Ardbeg Corryvreckan

The bottle I have at the moment is L10 168 04:34 6ML (I hope that's right, it's a little hard to read). It is very good, i'm enjoying it a lot. Very peppery, very leathery and oily in a way that reminds me of a Bunnahabhain.

I would not be afraid to buy any Corry I can find. Good choice.

The ultra tart lemon flavors I read about make me shy away a little, but I will most likely have a bottle here in the near future. I've got access to L11 012 and another L11 that I will have to go back and check on for the the rest on the number. It's not the same Julian day I remember. I found that really peaty whiskies remind me of hoppy beers. So a tartness may be ok, I've grown very found of IPAs. Especially, double IPAs.

I have the L11 279 and the L11 012 both open. I will try and do a tasting soon and give you my thoughts. Just from memory I don't think the L11 012 was that great . . . but it also was not very tart or lemony. I'll double check

@Nock I have enjoyed all your Ardbeg reviews as well as your others. They have been very insightful, especially as I get into the more peaty stuff.

Bigtuna, I agree with your comparison between peaty whisky and hoppy beer. It's not at all the same flavor, of course, but I think it's a very similar appeal: obvious, distinct, sharp, cutting flavor. I've often tried to get hop fans to give the peaties a whirl.

For what it's worth, I personally find that peaty whiskies and hoppy beers are the only ones really worth getting excited about. I'll give any whisky and any beer a chance, but most are just pleasant to me. Peaty whiskies and hoppy beers, though, are the ones that pull my trigger. My whisky cabinet is full of peaties and my bar fridge is full of hoppies. In both categories, I only keep some "normal" stuff around as a point of comparison, so that I don't lose sight of what that flavor spike is really doing.

Back on topic, I've only had one bottle of Corryvreckan and I don't have the bottle code, but I gotta say it's one of the best peaty whiskies I've had. Untempered by sherry (unlike the too-soft Oogie) and at high strength (unlike the otherwise-great Ten), it's in good company with the likes of Laphroaig 10 CS.

Cheers.

I, myself, had written off the Corryvreckan a long time ago - much too beastly, too much chili and alcohol for it to hold interest, a very disappointing Ardbeg indeed.

That is until a few days ago, where I decided to pour myself a glass yet again, in the vague hope that something might have changed - and what a change! The burn had been replaced by a sweet complexity with plenty of soot (which I love in a whisky), and I quaffed the glass in no time. Lovely!

I can add that the bottle code is L11 243 something something, other than that I'm not much help here.

L12 107...6ML. I love sweet whisky (I love 'em all) and this bottle of Corry was sooty, sweet, sharp and wonderfully balanced. For the price, I much prefer Octomore 4.2. With that said, I did purchase another bottle of Corryvreckan from the same batch, but two more bottles of Octomore.

Ardbeg Corry: L9 231 is out of this world awesome. I love it. Upper 90's! (tonight's score = 96.5)

L11 012 is a dud of a Corry. Sure it is fine for most single malts. . . . but there are better Corry's out there. This falls mid to up 80's for me. (tonight's score = 87)

L11 279 is a very decent example of a Corry. It is far from the depth and complexity of the L9 but it is really a good "Ardbeg" example. I would put it in the low 90's. (tonight's score = 92.5)

Hope this helps someone. Still, your experience may vary.

@Bigtuna avoid the L11 012. What is the other batch you can get? I have already bought a second bottle of the L11 279. If you can get that one . . . I say buy it. It is "good old Ardbeg" in style (with slightly less complexity then the L9 - I wish I had a second bottle of that L9 batch . . . )

@Nock thanks again. I will avoid the L11 012. I still have not made it back to the store yet that had the other bottling, I'll keep you guys posted.

@Nock the other batch is L12 047. Any thoughts?

@Bigtuna I haven't tried a Corry, Uigeadail, or TEN from L12 (2012). So I really don't have a clue about that batch. Sorry.

However, I just saw L13 240 Corry in my local store. I still have another open bottle . . . an I really have been having bad luck with Ardbeg's from L13 so far . . . that said . . . I might give in and give it one more chance.

@Nock - I just picked up a bottle of L13 240 at Costco yesterday. I haven't opened it yet, but was curious if you (or any other members) have any feedback on L13 240? Thanks in advance, if you do.

@bwmccoy, Ardbeg Corry is available in Costco? You are based in Seattle correct? How much was it for?

@DevD - yes, the Issaquah Costco had both Corry and Uigeadail, but there were only about 10 to 20 bottles of each left as of last night. With all of the WA state taxes included, Corry was approximately $111 and Uigeadail was about $97. They also had a few bottles of Laphroaig 18 (about $99) and Laphroaig 10 was $66, if I remember correctly. They had Glenlivet 21 (approximately $175) and Highland Park Loki for $275. Also, a 3 pack of 750ml bottles consisting of a Glenlivet 12, 15 & 18 for $185. There were some others, but those were ones that I can remember.

@bwmccoy I have picked up a bottle, and I have made notes on several occasions. I was waiting for one more tasting to confirm my findings. I am hesitant to prejudice you toward this bottle in either direction. My suggestion is to open it and try it yourself. I would love for you to taste it before I post my own review. I will say that I don't consider this one to load up on (especially for the prices you are paying out in WA).

