My taste in Scotch tends to run to the Islays. I find the scent and taste of them lend them to winter drinking. The initial nose is one…. This is, in my opinion, the last of the good special release Ardbegs. I haven't cared much for the stuff that came after like the Day, Galileo and the AuriVerdes - though I quite liked the Ardbog for some….
I've been saving my notes from a glass of Alligator that I savored a few months ago at the Highland Stillhouse. Reviews via www. There are no further shopping results for Ardbeg Alligator but you might be interested to try some of these brands and bottlings.
Tobermory Gin. Buy now. Finlaggan Old Reserve. Laphroaig Select. Ardmore Legacy. Highland Queen Blended Scotch Whisky 35cl.
Matisse Blended Scotch Whisky 20cl. Famous Grouse Blended Scotch Whisky 35cl. Bruadar Malt Whisky Liqueur 35cl. Other tasters haven't noted it, but it's happened every time. It's excellent, and gives a pleasantly oily mouthfeel, though the sweetness still baffles me somewhat.
While I pour the last dram from my bottle of Alligator, I look up my tasting notes to see how I initially liked this. Only to find out that I have not yet published my tasting notes, while this was arguably the most anticipated release of Let us fix that. OK, let me start with a short expo. The name Alligator points to the look of the staves inside the heavily charred cask. I am sure you were already aware. In March , the Committee Release which I am emptying today appeared, followed by the still easily obtainable general release in June It is less peated than the 10 Year Old and has a much sweeter nose.
Next to Wellington boots, sea salt and oysters, I get wonderful whiffs of marzipan and rhubarb jam, even some bitter orange marmalade. A big dose of liquorice and ginger. Water cress. Dried grass. And that wonderful A1 barbecue sauce that I always poured on my T-bone steak in the States. Ah, I love it. The mouthfeel is round on apples and grapefruit with quite a bit of spice. Salt and sweet at the same time.
Chili peppers, cinnamon and ribs on the BBQ obviously coated in the delicious A1 sauce , loads of liquorice and a hint of vanilla.
Like said, this was a very hyped release and it is more than good, definitely on par with the Rollercoaster. Hmm, I wonder what he means by that? I am looking forward to it. Nose: lemon zest, charcoal and peat, vinilla icing sugar, toasted ginger bread, burnt sugar, ashes that come out of a used BBQ, burnt malt, slight smoke. Palate: tangy, creamy, small amounts of peat, ginger, orange and lemon peels, burnt toast, BBQ charcoals, icing sugar sweetness, very zesty tang.
Not a peat bomb like normal ardbegs at all. Very typically Ardbeg on the nose. Lots of peat delivering a good quantity of spices and licorice. The delivery takes you by surprise as you expect something gigantic but what you get is, in fact, very robust and approachable. There is a sweetness in there, maybe a touch of chocolate and with that you get the trademark Ardbeg spices on top of gorgeous smoky oak! Long satisfying finish.
Another reason to move to the Islays. I was lucky enough to receive a bottle of Alligator for xmas I love the Highland sherry casked light flavoured bottles almost as much as peaty whiskies. To my surprise this had the qualities of both, a wonderfully spicey wave of peat greets you reminding you of the heritage of Islay and then the unexpected light citrus fruit and vanilla washes through over the undertones of smoke.
An instant favourite which will be hard to beat. Nice review which I can only second. It's a great whisky to be sure! Also, it does get a bit softer and more well mannered with a slight splash of water - which is the exact opposite to what I think when it comes to the Ardbeg TEN.
After some home-cleaning, I took my lunch with a great huge sandwich with roasted pork with some spicy, peppery BBQ-sauce.
So as I thought why not take a good glass of dram with some BBQ infleunces in it?! And yes here we got my most, best ever whisky from this time yet! The maqnifecent Alligator of Ardbeg. So as you already read my reviews, I love Ardbeg a lot.
So here my review of this delicious dram. Nose: Ufcourse BBQ sauce, spicy, peppery and chillies. But also on the background are elements of chocolate and espresso coffee. Flowers and fruits as well. Taste: BBQ sauce, smokey, lightly spiced of red peppers and a delicious bite in it. Savoury parts of roasted pork and spiced marinade ribs. The aftertaste gives great delicate of dark roasted coffee, caramel and toffee with it. Finish: long, cuban-cigars, sweetness of roasted nuts with brown sugar syrup.
With a fantastic peat behind. Fantastic, delicious piece of Art of Ardbeg. I'm really glad that I own a bottle. It is rare and quite hard to find. I know there are some bottles available, so be hurry to get one! And I really recommend to buy this great dram.
From the alcohol of It is delicate and smooth. Can imagine that you want this fanastic, legendary whisky! I hope that there are some bottles available in Canada. Let me know, if you get one great bottle of Ardbeg 'Alligator'. When I first got this bottle I was extremely excited and promised myself that I would wait to open it for some special occasion.
