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.
This is the best Islay malt I have ever had. In my opinion it's perfect from the nose to the finish. There are a lot of competing notes from smoky to sweet to medicinal that are in perfect balance. Not only is this my favorite Islay malt, it is also one of the best entry level malts I have ever had. In addition to tasting so good Ardbeg 10 might also be the best value in scotch whisky. I usually find this for under $50 a bottle in the NYC/Long Island area. I love malts with strong and unique flavors whether from peat or sherry. I couldn't recommend this more. Great price, great whisky
I have had many a Scotch and very much enjoy smokey malts. However, I finally got around to buying a bottle of Ardbeg 10 and looked forward to tasting it. I poured a small taster in a glass, and could smell the nice peat smoke coming out of the bottle. I also smelled a bit of medicinal scent (which is fine). All was good until I nosed it. There was a rush of Smoke (nice) but followed by a very sick smell that made me feel uneasy. It was an unhealthy, unclean scent. It smelled like a good malt that had been poured over a rotten wound. There was dead fish, decomposing flesh, and infected wound smells. The taste was just as bad, almost vomit inducing. The phenol was very strong and tasted exactly like Chloroseptic mouth wash. I could not finish it. What a waste of $50. It tasted like a rotting bum sitting in a fireplace drinking a bottle of mouthwash. If dead flesh is an acquired taste, I am not moving towards acquiring that taste. I would rather drink Sheep Dip than this any day, at least that is clean, smokey and smells nice. Most reviews of this being so good are simply marketing at work. Lets not forget this "little" company (Ardbeg) is owned by a giant clothing/adverising company.
Makes this Scottish decedent proud to taste such a unique orated whisky. Iodine and pepper and vanilla and smoke and peat. How does that combine to be so wonderful on the palate? The magic of the moors I guess.
Tons of peat!!!. This Ardbeg is my "heavily peated" cheap option. I have Taliskers and several Laphroaigs (PX, QA, etc) but this is my everyday, heavy duty choice.
An unexpected windfall had me looking for a top drawer scotch with which to celebrate. While Talisker 10, an old and redoubtable favourite, was tempting me once again, I had long been reading about the Ardbeg 'oogy as an Islay touchstone. The Ardbeg 10 was on offer. I did the sensible thing and bought them both. Here's me: I love peat and smokiness *when done properly*. Laphroaig tastes like unrefined TCP for me, i had one bottle of Lagavulin 10 that was almost sherry-like, delicate, rich, exquistely balanced, but another that tasted like cheap Smokehouse. Not impressed. This was my first go at Ardbeg. Well well well. The very same qualities, albeit in a different context, that kept Talisker 10 an enduring, occasional but affordable mainstay were tempting me away. Talisker is sea, Ardbeg is earth. Primal, elemental, the Ardbeg 10 is an exquisite dram. Balance, depth and complexity, the extra alcohol giving it an almost eau de vie quality. Ardbeg 10 is what a great malt is about for me. Exceptional flavour and finish, a transcendent and life affirming spirit. I shall be sizing up their other expressions with great interest indeed. 5 stars.
