Nose: Softened peat, tarry smoke, an underlying sweetness, a bit dusty even. Some lemon and lime but not as much as the naked 10. Really harmonious.
Palate: Very Ardbeg, and very good. Some melons like honeydew are faintly there as is some waxiness which gives it a great mouth feel. Shortbread, a nice underlying sweetness.
Finish: great tarry smoke and light spice finish. More understated and balanced than the othe Ardbeg OBs. But a huge chunk of Ardbeg makes itself known in this whisky and that’s really awesome that it still kept its identity.
Summary: If I was a whisky investor, (which I am not) I would buy this stuff by the case. I just can’t see it being replicated like flaming heart for example (also fantastic). I think a year after this stuff is all gone it will be one of those, remember Compass Box No Name? Compass box is pretty collectible in its own right with its snazzy packaging and next level marketing. Ardbeg is arguably currently the most collectible, so it’s a bit of a double whammy. Also, it’s pretty damn good. Just a masterpiece of blending in my Opinion, with each ingredient complementing the other. All this at an extremely fair price ($120 Canadian). A modest price for a Compass Box, and an even more modest price for 75% 2003 Ardbeg. All this is great, but it is important to keep in mind that sometimes hype overshadows the fact whisky like Ardbeg 10, Corry, and Oogie are still really really good and some would argue better. Still a knockout whisky at a fair price which is the real win here. Easy buy.
90/100