If you "really" want to read my notes first . . . let me know.

@Nock - Thanks for the reply. No, I have no intention of hoarding any whisky at WA state prices. I did debate whether to pick up the Uigeadail as well, but my wife wasn't thrilled with that idea. :-)

I'm not sure when I will open the Corry, so I was just curious if the L13 240 was great, bad or somewhere in between. Sounds like it's somewhere in between.

Thanks again for the reply.

@bwmccoy I actually just re-read that you picked up the Corry at Costco . . . so my honest opinion is . . . take it back if you can. For $111 this is a bad batch. My most disappointing batch of Corry yet. But this is my personal taste. Yours could differ. That is just my honest and highly subjective opinion. But knowing Costco you they will probably take it back.

And if the Uigeadail was an option . . . go there. Just look at the batch number first. L13 245 (bottled 5 days after the Corry) is a good batch in my opinion.

Hope that helps

@Nock, so when you say the L13 240 is a bad batch, what score would you give it? I'm a bit bummed as I had read so many good things about the Corry that I bought two bottles online, and as luck would have it (or not) they are both from this batch.

@broadwayblue I'll try and post my notes later today. Keep in mind that this is only my opinion. I make no claims to be an objective reviewer. I look for what I look for, and I like what I like. And in my opinion this is the least impressive batch of Corry that I have tasted. That said, my bottle is down to only four fingers left. It will still deliver that powerful peat fix . . . that I need on a regular basis. But, for the price you can shell out for this bottle . . . I expect more.

Further, if you make your judgment of Corryvreckan based off of this batch only I think you are missing what Corry can typically be.

All just my opinion.

@Nock, I look forward to your notes. For the record, I paid $70 all in per bottle, which I thought was a very good deal. Perhaps now I know why they were priced as such. lol

I just took delivery of my Corry. It's the one I picked up for about $80 US online after someone posted about the site that had Talisker 18 on sale. My friend brought it over today from Miami. It's batch L11 243 12.07 6ML . Anyone have any experience with this one?

There's also another number etched into the bottle opposite where the batch number is: 11102055 Anyone know what that is about?

@CanadianNinja I'm a bit late to the party, but I agree with your assessment of L10 168 (except it doesn't remind me of a Bunnahabhain, hehe!). Well worth picking up this batch if found.

@Nock - sorry the delay in replying and I appreciate your honest opinions. No need to sugar coat it; it is what it is. While I could have taken the Corry back (even though I threw away my reciept), I decided to keep it. As you said in another post, I'm sure it will meet my needs for a "peat fix", even if it isn't everything that a Corry can or should be.

BUT, here's the good news. I mentioned to my wife what you said about Uigeadail batch # LL3 245. She was at Costco yersterday and they still had a few bottles of Uigeadail. She checked the batch number and it was L13 245, so she picked one up for me. Got to love a woman willing to check batch numbers!

Thanks again for your honest opinion on the Corry and especially for calling out the Uigeadail batch number. Thanks to you, I added another bottle to the whisky cabinet. Hopefully, I can buy you a dram some day to show my appreciation.

@bwmccoy that is a good woman you have there. I will be very interested to hear your opinion on the Uigeadail L13 245 and the Corry L13 240.

My wife and I met out in Seattle. I was living in Fremont and she was living at the top of Queen Ann. We still have a number of friends out there, and we have been talking about a trip back for a few years now. When it happens I might very well take you up on the savoring a dram together.

@Nock - We live on the eastside of Lake Washington, but I work in downtown Seattle. That would be a lot of fun to meet up for a dram. Hopefully, one of these days, we can make it happen.

@Nock - I opened my bottle of Corry (L13 240) last week and have had a few drams out of it. It's been so long since I had my last bottle of Corry, it's hard for me to compare the two, so I will evaluate this one on it's own merits (or lack thereof).

Without water Nose; soap, farm (hay in a barn), little to no smoke. Taste; earthy, peat Finish; medium long

With water Nose; sweet, peppermint? Taste; big smoke, sweeter than before Finish; longer

I prefer this one with water which is not my usual preference. The water opens it up quite a bit. Is it worth the price I paid? Hard to say since WA state prices are so high. I probably wouldn't buy this batch again, but that's more due to the fact that I like variety. I would prefer to buy a different batch number to experience the difference. That's what I like about single cask bottlings.

Overall, this is not a bad dram, in my opinion, but I can totally understand your comment that this isn't everything that a Corry could (or should) be.

@bwmccoy Thanks for the update! I agree that the bottle isn't bad (I score it in the mid 80's). It is better than your average bottle of whisky. I agree about single cask bottles. I wish I could get my hands on more. I am just glad for Ardbeg batch numbers. With other brands it always feels like a gamble . . . is this going to be as good as my last bottle? I hate that feeling. I currently have it with Highland Park. They burned me on my last bottle. It will take me a bit to get over that experience.

L 13 240? @bwmccoy, @Nock, I take a keen interest in that one, since I am sitting on a bottle of it. I haven't had very good luck with batches of Corryvreckan.

Soap on the nose? Ugh, double ugh. God I hate soap in whisky. Maybe it will blow off in a few weeks, if I/we are lucky. My sister's bottle of Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix had initial soapiness which was gone in a week. A man can hope...