Official tasting notes:
Nose: Spicy and savoury, Ardcore grips the senses with waves of marmite, burnt toast, chicory charcoal and infused coffee grounds making for a mosh pit in the glass. Like a safety pin through the septum, a classic Ardbeg herbal top note is present, while swirling, smoky bonfire and molasses loiter backstage.
Palate: A jaw dropping spicy and fiery mouthfeel leads to an explosion of rich, smoky flavours – cocoa powder, dark chocolate, peanut brittle toffee, smoked lime and a suggestion of soot and bonfire embers all pogo in unison on the palate. Amped up aniseed and malty biscuit elbow their way to the fore, punkturing taste buds.
Finish: In an altogether sweeter finish, long, lingering notes of treacle toffee, soot and smoke make for an anarchic, but delicious, aftertaste.
Created with roasted black malt, this spirit is all about substance. Burnt to hair-raising levels, the malt in Ardcore is what defines its distinctive profile. This is a dram that wears its heart on its sleeve. Its black heart!
Notes of charcoal and sweet smoke make for an in-your-face flavour, while palate PUNKturing notes of aniseed and dark chocolate stamp this bottle as one fit only for the most ARDCORE of Ardbeg fans.