Auriverdes is the latest offering from mighty peat-smoke maestros Ardbeg. Recently released to coincide with Ardbeg Day 2014, Auriverdes (meaning gold and green, gold from the whisky, green from the bottle) is a limited release, so try it while you can. I must admit to being more than partial to Islay malt in general, not least among them Ardbeg, so I was looking forward to taking Ardbeg’s latest expression for a test drive.
Apparently, Auriverdes is essentially a 10 year old Ardbeg that has been matured in toasted lid casks. According to Ardbeg, this type of cask maturation instils an enhanced mocha coffee and vanilla note into the whisky. Bottled at 49.9% ABV, some major body and depth of flavour can be expected.
The nose starts out akin to an Ardbeg 10 – tar, peaty embers, smoked bacon, zesty lemon, forest herbs and a deep mineral soap note hangs in the background. The nose seems to be a little more rounded and restrained. A dash of room temperature water opens up the nose, to reveal vanilla, lime, sea-breeze and more fruitiness.
Arrival on the palate is oily and delicious. Lots of mouth-watering smokey flavours, hickory smoked pork, smoked salmon and smoked vegetables/herbs.
The palate is less aggressive than the 10 year old – the explosive pepperiness is mostly absent in the Auriverdes. Phenolic, peaty and more smoke.
The finish is long. Now the cocoa and mocha coffee flavours come through clearly. Peat smoke fades to mild cigar smoke right at the end.
Overall, not vastly different to certain other expressions, but offers enough difference to keep it interesting and stand proudly in its own right. A sophisticated and controlled Ardbeg.
Appearance: Gold.
Nose: Smoked bacon, tar, vanilla, herbal.
Palate: Smoked meats, peaty, earthy.
Finish: Very long. Mocha coffee and smoke.
Written by Jared Brown
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