Ardbeg Alligator

Some whiskies are just a Myth. Long lost legends that pass through generations, where people who have tasted them tell the younger enthusiasts that there was a whisky once that blew their minds. In Ardbeg's case, such whisky is called "Alligator". A not-so-old special limited edition, Ardbeg Alligator was released back in 2011; it seems like yesterday, but 12 long years have passed. It was named that way becaused Dr. Bill Lumdsen matured it in heavily charred oak casks, so heavily charred that the internal wood broke a little forming ducts or grooves where the whisky moved, talking to the oak, interacting with the molecules of the staves. Bottled at 51.2%abv. On the nose, it is simply spectacular. Starts with a note of a new pair of cotton socks; cotton candy, povydine, really wonderful, interesting aroma. Coffee, dulce de leche, like a cup of expresso. IT SMELLS EXACTLY LIKE TARGET, THE RETAIL STORES. Scotch tape, caramelized bacon and meat. After a first sip, it gave me gunpowder on the nose, swamp, wet plants. The palate is incredible, very sweet. Unexpected. Dulce de leche, vanilla, toffee, marshmallows, everything wrapped up in pepper. The second sip gave me smoke and pepper. Aftertaste was a perfect closure for this dram. I actually wrote in my notes "this **** is great!". It is brown sugar with smoke. A salt bomb, rubber, moss. It is a lovely punch to your face. Overall, let me tell you this, and i am serious: this might be the best Ardbeg i have ever had. And i have had a lot. Maybe some Supernova expressions might debate that statement, but a true fact here is that this legendary dram is exactly what "the folk" said about it. Such an incredible whisky deserves a perfect score. This is a 100 in my books. Sláinte!!!

Ardbeg Alligator Untamed Release. 2011 is an intense, Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Islay 'aged in a similar style to the standard 10-year-old, except for the fact that a portion of the whisky was aged in heavily charred American white oak barrels. The barrels are charred to such an extent that they start to crack a little on the inside, & this resembles alligator skin. It has a creamy & aromatic birth with notes of charcoal, mulled wine, lemon icing sugar, vanilla, yogurt, BBQ, hints of gingerbread, tangy apricots & burning brown sugar. While a creamy & zesty life adds notes of grapefruit, lemon, BBQ sauce, ginger & orange zest. leather, hints of icing sugar, cocoa, gingernut biscuits & smoke. That led to a long, sweet & creamy death with notes of pepper & smoldering peat. December 2018 / March 2019 / August 2022

Nose- Soft vanilla; whif of earthy peat smoke; orange rind; white chocolate; burnt wood Palate- White chocolate; peaches; earthy peat; ginger; lemons; cocoa powder; touch of bbq sauce Finish- Long, oily finish; peat smoke; creamy vanilla; black pepper Man this stuff is good. Just the right amount of heat. Beautiful nose, fantastic and oily on the palate, with a long, peat filled finish. Does this differ from the ardbeg 10 so much to say it’s worth $400 more? I say no. While this is a stunning whiskey, go for the 10, it’s stunning as well for around $50

Overall: Another Ardbeg delight, sweet and sour smoke, fun to drink, not as good as “the Beast.” Ardbeg is trying to displace Talisker as my favorite distillery. Color: Burnt gold Nose: Honey, smoke, oak, vanilla, citrus, buttered rum, chocolate. Water brings out a briny quality and mint (crazy) Body: Medium, silky smooth Taste: Sweet and tangy, with hardwood charcoal, spicy notes, water brings out the salt. Finish: Long and peppery, with charcoal embers, and white chocolate. Score: 88

Another unicorn from this week’s Ardbeg tasting and another home run. Take the typical peppery nose and sprinkle on some sweet cinnamon. That theme continues on the palate and finish: it’s sweet, rich and peppery in the mouth and has a super long aftertaste of creamy cinnamon. Hard to pick favorites from the stellar line-up of the night but this was the one I reached for when we were finishing off the bottles at the end of the evening.

From a tasting on 12-29-18 here is my review: This is a snappy dram with a bit of a bite. Full of Sweet, Peat, and Heat when tasted neat. Same with each repeat. A drop of water mutes it for a few seconds, then blows up into a flavor explosion and a long, lingering finish. Moderately complex and damn tasty!