Ardbeg Supernova 2019 Committee Release
Ardbeg Supernova, the whisky that went to the moon! Wait, it didn’t get launched into space? Oh. But Ardbeg sent whisky up on a space shuttle, didn’t they? Well, yeah sort of, but only a few vials of compounds (not actually whisky, from my understanding). For some reason ever since the earlier Supernova releases, there’s been a little confusion about this—I’ve heard a number of whisky fans say that they thought Supernova itself went into space. It did not. Did Ardbeg intentionally invite this confusion by giving their hyper-peated limited release whisky a space-themed name? Perhaps. Regardless, so far as I’m aware there has never been a whisky aged in space that’s been sold commercially by anyone. I rather doubt that an actual cask of whisky has ever been launched into space or will be anytime soon—think about the fact that every bit of weight on a rocket ship trying to leave Earth’s gravity is critical, and whisky casks are very heavy… so it seems highly unlikely that NASA or any other space agency would be willing to haul such a heavy cask on a joy ride into orbit. Then again, Tesla did launch a car into orbit, so who knows.
Anyhow, while Supernova may not have gone to space, it is an intriguing release from Ardbeg—a super heavily peated offering from a distillery already known for producing peat monsters. Normal Ardbeg is peated to around 50-55 PPM (parts per million of phenols), while Supernova is supposedly around 100 PPM. So roughly double the peat. Sounds like fun!
Supernova occupies the same space in the whisky realm as Bruichladdich’s Octomore series. Supernova and Octomore share a good bit in common—insanely high levels of peat, generally young in age, expensive, and often hard to find. Although Octomore is peated even more heavily than Supernova, once you get into this stratosphere of peat overload, it’s almost hard to tell the difference between 100 PPM vs. 200 PPM.
These young peat super monsters generally seem to do well at a young age. All that peat often leads to a surprising level of complexity in a malt that otherwise might take twice as long to mature to anything worthwhile. At least that’s been my experience with most of the Octomore releases I’ve tried.
Ardbeg has released several different batches of Supernova over the years. The original version came out in 2009, with additional releases in 2010, 2014, 2015, and this 2019 version (perhaps there’s another year in there I’m missing, but those are the Supernova release years I’m aware of). I had tried a sample of the 2014 release a while back and wasn’t very impressed, but when a new version came out last year and was available locally, I decided to jump on it and bought a bottle. In spite of the fact that I often find Ardbeg’s committee releases to be overpriced disappointments, sometimes I just can’t help myself.
So what to make of a double-the-peat Ardbeg? Let’s see…
Ardbeg Supernova Review (2019 Committee Release)
Type: Single Malt Scotch
Region: Islay
Age: NAS
ABV: 53.8%
Non chill-filtered
Nose
Deep, smoky, and savory. Cologne-like, as if you’re walking past the men’s fragrance counter in a department store. Vetiver and wet grass. Sandalwood. Concentrated lemon juice. Menthol. Phenols. Tar. Seawater. Coastal breeze. A touch of gooey caramel. Honey. Vanilla pudding. Wonderfully complex. One of the best Ardbeg noses I’ve ever experienced.
Palate
Sweet caramel peat smoke. Lemon meringue pie, with an emphasis on the lemon. Meaty. Salmon grilled on a wooden plank… not so much the salmon itself, but the caramelized char crumbles on the edges. Menthol. Sandalwood. Tobacco. White grapes. Mint chocolate chip ice cream. Zesty youthfulness, but not immature. Yes this is almost certainly young whisky, but it’s a whisky that works at a young age.
Surprisingly easy drinking for the ABV. Doesn’t need much (or any) water.
Finish
Very long. Smoky, spicy and sweet. BBQ sauce. Lemon pudding. Vanilla cream. Demerara sugar. Chardonnay.
Overall
I assume this is a young whisky, but it doesn’t taste all that young. Well, it does in spots, but in a good and vibrant sort of way. Fantastically complex, from the nose all the way to the finish. Really quite unique… it’s clearly Ardbeg, and yet not your typical Ardbeg whatsoever. The sandalwood and cologne notes are fun and enjoyable, at least to my nose and palate.
SCORE: 7/10
Final Thoughts
I distrust Ardbeg NAS releases in general. I’ve been burned too many times. But damn, this is good stuff. I wish the price was lower (it retailed for around $180—yikes), which is why I hesitated to score this higher than a 7 (still a good score on my rating scale), but it is in line with Octomore pricing (the only other comparable malt on the market). Extra peat apparently means extra cost. And that makes sense to an extent, although I imagine the majority of the high price is due to the fact that this is a limited release with a high amount of demand, and therefore Ardbeg can set the price as they like knowing it will sell out regardless.
I’ve been hard on Ardbeg limited releases a few times recently due to their obvious immaturity, especially the 2020 Committee Release, Ardbeg Blaaack, which I wrote off as being far too young. Is Supernova any older than Blaaack or other NAS Ardbegs? Well, who knows. Probably not. But not all young whiskies are created equal. I like young whiskies when they are well crafted, and in the case of Supernova, I find it does indeed work well in spite of its youth (unlike Blaaack)… or perhaps even because of its youth. It’s unique, and uniqueness in single malts is one of the things I seek out (as long as it’s the yummy sort of uniqueness, rather than the “this tastes like cow dung” type of uniqueness, obviously). I mentioned in the opening that these super heavy peat monsters tend to be more complex at a younger age than malts of lesser peat constitutions, and indeed that is the case here. A fun whisky, best enjoyed when you’re in the mood for peat slap to the face.
Buying Advice: This is not a beginner’s whisky, and the price certainly reflects that. But if you’re a well-versed peat head and an Ardbeg fan, then Supernova is worth trying. The 2019 Supernova release is probably sold out in most places, but if you do manage to find a bottle on the shelf at its original price and you have the money to spare, it’s not a bad way for an Islay whisky fan to splurge.
Questions about my scoring system? Refer to the Review Method & Scoring Scale page.
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