Tasting Notes

Producing WhiskyCast has given me the opportunity to taste some really amazing whiskies, and I’m pleased to share my tasting notes with you here. You can search my entire database of tasting notes from this page, and I hope you’ll find it useful.

Ardbeg Kelpie (Committee Release)

Country: Scotland

Region: Islay

Type: Single Malt

Bottler: Distiller

ABV: 51.7%

Score: 90 Points

Ardbeg Kelpie. Image courtesy Ardbeg/The Glenmorangie Company.This is Ardbeg’s 2017 limited-edition release intended for members of the Ardbeg Committee, though it can be found at retailers (at least in the US) with no proof of membership required. Kelpie gets its name from the kelp seaweed found around Islay, and is finished in oak from the Adyghe region of Russia near the Black Sea. The nose is peaty and complex with notes of seaweed, brine, dark chocolate, smoked salmon, and a hint of honey. The taste is spicy, smoky, and pungent with notes of clove, peat smoke, bacon, and hints of toffee and dried fruits. The finish is very long and smoky with lingering clove, a hint of creosote, and touches of caramel and dark chocolate. (March, 2017)