I’ll have to get a bottle of the Seaweed Chris, looks very popular, and I think my palate is now suitably tuned to the more robust Islay whiskies to enjoy this!
I think you are probably right in that you will find it more approachable, now that you are more attuned/comfortable with smoky peated expressions Stuart.
However it was only the second peated expression I tried this year after the P.A. 100° & I found it incredibly approachable & likeable from the off. It is extremely moreish & very yummy, indeed. Quite easy going, despite being both big & complex with a very satisfying lingering finish.
Certainly close to peerless at its price point, to my taste at least.
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This is rather a lot better, than my quite wary expectations had prepared me for. >>
It is quite heavily smokey, in a very good way, more smokey than peaty, if that makes sense, but no sour ashtray notes.
First sip you get a strong smoke hit, with quite a lot of black pepper, but also immediate rich & vibrant sherry notes.
BIt of a flavour party in your mouth, the sherry notes continue throughout, with well judged spiciness, sweetness & the saline maritime notes you would expect from a good Islay single malt.
The finish is really looooong & the nose & mouth feel rather nice.
A very rich & flavoursome dram, the complexity is further helped by the very long finish, which gives you plenty of time to decipher the assault of different notes & flavours.
Very pleased with it indeed. The intensity of the sherry notes was a really nice surprise. I certainly fully expected it to be a big bold & intense dram, but had only prepared for a slight & fairly subtle sherry influence. I’d say it’s a good guess that it has undergone some proper sherry cask maturation, rather than just a six months to a year finishing in sherry casks, as is t’ vogue.
These things aren’t stated, but it is quite similar in colour to the Seaweed & aeons & digging & fire 10 year old cask strength Islay which is 25% drawn from sherry casks & the viscosity/legs on the glass are also similar to my general experience of none chill filtered drams. So I’d say there is a decent chance of it being none chill filtered & natural colour.
My thoughts are that this is not just a niche dram for real peat-heads & that it is actually quite a good sherry-bomb in its own right. It runs the Glenfarclas 105 quite close in many ways, with extra complexity thrown in!
Took me around an extra 20 mins supping time over normal fer my first double dram. Not so much because it wuz challenging, but more to do with how big & bold it is & largely due to the really long finish.
Anyhoo, now back on at £36-95, which is pretty stonking VFM. I’ve already ordered a third bottle.
I could imagine some may find it too brash & forward. But I find it quite approachable with really quite a lot to like
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I have £35 of Amazon vouchers and all the bottles I was choosing from have now went up as I wasn’t quick enough. Might give this a shot.
Thats disappointing Paul. It’s so big it can take a decent drop of water. I remembered most of my first tasting notes very clearly this morning. Tis quite a memorable dram & certainly one you can slowly savour. Certainly excellent value at that price!!
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You’re making me want so many! 
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Ordered this today, this year’s committee member’s release from Ardbeg. 100 quid, which is the most I’ve spent on a bottle of whisky.
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Ditto. If you’re not set on drinking it, hold on to it as it should go up in price nicely in the next few months.
Wut!
Fuck that, whisky is for drinking and enjoying, not making a few bob 
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Green label on offer at Ama
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Sadly they are limiting you to one bottle.
I tried to order 3 a few days ago but they declined it. Just tried to order another but even though my other bottle is on its way they still won’t let me order more.
Agreed, but a lot of those Ardbeg special releases aren’t that amazing, they’re just a marketing gimmick. Make £500 odd profit on one and then you can get yourself many more (and potentially better) whiskeys to enjoy 
I guess, but I can’t be arsed with speculative investments
If that’s your bag, go for it, I’ll enjoy my paupers whisky
Cheers!
Not saying it’s an investment, and if the price does decrease then just open it anyway, win win. But yeah, each to their own. Was just offering a tip that most, if not all, of their special releases have increased in value after they stopped selling them.
Just bought a bottle of the Smokehead that Chris describes above. Got on multibuy from Amazon, which I will cancel once it arrives, for 31 quid. Considering MOM sell it for 55, and Smokehead themselves for 62, that’s some saving! I did wonder about all the marketing stuff, and normally this would put me off, but 31 quid for an Islay malt at cask strength sounds a bargain. And Chris’s write up above convnced me to go for it. If it’s rubbish, I will blame him and place a curse upon his shoulders 
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This ‘accidentally’ fell into the basket also. Might have to have a breather for a while now, been an expensive few months since I developed a taste for the smokier/peatier side of whisky!
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Yeah, I’m not too wowed by the marketing/branding/packaging. But it’s stood up as an enjoyable dram alongside some pretty decent single malts.
Wouldn’t dream of paying £62 fer it. Sub £40 it represents a solid buy & some of the recent deal prices a bit of a steal. £31 is almost hilariously cheap!! I reckon it holds up pretty well at the up to £45 level.
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I really like Corryv. It is an intense whisky with wide range of tastes on the palate
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It’s possible I may have found it overwhelming a year ago, but from Port Charlotte, Caol Ila, Ardbeg & Lagavulin over the last year I am really enjoying the Islay malts.
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