Ardbeg Supernova 2010

Supernova 2010 is often looked upon as Supernova Light, a bit of a very expensive and scarce stepchild. This bottle was purchased after my then-heavy-peat-averse wife had tasted a sample of it and suggested that we buy a bottle. I jumped at the chance which marked for the first time the acceptance of heavy peat by my closest whisky partner.

A lot of discussion about Ardbeg special releases centers around price. Are they expensive? Usually. Worth it? Maybe. For me this one is a fabulous whisky, which actually tastes better 2 years after the bottle was opened than it did on day 1, or day 31. That sort of flavour evolution is NOT factored into any review done when the bottle first comes out.

Nose: moderate to strong peat and smoke, a little salt, understated grassy malt; the nose is quite pleasant, but it is not the highlight of Supernova 2010

Palate: extremely lush peat, with the smoke still vivid 2 years later; there are layers to explore if you take the time. The attraction of this is in the quality, lushness, and variety of the peat experience. Strictly as a peat experience, I prefer this one to both Uigeadail and Corryvreckan.

Finish: just burns a good-tasting hole on your tongue...all that peat and smoke; delicious. Very long finish; everything holds up.

So what would you think if you actually shelled out the $ 150-250 that this would likely now cost? Probably that this was another good Ardbeg...one with a particularly lush peat, especially after you give the bottle a lot of air. You'd think that it is expensive, which it is. I paid $ 130 for a bottle, but that was 2 years ago. Bottom line: if you have deep pockets you will probably find the expense for this bottle justified. If you are counting your pennies closely, you will probably not find this to be worth the extra expense. (or, just as likely, you will know that this is great, but still resent what you paid for it.)

As for me, this is my favourite Ardbeg in my collection, along with my favourite batch (only) of L10 151 Uigeadail. Hope you like it!

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