Looking for my next Ardbeg?

My vote would be the Alligator. That and the Galileo are one offs, so you had best buy them if you see them. If I am not mistaken, the Corry, like the Uggie is part of their core range. The Galileo is Marsala finished, but to my tastes it is a much poorer finish than that of the Uggie. I find the Corry way too overpowering, but others seem to really love it.

The Alligator hits the sweet spot for me (along with the Arry Nam Beist). Smooth, no wine finishing, and much mellower than the 10, Corry, or Uggie.

The only one I would advise against is the Galileo. Just not working for me.

@Onibubba I am from Florida, so Alligator would be appropriate. Galileo was third on my list. It's hard to pay $120 for a 12 year old.

Just my two-bits, but the Alligator is the only Ardbeg I've tried that I don't care for. Personally I find the smoke on the Alligator far too sharp and ashy.

Even though it's not a limited release, my suggestion would be the Corry. On quality of smell, taste and balance... it's heads and shoulders above the Alligator and Galileo.

Mmmm. I'm drinking the Alli right now. It is way smokey. But also really pithy and citrusy, like someone squirting an orange in my eye. Maltmark, you are going to get a lot of opinions on this one ;)

This short thread proves one thing for sure: different folks have different tastes. I love Alligator and Supernova 2010. The oogie is ok. If I only had a choice between water and Corry, I'd drink water.

Have you had the 10 year old, Malrmark? I think the ones up until a few years ago were stunning, but I've read some posts by folks that think the recent releases are sub par. Different tastes??

If you have the Alligator on a shelf near you for the original retail price, then I suggest you grab it. But I wouldn't pay a ton to buy it on line where it has been marked up because of rarity.

Personally, of the three you mentioned the Corryvreckan is my favorite by a long shot (granted all my bottles are from the initial release, and I can't speak to the consistency of the current bottlings).

However, as @two-bit cowboy pointed out I think the TEN is an excellent place to start. I find that tasting the TEN next all the other expressions really helps you to understand what Ardbeg is about, and it puts all these other no-age-statement releases into perspective. It helps to elevate some and bring certain others "back to earth." ;-)

It is just a wonderful dram that I reach for more often then not, and at less then half the price of the Galileo and Alligator.

Nock

@Onibubba "like someone squirting an orange in my eye"

Haha seems to be a great experience then :D

So much good suggestions here. Would also just buy those special releases if you get the bottles for a reasonable price. Also if you really like it you are happy to have a bottle of the core range which is widely available.

For myself I went a similar route. First from Ardbeg I had the Uige. I was stunned. Got some minis afterwards and I am going to buy a bottle of the TEN because (especially for that price) it's a great bottle!

@two-bit-cowboy I have had the 10 and thought it was ok. Much more 1 dimensional than uga. I like complex peaty whisky. Would u all say there is a distinct difference between Cory and uga?

@Maltmark, my thoughts on Corryvreckan compared to Uigeadail: Corryvreckan has a lot more bass notes than does Uigeadail, many of them of a somewhat amorphous nature, to my palate. Retasting now: I'd describe this sample as tasting a lot of anise/black licorice, flavours that more repel than draw me. Corry also has in my bottle and other samples I have had of it a much more intense lemon-citrus component. I didn't like my bottle of Corry at all for a long time, until oxidation lessened the citrus somewhat. I like it ok, now, but I like it the least of the 6 types of Ardbeg which I own (SN2010, Beist, Ten, Corry, Uige, Galileo). It would still rate around 90 for me, but that 90 is a recognition of qualities that others may like more than I do. Corry is very robust, but I would not called it refined. A good batch of Uigeadail is extremely refined, and my favourite commonly available malt.

From what you have said, I will bet that you'll love Ardbeg Corryvreckan. I rarely reach for it myself.

@Maltmark For me, yes, a huge gap between the two. John Hansell (Whisky Advocate magazine) gave the Corry a 96 so I tried to love it. Couldn't do it. John gave oogie a 95. But neither score is valid today because they're on early releases of both whiskies. A quick glance at whiksybase.com (a terrific resource) shows that most Ardbegs range from high 80s to low 90s. Hard to get a sense of which "next one" to try from that. It shows truly that it is a matter of personal taste so I suggest trying everything you can get your hands on. It's as important to know what you don't like as it is to know what you love.

I agree somewhat that Ardbeg 10 is one-sided, but there are times when that's exactly what I want because it is so good at being what it is.

@two-bit-cowboy Good insight. I will check out whiskybase.com