Ah those old Ardbegs ! They weren’t those peat krakens we discovered later on. This young Cadenhead from the famous « Dumpy » series can only be bought a fortune. A worthed price?
Nose : we have some exotic fruits juices (mango, pineapple, papaya), cumin and white bread. We have a light smoke that lingers on olive cake and herbs (oregano). The peat is light but remains pretty dry (herbaceous but also with plastic, rubber and even a farmy veil in snippets). We sense some milked notes (fruit cream). A pretty varied nose that reminds us of the old exotic Islays. We would have liked a bit more presence but this is nice.
Mouth : It is quite strange with a peat that goes more on rubber than at nose, but still with a milky and farmy note. The same way, we have exoticism (multi-fruits type) with a lot (but really a lot) of cumin (seeds). Globally, the aromatic herbs are well here with oregano, Provence herbs but also some thyme that becomes emancipated in the second part of the mouth. Some rubber, exoticism and spices/herbs; a surprising and pleasant profile. Maybe not exceptional though.
Finish : We have a medium length, still with a fruity thread but mostly a thyme-cumin combo that comes out. The aftertaste is still spicy with a little pungency but nothing crippling.
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