Ardbeg Rollercoaster Committee Release

Ardbeg Rollercoaster is one of those highly sought-after committee releases, a bottle renowned for its rarity and intriguing background. In reality, Rollercoaster contains whiskies from the first ten years following Ardbeg's reopening under new management. I'm also quite confident this single malt includes whiskies from earlier committee releases, making it a "Rollercoaster" of different Ardbeg expressions. Bottled at 57.3% ABV. On the nose, it has the unexpected notes one anticipates, but it feels like it could be improved. The first aroma I detect is like a pair of new socks, followed by red chili, wasabi, and bacon. It possesses the typical Ardbeg herbal notes. It reminds me of a flu medicine called "Lemonflu" available in my country (it's like a lemon and nightshade remedy). Red berries appeared unexpectedly. On the palate, I have the same reservation; something is missing to make this great. It's sweet and spicy. It begins with subtle sugar, then red chili. It's exactly like a sweet confection called "Alfajor," which has no direct English translation. Please search for it to understand. Not very complex. The aftertaste delivered a nuclear wasabi explosion; herbal notes and ash. Nothing else. Not bad, but not particularly exciting. Overall, this is far from what I expected. The sweetness here feels at odds with the spiciness. It's not intensely peaty or smoky. Herbal elements, spicy notes, sweet components, but not in a balanced or interesting manner. It lacks complexity. Truly underwhelming. Make no mistake, this is not a bad whiskey by any means, it's just not as superb as I anticipated, given its rarity and cost. My rating for this very standard dram is 88 out of 100. It should have been better.

An intense Scotch Whisky from Islay, this Ardbeg Rollercoaster Exclusive 10th Anniversary Committee Edition is a liquid compilation featuring malt distilled from 1997 through 2006. Its construction includes: 1997 Cask: Second Fill Barrel 1998 Cask: Refill Hogshead 1999 Cask: First Fill Barrel 2000 Cask: First Fill Barrel 2001 Cask: Refill Barrel 2002 Cask: Refill Barrel 2003 Cask: First Fill Barrel 2004 Cask: First Fill Barrel 2005 Cask: Second Fill Sherry Butt 2006 Cask: Refill Hogshead It begins with a sweet and balanced profile of malt, apple, and cool wood smoke. Its development introduces peat, vanilla, maple syrup, spices, a tangy candy-like fruitiness, oily smoke, and sherry. The conclusion is a medium-length finish that is sweet yet slightly savory, with coastal smoke notes, pear, overripe banana, beer, and cool smoke.

Wood. Smoke. A long finish. Burnt sugar.