Ardbeg Dark Cove (Committee Release) - Review
Age: No age statement
Barrel type: Ex-bourbon and "dark" sherry casks
Region: Islay
ABV: 55%
Price: $125
Additional details: non-chill filtered, natural color
Now we're cooking with gas. I started the blog off by reviewing a range of whiskies, from those that are solid beginners' picks (Aberfeldy 12) to one of the most affordable examples of excellent, peaty scotch (Ardbeg 10) -- all widely available bottles at any liquor store with a half-decent selection. This weekend, however, I'm going to try out a scotch that's a little harder to acquire, bearing a price quite a bit outside my usual $50-80 sweet spot, but one that's well worth the effort.
Ardbeg Dark Cove is one of the distillery's annual limited releases, and dates from 2016. Those releases often come in two varieties, a so-called Committee Release (for the fan club that anyone can join, known as the Ardbeg Committee) that has a more limited run, and another bottling bearing the same name but generally a lower ABV. The Committee Release typically has a white label and a little red seal on it.
Ardbeg occupies an interesting position in the scotch world because, in many ways, they were pioneers of -- and still remain, in my opinion, the most outstanding practitioners of -- no-age-statement whiskies. There's a lot of controversy around NAS, mostly because the reduced transparency leads customers to doubt what's in the bottle, and also because some NAS releases are replacing well-known, classic age statement expressions for some distilleries. Regardless of what one thinks of the larger industry trend, however, Ardbeg consistently does NAS right. And Dark Cove is no exception.
Appearance: The sherry aging has made a stunning difference when compared to the white-wine color of Ardbeg 10. Dark Cove has a Macallan-esque, deep, honey color. The color is very similar to Lagavulin 16 as well (as the picture above demonstrates), although Lagavulin 16 has color added, whereas this dram is natural color. It also has lovely, clearly defined slow legs. The bottle is the classic Ardbeg bottle, with the white label and red seal indicating that it's a Committee Release. The branding is simple but effective -- for Ardbeg fans, the white label induces a Pavlovian excitement and instantly makes the bottle stand apart from other expressions.
Here's the silly marketing blurb on this one: "Take this whiskey and hide it well. For its heart has been matured in DARK SHERRY CASKS, imparting waves of treacle toffee, coal tar, squid ink noodles and toasted coffee grounds. The DARKEST ARDBEG ever.
Nose: There is a lot going on here, although it can take a bit of time to contemplate. With cask strength whiskies, the intensity of the alcohol can make going in for a sniff a bit like standing behind a jet engine. But when one figures out the perfect distance from the glencairn glass, so many aromas rise out and meld together. Ardbeg's complex smoke practically jumps out and fills the room: earth, loam, bacon, cigars, the usual suspects. It's a less vegetal smoke than Ardbeg 10 or Highland Park, and oilier.
The sherry complements and brightens the smoke, so the nose as a whole is rich, medicinal, and has shades of creamier or fattier nuts (peanuts and cashews). That creaminess sometimes manifests almost like a bourbon combination of caramel (perhaps that's more accurately described as "treacle toffee") and vanilla. Further contemplation reveals a bit of shellfish, wood lacquer, Bartlett pear, and a sugar frosting note. With a higher ABV whiskey, water can sometimes transform the aromas -- here, water just muted them a little and brought the sherry further to the foreground.
Palate: The palate starts out quite salty and oily, with an ideal texture and viscosity for a scotch. It makes other drams seem watery in comparison. Molasses and honey are there in spades, thick and mouth-coating. The nuttiness evolves in a manner reminiscent of an amaretto or almond liqueur. And behind it all, or hovering above it, is that billowing, roiling cloud of rich smoke. It's spicy as well, but that sweet undercurrent continually reasserts itself, and I get flavors reminiscent of caramel milkshake and dark chocolate. There's also a meaty quality at times, perhaps a pancetta or prosciutto salty fattiness.
Finish: The photo finish lights up with honeyed smoke, pancetta, iodine, and that dark chocolate characteristic of the best peated whiskies. It also has a vindaloo level of spicy heat or pepperiness at the end, although it doesn't manifest as a burn, just a perfect level of warmth. The rich peat, as always, makes its presence known. The Dark Cove name is an apt metaphor for the scotch -- it's like ducking under a stone outcropping and huddling by a fire to shelter from a sea storm.
Value for Money and Final Impressions: At $125, this is at the high-end of what I'd be willing to pay for a bottle. It's also $40-50 above the $50-80 sweet spot, and above Ardbeg's own delicious Uigeadail expression, which also is a sherry-aged peated scotch. It's a splurge, undoubtedly, and I ordered a sample bottle of Uigeadail so I'll be able to compare the two (and will update this review and do a separate piece on Uigeadail when I get it). But for now, I do think Dark Cove is worth the price as a special bottle. It's not an easy bottle to find, and I was lucky that I happened to spot one of the last two bottles on the shelf at my local liquor store. For me, it's the pinnacle of the sherry-peat marriage, which is one of the best flavor combinations in the scotch world.
Rating: A