Supernova: best to be sitting down first time you try this one
Aged: bourbon casks, no age statement but rumoured to have been distilled in 2001
Colour: pale gold
Strength: 60.1%
Price bracket: around £125
Best for: blowing your bloody doors off
Nose: toffee, liquorice, caramel, chilli, dark chocolate and heavy, heavy smoke
Taste: a real mindbender with a massive peat hit, this one bombards you with a kaleidoscope of flavour from the off. First it’s sweet as the caramel and toffee tease, then the sea salt chimes in mixed with something lightly citrus before a rocking smoky wave blasts the lot like someone just opened the kiln door in your face
Verdict: something very, very special. Now sold out. You may find a bottle on ebay if you’re lucky but expect to pay around £120. Those with shallower pockets may want to wait – this drop has made such a splash in the whisky world there’s bound to be another batch on the way sooner rather than later
Click here for Ardbeg distillery review
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