Well got a decent raise at work and decided the stress of two weeks prior would only be relieved by the bite of an Alligator, and this is what I think On the nose there is peat, smoke, and a strange earthy salt ever so common in the Islay malts.
It has a bit of a bite that I'm unsure of. Almost makes me think it may be a bit young. Water did not add much to the nose. There was the faint addition of a sweetness that I can't put my nose on. There is a sizzling bbq taste that comes from the new heavily charred bourbon barrels that they have used to make this whisky unique from their other bottlings. The smoke is nice and pleasent.
With water a soft sweet New York Vanilla note seemed to poke it's head out. It was a much valued improvement over the intense peat monster that seemed to lacked in complexity before.
The finish has a bit of a burn on my tongue, but it is smooth going down. A medium length finish, very phenolic and a little ashy, not quite as long as I would have liked. Nothing substantial changed in the finish after the addition of water.
The burn was slightly lessened. The addition of water seemed to help open the whisky into a slightly gentler creature. It was an improvement overall on the taste. The nose didn't seem to change much and the most disappointing feature, the finish, was not helped at all.
Overall, I liked the nose and loved the taste, but the finish lowered the whole experience for me. At the price point I think it was a little too expensive for the whisky in the bottle.
I may have been expecting far too much from it but I felt cheated for the money I spent. Price was about the same as a Lagavulin 16yo that has never let me down. Nose: Sea air, charred oak, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, fried pork cracklings, orange coated in dark chocolate, bitter mint, a little vanilla, cinnamon and icing, burnt marshmallows, and very lovely allspice.
Taste: Lots of pepper, charred oak again, sweet orange, bitter chocolate, cinnamon, sea water, and mild peat. Not as "Ardbeggy" as I'd like. Quite an interesting Ardbeg this is. One thing is for sure, the extra char on the barrels really made a difference. Perhaps the greatest thing about the Alligator is how strongly I get that fried pork crackling note on the nose.
I simply adore it. It's just like the pork crackling we have here in Louisiana, seasoned with cayenne, paprika, and a tiny pinch of sugar.
Although this isn't your standard Ardbeg, fans of the 10 year old will notice similarities. I must admit, I like the Alligator a bit more because I feel it is a bit more complex. I had the chance to taste the islay-gator at an event. I knew it was there and I started with the ardbeg table so I can taste it while my taste buds are still alive!
NOSE: burnt wood with cigar in it, fire camp smoke also. But I found it a bit shy. I expected a more powerful nose.
MOUTH: cigar, chocolate, coffee, smoke and peat You can see that this whisky is young. I think the gator is a tad shy for a so powerful animal, but maybe it has something to do with is young age and the price is maybe a bit high for this baby. But is worth tasting it for sure I was lucky enough to get my hands on a bottle of the Ardbeg Alligator Committee Reserve release, and having recently had great experiences with Islay malts Laphroaig mainly I had high hopes for this animal.
My expectations were surpassed quite quickly, after seeing the golden colour and smelling the smoky, charred wood, BBQ filled aroma. It was a heavy hitter and actually caught me by surprise! The charred wood and BBQ characteristics continued into the taste, where a lot more appeared as well.
I picked up a spring-like aroma, full of the joys of spring as they say, and would liken it to those sweets, the Rainbow Drops. In closing, it's an absolute beast of a dram, a true animal of Islay, and one I'll enjoy again and again. If you're a cigar person like me, spark a large one up to accompany a dram of this, and you'll experience exquisite pleasure! 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.
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. This is a very good dram. I think i will opt for a bottle when the OB comes in a few months time. The nose develops with background hints of resin and menthol. After a while some mango joins in. With the addition of water the milky notes subside and the ripe cherries are coated in caramelised sugar which soon morphs to sweet cured bacon on a barbecue.
Finally some menthol and hint of peat smoke. Palate: Rich and fruity with some powerful, and dry, woody flavours. Developing to a very enjoyable spicy bitterness in the mid palate.
Finally some dry charcoal smoke. The maritime influence is restrained throughout with just a hint of saltiness and the peat taking a backseat to the fruit and spice. A rather dark representative, but which also leaves room for slightly fresher and lighter notes. That fits well.
I just tried a small sip of Corryvreckan, which I like too. However, compared to the alligator, the Corry looks relatively youthful and fresher. The Ardbeg smoke is there of course, but it is a bit more subdued and darker than you know from other Ardbegs.
More like a smoldering campfire. Wood sugar. Removes incense. Somewhat sour earth. A few citrus fruits can also be found. At first it is pleasantly sweet and oily on the tongue. Herbal honey. Sugar beet. Then comes the smoke, which now looks more herbaceous. Steaks marinated in herbs with a lot of toasted aromas, which were then drizzled with chili oil.
There is also a crystal wheat with a lemon wedge. Marked by the smoke, which is now drier. Slightly earthy. A little cinchona and tonic water. Nose 89 Taste 90 Finish 89 Loading notes Tastingtags Add tasting tags by clicking the flavours you recognized in this whisky.
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