A phenomenal whisky packing powerful peaty deliciousness, Ardbeg 10 Year Old is a favourite of many whisky lovers around the world. Produced on the Kildalton Coast of Islay, this single malt matures for a decade before being bottled without any chill-filtration. If you're after a whisky full of coastal air, smoke and more, this is exactly what you want.
A ridge of vanilla leads to mountain of peat capped with citrus fruits and circled by clouds of sea spray.
Sweet vanilla counterbalanced with lemon and lime followed by that surging Ardbeg smoke that we all know and love.
Long and glorious; sea salted caramel and beach bonfire smoke.
Precise balance, big smoke and non-chill filtered. This is why this is such a famous dram.
I've not tried many whiskies, I'm very new to them and as yet I can't pick out the different flavours that explode on my tongue. Started with Glenfiddich, then my next stop was Talisker 10 year old (which I loved), then tried Glenmorangie 10 year old (as it was the only single malt available in my local pub), which I enjoyed, but felt was lacking something in the flavour department. The Ardbeg 10 year old was on offer in my local supermarket, so, having so enjoyed the Talisker, I bought myself a bottle. Possibly the best £37 I have ever spent. I'm torn between this and the Talisker as to which is my favourite, the only way I can think to settle it is to taste them both in the same night. My palate is still learning, but between Ardbeg and Talisker I will definitely be a very happy man!
Nose: Intense Peat, Green-Apples, Smoke, Herbs. Taste/Finish: Spice, Sweet & Sour, Lime, Sea-Air, Mint, Good medium Finish! I'd recommend this to anyone who likes seated whisky. Good price, nice design and heritage.
A great smoky Islay scotch. Rich, and robust peat. Not sure what's in it though, as Ardbeg gives me a splitting headache. I thought that I obtained a bad batch, and liked the flavor so much I bought another bottle down the road, and the same thing happened. Same thing when I bought Ardbeg Uigeadail. I'd recommend Laphroiag 10 or Lagavulin, or Caoila 12 over this based on my experience with it.
I took the slow train to Islayville, but the trip was not without its merit. I like all others before me started off with other single malts the Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, Macallan, etc. my first big peat stop was the Highland Park 12. and it is still an excellent scotch. but I needed more robust flavors, spice, pepper, smoke etc. so recently visited the Old Hickory whiskey bar in Pensacola, enjoying different drams, and still wanted to venture to Islay, so the Bar Manager climbed the ladder to bring down the Ardbeg. Ah finally the train came to a screeching halt and I alit to the most excellent scotch I had ever tasted. For those of you who are not quite on the peat train yet, no worries, just keep riding eventually your train will come to a stop, or if not just keep riding.
The ardbeg 10 year old is worth a try, if you're into Islay malts. My first dram, I thought it was overpoweringly peaty on the nose. Once I managed to fight my way through the peat, subtle notes of vanilla and a very light citrus appeared. More of the same on the pallet really, but with an added touch of dried fruits, not particularly sweet fruits at that, which complimented the vanilla notes very well. I came back to the bottle two or three weeks after the first dram, and I noticed the overpowering peat had mellowed a bit, allowing the vanilla to really flourish in the background. Much better the second time around, however, not bad at all the first time. Happy sipping, friends!
