Ardbeg Alligator Committee Reserve for Discussion 51.2% NV

Professional reviews

Gal Granov (86)

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.

Whisky Notes (88)

Color: Pale straw

Nose
It shows all the power of Ardbeg 10, with charcoal, medicinal peat and smoke, but also added notes of cocoa, marzipan and sweet barbecue sauce. A little vanilla and burnt sugar. Nice balance of sweet and savoury notes. Definitely less lemon notes, this one is darker and warmer. I like it. With some water, the toffee / vanilla combo stands out, and some fresh lemon shows up.

Taste
Medium weight and medium peat, more gentle than I've come to expect from Ardbeg lately. Lots of pepper and ginger. Some cardamom. Charcoal and vanilla. Some liquorice. Evolves around spices, but it remains a little youngish maybe.

Finish
Tarry with coffee and chocolate, but shorter than expected.

Comments
A nice Ardbeg: darker, warmer and sweeter than Ardbeg 10, with a "modern" wood influence. I like the result, but the complexity seems a little under par compared to some classic expressions.