This just in: the second release of Ardbeg Supernova will be released beginning May 31, 2010.
This one is being described as “deeper and earthier” with a “rocketed” strength of 60.1% ABV.
More details here.
May 13th, 2010
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I got to try this at the Ardbeg Committee party in Chicago. It is everything you love in a supernova. I noticed some grassy notes on the nose. I believe Mickey said it was going to be at the same price point, so I will pick up a bottle or two I am sure.
I missed the party, but I’m looking forward to tasting this one!
At first I didn’t like the old Supernova, then I did. It was a pretty austere whisky IMHO– Clean cut, and elegant in comparison to the Corry or Rollercoaster. I wonder, did others pick up on some of this and ultimately end up a little zoned out by it? I’ll be interested to see if the new Nova is really more off the chain or not.
Red,
Do you recall what you didn’t like at first?
And, if you’ve had Octomore Orpheus, can you draw a comparison?
If I can still get a bottle of the previous Supernova, should I?
Mitch, yes, why not. It’s a very good bottle of whisky. Although this one promises (this from the marketing blurb) to be better.
But that is always the case. The next one is always better than the last.
Is this through some black-market channels? Are there bottles still available in the US at a reasonable price? If so, I want in.
Turns out there aren’t any available. I got excited over nothing.
I got a bottle a couple months back from a German site online (scoma.de), but they seem to have sold out now. If you’re not too squeamish about ordering online from a foreign country, it’s worth looking around a bit. Sometimes you can get lucky.
Mitch, looks like The Whisky Exchange has some of the 2009 Supernova in stock right now at 106 GPB, which Google tells me is about $157. Obviously shipping won’t be cheap, but maybe there are some other bottles you might want (or people you can share in the order with). I ordered from these guys twice without any problems, and the scotch gets here pretty quickly (~1 week) considering how far the UK is (a few thousand leagues by my estimation).
as per winesearcher (non-pro version) there are two stores in michigan that have the supernova at $120ish, and one in san francisco at $130. since the non-pro version only delivers results for the stores that are sponsors, there are probably other places.
Great find, mongo. I usually use the Google Shopping tab. This ain’t no wine, but it seems to work just a well. Thanks!
sometimes being able to find malts you want is not a good thing: now i’m trying to figure out who i know in michigan that i could have some delivered to, and how they could then send it to me. one of those michigan places has the corryvreckan as well, which is yet to show its face in minnesota.
I’ll be honest, I don’t know how people drink the Supernova. It’s not my style.
With lots of ice.
Some Ardbeg lovers are gonna hunt you down Rodion
I know. Some whisky drinkers can be so anal about the use of ice, they make it too easy to get a rise out of them. In reality, I wouldn’t dare “add” ice to an Ardbeg. I think that’s the distillery that made me fall in love with scotch again (not that I ever fell that out of love with it).
Take a measure of any “specialality” Ardbeg – straight from the bottle, neat. Hold it for two minutes if you can, do not worry – the burn will pass. After all, you payed double for these beauties. Nearly an hour later, slurp slurp, Ardbeg is still there, teasingly.
That is how I take my well-payed for non-aged Ardbeg’s.
Cheers
I found the 1st Supernova to quite a bit over average for NAS young islays- Its sweetness was unusual. I liked it. Not sure how much I liked the local price of it thou
Macdeffe
I also tasted at the Committee party in Chicago after Whiskyfest and its very nice – we need a comparative tasting of Supernova 1 & 2 along with Octomore 1 & 2 – Monique, you listening?
I was just informed that for the U.S. contingent here, you can expect this whisky to start showing up on retailers shelves in early June. Price point is recommended to be $120-$130. And I will have a review sample next week!
That picture looks shopped. I can tell from some of the pixels and from seeing many shops in my time.
I’m pretty sure I didn’t buy the last one based on the price and pretty sure I won’t buy this one either. I’m still not being drawn into these fancy marketing experiments.
I would definitely classify the Macallan Masters of Photography series a “fancy marketing experiment,” but I would disagree that this is. Although one could reasonably argue for overpriced, I think that the Supernova is an expansion of Ardbeg’s line of whisky, as opposed to a mere marketing ploy.
i wouldn’t dismiss this as a “fancy marketing experiment” but i think ardbeg can be pretty gimmicky too. the difference is that the product of their gimmicks are whisky and not nebulously related “value-adds”.
i have a soft spot for the distilleries that have a regular small stable of core releases and occasionally do a special release. the independent bottlers already do a good job of introducing dizzying variety.
They’re no Bruichladdich …
Hi there,
our friend Serge has some news on that.
Ardbeg ‘Supernova SN2010’ (60.1%, OB, 2010) Rated: Five stars
This sequel will be available on May 31. Colour: white wine. Nose: punchy and rather spirity at first nosing, peaty of course but not quite extreme – so far. Very big notes of plum spirit (or other stone fruit eau-de-vie), lime juice, icing sugar, cut grass… It’s very austerely grassy in fact, with also something unusually mineral (aspirin tablets). Antiseptic, tincture of iodine. Quite some soot, graphite and linseed oil too. Whiffs of zesty savagnin wine (made ‘under veil’ like they do in Jura). With water: gets a little smoother and rounder. Fresh almonds, oysters and leather. Oh, and ashes. No ashtray, though… Also hints of eucalyptus and pine resin.
Mouth (neat): very strong, extremely limony (acidic), grassy, tarry and liquoricy. Some salt as well and a little almond oil and black pepper. Very, very zesty and concentrated at the same time. With water: it became rather smoother and fruitier. Lemon jelly, lemon marmalade, touches of grapefruit and pineapple and a faint prickliness (peppered lemon juice). Finish: long, with returning ash and tar and much less fruits now. Liquorice wood. Very dry and very clean aftertaste (bitter chocolate (80+%), coffee bean, ash, pepper). Comments: I think it’s maybe a tad fruitier (lemon), grassier and rounder – but it’s no round whisky at all – than earlier Supernovas but otherwise it’s very similar, that is to say very, very good. No need to split hairs and come up with a different score if you ask me.
For those of you who find them helpful SGP:369 – 90 points.
http://www.whiskyfun.com/
Greetings
kallaskander
The promise of an ‘earthier’ Ardbeg appeals to me, but at $120-$130 a bottle I think I will be forced to pass.
I’m heading to Chicago in 2 weeks to check out a few of the Northside whisky bars reviewed in MA 19:1, and of course to make a Binnys run. I’m hoping one of the bars will have the new Supernova on the shelf, though it may be a *long shot*. Since I’ll be on vacation I would spring for a pricey glass…and if it blows me away, I would make a rare purchase of a $100+ bottle with the Binnys 10% MAWS discount. Especially if they have it priced at $120, the bottom line would be about $125 (after the Cook County tax) and I could occasionally do that for a stellar Islay whisky.
Hey Larry – good time to come to Chicago – our weather is getting nice, the Blackhawks are in the Stanley Cup Championship, and Supernova will be on the shelves! The Duke of Perth and Delilahs are my fave whisky bars on the northside. If you are in the Loop, I like the Berghoff (not a whiskey bar but they are generous pourers). Also in the Loop on Wacker and Madison, 1N Kitchen and Bar has a nice whiskey selection and offers $5 drams on Mondays as well as specials on their “whiskies of the month”.
Have a good time!
But you will be watching my Philadelphia Flyers kick the Blackhawk’s asses.
Uhh what did you say John?
Next year…
For you UK folks: there’s a place in East Sussex called Hailsham Cellars that lists it for £73.95. I’m guessing that’s the 2009.
The Moet Hennessy USA sell sheet lists the 2010 at $130.99