Ardbeg Alligator

Colour: Darker than the 10 year old. I wonder if the extra charred wood is the culprit… Nose: Sweeter than the 10 year old, with less lemony notes, vanilla, spice, pepper, BBQ sauce, Peat and Charcoal , some brine, and also toffee and burnt sugar as in the Brule crust. Lovely and quite complex until now. Palate: Heavy but not ultra peaty, but very Smokey as in smoked tobacco leaves, leftovers of a cigar, quite chilly and peppery with a gingery zing on the tongue as well. more than the 10 year old. Liquorice and dark tea, as well as other spices i can’t quite pinpoint. Not a peat monster at all (less peaty than the 10 or the Corry by far) Finish : Long, with a lot of ash, pepper and gingery zing, spice, and some burnt wood.

Bottom line :

This is a very good dram. well made. It did not blow off my mind , but it’s well made, very enjoyable and offers a little variation on the 10 year old profile. If you love Ardbegs, and a little spiciness does not scare you off, it’s a bottle you should own. It’s not too expensive. I think i will opt for a bottle when the OB comes in a few months time.

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