If you’re here just to read the review on the Dark Cove release, scroll further down.
Ardbeg Day is just around the corner again, which means it’s time to shake off the Autumn blues (or dust off your Spring hat if you’re in the northern hemisphere) and gear up for all the fun and excitement of Ardbeggian delights.
I’ve written much about Ardbeg’s history, the Ardbeg Committee and Ardbeg Day in the past. So rather than fill up space by repeating it all on this page, you can re-visit those pieces here (Ardbeg Day 2015 report), here (Perpetuum review) and here (Ardbeg Day 2014 & Auriverdes review) if you need to fill in any blanks. For the purposes of a concise read, let’s cut straight to the chase and get stuck into Ardbeg Day and the annual release for 2016.
Ardbeg Day 2016 – Saturday 28th March – focusses on Ardbeg’s dark and shadowy past…a history that was rife with illicit distilling and smuggling. Appropriately, then, global celebrations this year are shifting to Ardbeg Night. This year’s major event in Australia will be like no other, and only select Ardbeg Committee members will be lucky enough to attend. Every bottle of Ardbeg Dark Cove Committee Edition release purchased between 15th March and 17th April 2016 will enter you into the draw to win two tickets to Ardbeg Night 2016.
Of course, not everyone can get along to an Ardbeg Day event (let alone an Ardbeg Night), but the various Ardbeg Embassies will be busy around the country so that Ardbeg fans won’t be left thirsty. For those that can’t get to an event, the focus invariably shifts to the annual limited release whisky that goes hand in hand with the day. This year’s special release is the aptly named “Dark Cove”. The exclusive Committee Edition has been bottled at 55%. The “regular” release is bottled at 46.5% and will be available direct from Moet Hennessy and other good Ardbeg stockists from 28th May onwards, with an RRP of $169. And if you’d like to know a bit more, you can check out this amusing little video…
Dark Cove is a rich and powerful Ardbeg. The official word is that the whisky is a vatting of ex-American oak bourbon casks, with a good dose of “dark sherry casks”. That’s a slightly ambiguous term, and one can – at this stage – only speculate as to whether they’re oloroso or pedro-ximinez, or whether it’s referring to any extra toasting or charring treatment that may have been applied. But are we interested in the wood, or are we interested in the bottle? Just right now, I’m more interested in the bottle, so let’s give it a try. The good folks at Ardbeg were kind enough to provide a sample, so here goes…
Ardbeg Dark Cove – Committee Edition at 55%
Nose: Dark & dank peat. Dried seaweed washed up on the beach. Pea and ham soup. The smoke from a charred and charring piece of fragrant oak. Spent coffee grounds.
Palate: Black jelly babies. Sweet and sour pork, with a good dash of Szechuan pepper. Classic Ardbeg peatiness, but infused with spices, dried herbs, and that “zing” that comes when sherry wood and peat combine in a happy marriage.
Finish: Long and juicy. Long after you swallow, your mouth still salivates and you simply want to go back for more. The oak lingers, and pleasantly so.
Comments: Well, needless to say, this is a tasty Ardbeg, but it’s one that pushes the sides. This particular sample is the Committee Edition at 55.0%, and the extra alcohol carries the weight and delivers the payload. It’s youthful, playful, and yet brooding under the weight and spice of the sherry wood. Do I like it? Yes, I LOVE it.
The Ardbeg Day release each year always generates significant discussion and debate, and almost every Committee Member has ranked the last few years’ releases in order of their favourites. Some releases have revealed a more genteel side to Ardbeg (e.g. Auriverdes), whereas Dark Cove definitely showcases Ardbeg’s heavier, more intense side.
In my humble opinion (personal rant coming), too many commentators get caught up on whether the Ardbeg Day release is “big” or huge or powerful or super peaty, etc. I think they miss the point. If that’s what you want in an Ardbeg, then buy the 10yo. For me, the Ardbeg Day release is a chance to explore Ardbeg in a different light. To taste Ardbeg in new or unusual casks. This is what Ardbeg Day is about – to celebrate variety, diversity, and to explore the nuances of Ardbeg in different shades. And, speaking of darker shades, Dark Cove is one that I really enjoyed 😉
Cheers,
AD
