Ardbeg Smoketrails Napa Valley Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky (1000ml)

The third edition in the Smoketrails series comes matured in a marriage of bourbon casks and x-Cabernet sauvignon casks from the Napa Valley in Northern California. Wine plus peat can be a bit of a lottery. Here, the Cabernet is said to take second place to the distillery's typically heavy phenols, leaving trace notes of baked rye, rich espresso and cool menthol. Bottled in August 2024 at a strength of 46% in a one litre format. Non-chill filtered.

Other reviews... Matured in bourbon barrels and cabernet sauvignon red wine casks, this is intensely peaty on first sniff, but it’s wonderfully aromatic peat fires, verging on bonfire smoke at times. Paired with this are aromas of plum, black olive tapenade, black truffle, and toasted sourdough. The palate mingles chocolate muffin, dried cranberry, spices, and peat smoke, with hints of menthol and eucalyptus stretching into the finish. 90 points - whiskyadvocate.com

A fine dram, although ashiness is one of my least favourite elements of peated whisky, and the Ardbeg Smoketrails Napa Valley Edition has plenty of it. The wine influence is also not insignificant. All in all it is a minor miracle I scored it this high. - wordsofwhisky.com