Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
Supernova, said to be the “peatiest” Ardbegs and released sporadically since 2009. I believe they said 2019 was the final release, again, but nothing is ever certain with Ardbeg. Part of the marketing of this over the years involved sending some small amount of it into space for a while, which is cute. Each was a limited NAS release, all high ABV, NCF, and no info on coloring (but doubtful.) Here are three of them side-by-side.
Tasted on 12/12/2020, neat in a Glencairn, then a touch of water.
The second release of Ardbeg Supernova, bottled in 2010 at a hefty 60.1% ABV. Acquired and opened in 2017 for far less than these are going for now.
From the bottle: “… this mighty ARDBEG has a staggering peatiness level well in excess of 100 parts per million — way beyond the customary 50-65 parts per million found in our famed ARDBEG Ten Years Old. SUPERNOVA thus perfectly describes this ‘stellar explosion’ of flavours.”
Distillery: Ardbeg
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 60.1%, cask strength
Age: NAS. Bottled on 03/11/2010.
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: earthy peat, wood smoke, lime, iodine, sea shells, green grass, warm sand, eucalyptus, ash, bacon fat. Almost bigger on the medicinal notes than the peat and smoke. With Water: fattier, buttery, a few apricots, even a touch floral, brings the medicinal down a bit and overall excellent balance now.
Taste: peat, smoke, ash, tar, sharp lime, iodine, seawater, medium-thick mouthfeel, eucalyptus, black pepper. With Water: a bit sweeter, perhaps a bit more spice, bacon fat, creamy, a touch of apricot, and everything else from before.
Finish: nice pop of earthy peat, smoke, damp earth, sweet lime, iodine, tar, seawater, eucalyptus, some pepper, long with everything represented to the end. With Water: a little more spice forward, but just a little, coats the mouth even more, more fruits.
This is excellent, and with a touch of water it gets even better. Nice complexity throughout, classic Ardbeg notes, and a few drops of water really bring out some more fruits, fat and cream, and a bit more spice. It’s surprisingly medicinal on the nose, especially neat, and there’s a good bit of tar throughout. A bit of a dirty dram, if you will, and it’s brilliant.
Final Score: 93.
After a few gap years we have the third release of Ardbeg Supernova, a committee release bottled in 2014 at 55% ABV. This is a sample from a swap.
This one apparently involves some sherry casks, but no info on what kind or how much. From the back of the bottle: “The presence of sherry-matured stock has imparted an extra dimension, creating a deeper richness… firing up the spiciness… and boosting the sweetness. But it’s still one of the peatiest Ardbegs on earth.”
Distillery: Ardbeg
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 55.0%
Age: NAS. Bottled on 05/20/2014.
Cask type: Bourbon and Sherry Casks
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. One of 3,000 bottles.
Nose: earthy peat, coal smoke, lime, lemon, seaweed, iodine, pine resin, ash, tar, seawater, mineral oil, gristle. With Water: more peat and smoke, almonds, bacon fat, more medicinal, antiseptic wipes even, smoked salmon, more lime than lemon over time for sure.
Taste: peat, wood smoke, lemon, iodine, tar, sea shells, medium mouthfeel, mild pepper, liquorice, salty ham. With Water: bigger peat, a bit more fruit, seawater, a little more medicinal, someone dipped that slice of ham in bacon grease, salmon, toffee.
Finish: earthy peat smoke, sweet lemons and limes, iodine, tar, seawater, liquorice, mild pepper, long on peat, tar, citrus, seawater. With Water: bigger pop of peat and smoke, ashes, otherwise similar.
This is extremely good. More peat and bigger smoke with a few drops of water, and it gets ashier for sure. Not as medicinal as the 2010, more focused on peat, smoke, and meats. A bit cleaner than the 2010 as well.
Final Score: 92.
The fourth release of Ardbeg Supernova, bottled in 2015 at 54.3% ABV. Also a committee release, this one was supposed to be the final Supernova so pay no attention to that release in 2019! No info on casks on this one, sadly. This sample was a gift from a friend; let’s hear it for friends with good taste!
Distillery: Ardbeg
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islay
ABV: 54.3%, cask strength
Age: NAS. Bottled on 05/13/2015.
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: wood smoke, light peat, lemon, sea shells, iodine, eucalyptus, camphor, warm sand, tar, bacon, vanilla. With Water: a touch of coal now, smoke is more mild, a bit more coastal, even more medicinal for sure.
Taste: peat, mild smoke, sweet lemon, sea shells, iodine, a little dry, camphor, mineral oil, medium mouthfeel, fatty cured meats, fairly clean overall. With Water: sweeter, still a bit dry, more spice, the mouthfeel may have gotten a smidge thinner.
Finish: peat, smoke, sweet lemon, a little dry, salt, seaweed, iodine, quite spicy w/ pepper and black liquorice, long with spice, peat, smoke, lemon, and medicinal notes. With Water: even more spice than originally, otherwise similar.
Cleanest of the three, more coastal and medicinal. I’m not sure water did this much of a favor, which is really surprising. Balance isn’t as good as the other two, and overall it’s far more simple than the others. It’s surprising how mild the smoke is in this, both neat and with water. Unexpected. Muted, even.
Final Score: 87.
Comparison
Order: 2010 > 2014 > 2015
Quite some time ago we had at least the 2010 and the 2015 bottles side-by-side at a rather large tasting, and I could swear that we liked the 2015 more than the 2010. I mean, I was positive going into this that the order was 2015 > 2014 > 2010. And yet I can’t back that up at all now after sitting with all three for an hour. The 2010 is the most complex, flavorful, and interesting of them easily. The 2014 is very, very good as well, and on the palate alone you might pick the 2014 first. The 2015 in contrast is subtle and muted in all respects, and has the least complexity, and honestly the 2010 & 2014 are a clear mark above the 2015.
I had my wife go over all three blind, nose-only first then tasting each. She picked exactly the same order, with the same gap and overall thoughts on the 2015.
But, just to be clear, the 2015 is still great and no one would kick it out of bed!
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 