Ardbeg Corryvreckan

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 57.1% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Bourbon casks and new French oak casks shape this intensely peaty Single Malt from Islay. Named after a whirlpool north of Islay, Corryvreckan combines bold peppery spice with dark fruit and chocolate notes. Initially released exclusively for the Ardbeg Committee, it has been part of the distillery's core range since 2009.

The whisky carries no age statement and is bottled at 57.1%, without chill filtration or added colouring. The 0.7-litre bottle comes in gift packaging.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, tarry ropes, creosote and linseed oil sit alongside dark chocolate, warm blackcurrants and muscovado sugar. Ripe cherries and pine needles follow. Maritime notes of seaweed and smoked bacon meet delicate vanilla, cloves and blueberries.
• Palate: On the palate, the whisky recalls steak with pepper sauce, accompanied by seaweed, tarry espresso, dark fruits and bitter almonds. Star anise and hickory wood then bring a drying sensation before a chalky, fizzy violet note emerges.
• Finish: The long, powerful finish leaves lingering notes of tarry black coffee, chocolate-covered cherries and hot pepper sauce.

Distillery/Bottler:

Ardbeg produces heavily smoky Single Malt on the Scottish island of Islay. Its smoky character begins with the malted barley: drying it over burning peat introduces the phenolic compounds responsible for the smoke. A Boby malt mill, in use since 1921, grinds the malt. Production water comes from Loch Uigeadail, and subsequent fermentation takes place in wooden washbacks made from Oregon pine.

Distillation takes place in two stages in copper pot stills. A purifier fitted to the lyne arm of the second still captures heavier vapours, which cool and flow back for redistillation. This increases reflux and copper contact. The process helps balance the powerful smoke with fruity, floral and sweet impressions. Bourbon casks form the foundation of many Ardbeg bottlings; the distillery also uses other cask types, including the new French oak casks used for Corryvreckan.

Facts: