never affects the outcome. That said, I need a drink…
For 2022 one of those releases is Ardbeg Hypernova, described as “the smokiest Ardbeg ever”, this release is 51% ABV and is non-chill filtered. While this is officially a non-age-stated release, one thing we know for certain is that it is definitely on the younger side. This is due to the fact that as whisky ages it loses phenols (the chemical compound that is found in peat smoke that gives the product its smoky flavour and aroma). Since we know this is “the smokiest Ardbeg ever”, it’s safe to say that there are a lot of phenols present.
Appearance: In the glass, this whisky presents as a pale yellow, almost like oversaturated lemonade.
Nose: The nose starts with an aroma that can only be described as beef tallow, which gives way to heavily roasted malt to the point that it’s almost like cocoa Krispies. The peat is very mellow and melds well with the earthy “dankness” of this whisky.
Palate: The palate starts with that same earthy “dankness” present in the aromatics. Following that is a lemony-ness reminiscent of a less sweet lemon bar. There is a very mellow peat here and it would be a great choice to introduce someone to Islay Peated Malt Whisky. Delicate and approachable, lots of confectionary flavours in this release. A touch of cardamom and graham cracker crumb finish out the palate.
I personally love smoky whisky and was very excited to try the Hypernova. While it’s still a delicious Ardbeg, for me, this was not that smoky. In fact, in my honest opinion, the Ardbeg Uigeadaily or Corryvreckan are smokier/peatier expressions and are much easier to get hold of.
Tag: peat
The first review to go live on my new website is a Texas Corn whiskey from the folks over at Ironroot Republic in Denison, Texas! Ironroot has been on my radar for a few years after I started hanging out online with the fine folks over at Whiskey Crusaders and then (virtually) met Josh Golladay, Ironroot’s fantastic Brand Ambassador.
Josh and I had been exchanging messages when, in early 2021a friend driving to LA from Alabama said she she was stopping in Texas. I asked Josh if he’d be kind enough to pass along some tastiness my way and he obliged. He was gracious enough to give me a couple of full sized bottles and some fun 100ml samples, one of which we’re reviewing today; Icarus. Until recently, I had forgotten all about the “downpours” as they had gotten lost in the mess that is my desk, but in a rare moment of Autistic hyper-fixation on cleaning that came about as I was swapping around cables on my gaming rig monitors, I found the Ziploc bag of samples he gave me!
“Like its namesake, this whiskey flies close to the sun. We take our 100% corn whiskey (Hubris) and finish it for an additional year in both port and peated single malt barrels. Each finish on its own is glorious, but together they are divine,” reads Ironroot website’s descriptor of this bottling.
I love anything involving peat, and I also love anything port casks so I was very excited to try this. Icarus is aged for 48 months, and clocks in at 53.6%! This is not a Bourbon, rather as the descriptor says, it’s a corn whiskey. What does that mean, you ask? Well for Ironroot it means that it’s distilled like a Bourbon but is then put into used European oak barrels to age. This is then finished separately in Ex-Islay Scotch Quarter casks and Ex-Port barrels for a year before being blended back together.
Nose: Buttered popcorn, cherry jam, burnt puff pastry, vanilla, toffee, candied pecans,
Palate: Burnt popcorn, coffee, leather, tobacco, candied pecans, almonds, butter, strawberry, fig newtons, puff pastry. The peated scotch cask is ever prevalent but isn’t overpowering, it envelops the entirety of this spirit. It’s almost as if it serves as a helping hand/backbone to bring other flavours forward.