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Ardbeg Supernova Returns For A Very Limited Peaty Whisky Run

A little earlier this year popular Scotch single malt whisky distillery Ardbeg, based on Islay and known for its peaty whisky style, opted to bring back for one more time a popular expression said to be one of the more peaty they have to offer. Known as Supernova, it is said to be about as smoky of a whisky as you’ll probably ever have.

The Ardbeg Supernova 2019 whisky, according to those behind it, was last seen on retail shelves back in 2015 as part of a celebration to mark the brand sending some of spirit into space to orbit the Earth for three years about the International Space Station. This 2019 run is bottled at 53.8% ABV and has a pale bronze color to it.

“Supernova is the peatiest expression we produce at Ardbeg,” said Dr Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation & Whisky Stocks at Ardbeg, in a prepared statement. “The way the flavours build and build and then explode in a burst of pungent peat and smoke is truly astonishing.”

Ardbeg Supernova 2019
Ardbeg Supernova 2019 (image via Ardbeg)

As this is a limited release that’s been out for a bit, it is unclear about many bottles are still left in retail channels. It is pricing around $180 per 750 ml bottle, and you’ll find some official tasting notes below for your consideration.

  • Aroma: Clouds of pungent aniseed, menthol and eucalyptus are underscored with sweet notes of treacle toffee. Hints of peppermint, a frisson of fennel, and a mysterious camphorousscent in the far distance… With water, more toffee notes emerge with a burst of dry, earthy peat.
  • Taste:A tingly, peppery mouthfeel leads to a veritable explosion of intense, earthy, smoky notes –a nebular of bonfires, soot, charred oak, birch tar and menthol.
  • Finish:Unbelievably long, with layers of treacle toffee, aniseed, oak tannin, clove and just a hint of bittersweet, tangy Seville orange on the aftertaste.
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