Nose: Black peppercorn. Licorice root, which smells much deeper than you would imagine based upon the candy. I have a soft spot for Pepper crusted goat cheese. And pepper crusted bacon. Unfortunately for the kids, the thick slab black pepper bacon for tonight’s breakfast for dinner burritos (roasted potatoes, scrambled eggs, bacon, cilantro and fresh salsa) got burnt to bits. Which just adds a bit of smoke and character in my opinion, but Julie is a big naysayer when it comes to known carcinogens. I usually put Ardbeg solidly into the medicinal / blacktop side of peat, and less on the bbq spectrum, but this is leaning a hint in my preferred direction. Die hard ardeb fans are gonna grouse. A lime on the grill. And some sweetness approaching toffee.
Palate: Ah there is the tar and gravel. Although this has been coated in simple syrup paired with the bitter woodiness of green raw almonds. With a twist of lime peel. Not a lot of complexity.
Rating: 5 / 10 – Totally fine, and a pleasant pour. For a “limited release” with lots of noise, feels a bit over hyped.
