Hello Fellow Scotch Lovers –

About a month ago, we got our hands on a shipment of Ardbeg Alligator 2011 Release. It sold out in about 2 hours. But thanks to our boy Nicky The Neck, and his friends who know a guy, we have secured a second and final shipment for this phenomenal limited production whisky.

Ardbeg Alligator is named for the high level of char on the inside of some of the casks used for maturation, which makes the wood look like alligator skin. The Alligator is a unique expression for Ardbeg, and indeed for Scotland in general. This young whisky is aged for an undisclosed amount of time in heavily charred new oak barrels, like a bourbon. The resulting whisky is mingled with the standard 10 year old expression and allowed to age further for one more season in refill casks.

The folks at Ardbeg describe Alligator as “a spicy, dark dram of hidden depths, within which lurks deep tarry coffee, barbecue sizzle and sooty aromas. For it is an expression that may prove a challenge to the unwary and test the palate of even the most hardened Ardbeg adventurer.”

The price for a bottle of Alligator is $115. We have an extremely limited supply and, as always, once it’s gone, its gone. So please, order your bottle now (limit 1-bottle per customer).

I hope you will take advantage of this exceptional opportunity.

Until next Wednesday.

Doug Stone
Founder
www.ForScotchLovers.com

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ARDBEG ALLIGATOR

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ARDBEG ALLIGATOR 2011 RELEASE TASTING NOTES – Courtesy of CaskStrength

Nose: Immediate spicy, fruity notes, with rolled oak shavings, BBQ charcoal, stewed apples, white pepper and hints of strong tea and fresh bourbon. With a dash of water the whisky really comes alive with wonderful rich vanilla tones, chocolate orange notes and hints of copper. Sterling stuff.

Palate: Big, resonant and dry, leading into more of the chocolate orange notes, sweet vanilla, hints of Five Spice and more stewed apple. Then the smoke arrives, soft, aromatic and gentle at first, giving this a superb complexity.

Finish: The sweet vanilla develops alongside the soft smoke for a very lengthy and pleasing finish.

Overall: What a mega whisky. We were critical of the last committee bottling (Rollercoaster) and its apparent lack of consistency and overly youthful tones, but Alligator is just brilliant. Rich, complex and spicy, it puts Ardbeg right back up there in terms of how to construct a highly drinkable and complex smoky whisky. Miss this one at your peril.

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