Ardbeg Supernova 2015

Remember that one review where i told you that Ardbeg Galilleo was said to have been in space but it wasn't? Well... THIS ONE HAS BEEN TO SPACE. At least a couple molecules of it. Brace yourselves, this is going to be a long but beautiful (for me) review. Ardbeg Supernova has four expressions so far (they have announced a new one for 2019 with a lovely UFO label), this review if for the 2015 Committee release, THE SPACE EXPERIMENT ONE. Space experiment you say? Yes. Actually this whisky was part of the 2011 experiment where Ardbeg sent vials of Ardbeg-Crafted-Molecules to the International Space Station, and once there, this vials orbited the planet for 3 years. Finally it landed on september 12 of 2014, in Kazakhstan. But... are this particles inside the whisky? No. They are not. The molecules that were actually Ardbeg's new make spirit with micro staves of oak returned in a status called "Micro-Gravity" and what they actually did was to compare this micro gravity Ardbeg vials with the normal Ardbeg... and guess what... they were different. Some particules of phenols and high alcohol had different values so you can say the experiment was a success. I don't know if anyone has ever tried them but that Ardbeg from Space is a different dram. But don't believe me. Everything you need to know about the experiment is in this .PDF: https://www.ardbeg.com/sites/ardbeg.com/files/2017-10/ARD9109SupernovaWhitePaperA4.pdf So.... what is Ardbeg Supernova? It is a tribute to that experiment. The special thing about it is that this Ardbeg has 100ppm peat, and the normal expressions are only 55ppm. The label is lovely, the name is amazing.... LET'S TALK ABOUT THE WHISKY! Bottled at 54.3%abv (similar to the Uigeadail). On the nose is sublime: Citric; the Peatinesson this is beautiful, not invasive at all; Grapefruit. I got TEA. Herbal Tea notes. Vanilla after first sip. Cigarrettes note. On the palate it is a very enjoyable whisky. Caramel, Lime, Peat. Beautiful salty dram. Caramel chocolate. Aftertaste is where the sun dies to release the explosion known as Supernova. Wasabi - Pepper - Sugar -Heather and Peat. Overall this feels like a sweeter version of Ardbeg's Uigeadail. A great dram, with a great story and a lovely bottle. 96 over 100 here, grab your 5 stars.... in space.

The nose has nothing like that blast of smoke and peat that the 2019 Supernova has. It smells kind of like watered down malt whiskey - not at all exciting. There's more fruit on the nose than I expect from Ardbeg, though not a ton. There are peat and smoke on the nose here, though nothing like in the 2019 Supernova. The palate is similarly much lighter with a lot of sweetness that doesn really fit - sort of like Oban 14. There's also a lot of gross bread. The fruit comes through with a lot of vanilla and floral notes. There's a decent amount of harshness - more than the 2019 (which was quite smooth), but less than many whiskeys. Really, it's decently smooth. Ultimately, there's a lot of iodine from the peat and that can be a bit overwhelming. It's good, but has flaws. It's completely clear that the 2019 supernova is better. Although this has that sweet layer, the sweet flavors blend together and then get trampled by the peat, smoke, and licorice. There's a ton of peat, which is unfortunately too much. I normally like sweetness, but this sweetness lacks character. The combination of peat and sweetness is unfortunately bland and ill-balanced. There is a bit of meatiness, but this mostly tastes like peat and char. So much iodine. And sweetness too. It's certainly sippable, but I'd pick something else, especially at this price point. Diving deep enough, there is some complexity, but all told it isn't balanced and that's a big problem. I have no idea why people are such big fans. With some water, everything mellows a bit a and the prickly spice becomes more interesting than harsh. Still, the flavor has issues. There isn't even anything awesome that jumps out as a delightful flavor. The water muddies things and the result is not a great whiskey.

An intense Islay Whisky from Scotland; The first ever Ardbeg Supernova, & Ardbeg's initial go at producing super peaty whisky! This was created especially for the Ardbeg Committee. It has a peaty & spicy birth, pungent with tar, pipe tobacco, smoked paprika, hints of Parma ham, chili, burning turmeric, toffee apple sweetness, citrus & malt; while a massive life adds intense fiery peat, chipotle chili, fruity sweetness, with hints of top-quality coal tar, citrus, salty butter, sticking plasters, cocoa & big, warming peat. August 2017 / April 2018 / August 2022

I wouldn’t have guess it to be 54%!! It is very fun to drink with evolving flavors such as green bean to cold cooked steak!! Plenty of peat that draws the mouth dry with smoke that stays in the glass for a very long time! Very impressive whisky!

one of my favorites. a meaty peaty blast.then after the peat blast there is a faint note of sweet fruit with salted cashews.a flash of dark cocoa then more smoke.so intense.to really open up the sweet notes,adding water is a must.

A nice full mouth-feel, as to be expected from a on-chill filtered whisky. A heavy hit of peat gives way to some sweet and creamy notes, with a little crème brûlée on the finish as well as some licorice and more peat.