Ardbeg 'Batch 4' (52.4%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, 427 bottles)

這是剛剛看到 法國宅男PO的

我的重點在最後一行   完完全全呼應了多日前小黑手的言論 

有BILL在的一天  阿被離死不遠 

這是深愛阿貝的人  最無奈的沉痛

Batch 1 has been excellent! Not too sure how they ‘bake’ these elusive batches I have to say, but it’s always fun to see a good friend on a label. Colour: gold. Nose: it’s typical modern Ardbeg, with probably less tarry and straightly phenolic notes than older ones, but maybe more brine and seawater on the one side, and garden bonfire on the other side (burning leaves and hay). There’s a feeling of menthol cigarettes – their smoke – and then a pretty massive development on all things medicinal, especially antiseptic. Also a newly opened pack of smoked almonds? Even heavily smoked salmon? Nice complexity. After fifteen minutes: more lemon juice. With water: yess! It became both drier and (even) smokier. Motor oil, hot tarmac in the middle of July ;-), this menthol again, a plate of smoked fish… And grapefruits. Mouth (neat): starts as sweet as Ardbeg can be, before the heavy smoke kicks in. So vanilla and crystallised lemon, then an acrid smokiness that’s exactly what we were expecting. This feeling of ‘eating an ashtray’. This one’s also moderately salty this time. With water: excellent. I don’t know if this is a vatting from various sources but it does taste like a single cask, meaning it’s very ‘focused’ now, very ‘precise’. Beautiful lemon, almond oil and touches of seashells. Say clams. Perfect smoke. Finish: long, not that salty, smoky, ashy and Ardbeggy. You bet! Comments: I’m very happy. I think this is a style that the owners (of the distillery) should produce too. SGP:468 - 90 points.