Based on
4 categories
Ardbeg Hypernova
Company: Glenmorangie/Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy
Distillery: Ardbeg Distillery
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Age: NAS
Style: Single Malt Scotch
ABV: 51% (102 Proof)
Price: $199 (but typically found for $229 to $299)
Distribution: Committee Release; some international availability.
Overall: This is an Ardbeg Committee Release to skip. The nose lacks inspiration, it tastes much younger than it should, and fails to deliver on the promised level of smoke and provides little value for the hefty price tag. As Ardbeg boldly experiments with new dimensions of taste in whiskey, there are going to be winners and losers. Hypernova did not work out for Ardbeg, but does not reflect a larger trend in Ardbeg’s trajectory as a pioneer of peat.
Background: In 2000, three years after the Ardbeg Distillery reopened, the distillery launched the Ardbeg Committee, a group of tens of thousands of Ardbeg fans who get access to special Ardbeg “Committee Releases,” and other benefits. The purpose of the Committee is two fold: it is used as a sales channel for limited release, experimental whiskies; and for some Committee members to taste limited releases to make sure they are up to Ardbeg’s standards before putting them into the marketplace. These limited releases are usually at or around cask strength and carry creative names such as, “Dark Cover,” “Alligator,” “Scorcher,” “Supernova,” etc. — to say that Ardbeg does things differently than its peers is an understatement.
Ardbeg Committee Releases have become wildly popular, and often highly collectible, but have also generated a group of detractors who believe all of the theatrics surrounding the Committee Releases is overdone and recent releases have not lived up to Ardbeg standards. Ardbeg Hypernova is the evolution of its Supernova Committee Release, and came to market in the fourth quarter of 2022. Pitched as the smokiest Ardbeg ever made at 170 parts per million (PPM) of phenol content, Hypernova, by the numbers, could be the smokiest whiskey in the world.
Nose: Classic charcoal and tar on the nose, but with something more medicinal underneath; balanced with the buttery sweetness more associated with new make whiskey.
Palate: Smokey notes of charcoal and burnt rubber, but not nearly as intense as would be expected from the 170ppm phenol count. Anise, some salt, and the rounded fruity, buttery, sweet taste of new make. Hypernova tastes very young. It’s an interesting taste, but not compelling.
Finish: More smoke with a young whiskey finish.
Balance/Structure: Not well-balanced. The smoke, taste, and proof point all felt wrong. Something went wrong with this Committee Release at some point and it seems to have fallen short of expectations.
Conclusion: The most notable thing about Ardbeg Hypernova is what it is not: the smokiest-tasting whiskey ever produced by Ardbeg. Ardbeg is a Scotch heavyweight and is doing some of the most exciting things in the industry today. Hypernova, unfortunately, feels like something went wrong with this experiment. It tastes young, falls short of being Ardbeg’s biggest smoke bomb, and the whole experience feels uncentered. This is not one to get caught up in the Committee Release fever over, and is best tried at a bar as a comparison to others Committee Releases for Ardbeg fans. Hypernova was disappointing in its delivery from nose to finish, but seems more of a fluke as Ardbeg pushes the boundaries of whiskey making. Hats off to Ardbeg for their continued and unwavering commitment to do things different and work with their customers to create new products, but there are many other Ardbeg expressions out there more worth the money.
