Ardbeg 10 Islay Scotch

Ardbeg 10 yo Islay Scotch, 750ml, standard bottle, box packaging, 92 proof, about $40.

Sorry for the poor pic.


What a great day to be outside and work in the yard. Our garden is all prepped and ready for planting next weekend, weed & feed is on the lawn and mulch is spread. After all that was done I had about 90 minutes before my wife's supurb beef bourguignon was ready. Time enough to enjoy the peat monster of Islay.

Ardbeg has recently had a roller coaster of a ride. While distillation has occured at their site since 1795 and the whisky was fairly popular until the 1970's, declining fortunes mothballed it in 1981. This closure, until revived in 1996 by Glenmorangie, is the reason that older Ardbeg is scarce. If you come across the Ardbeg 17, 1975, 1977 or 1978 buy it!

As the most peaty of all the Islay whiskies Ardbeg is an acquired taste, much more so then Laphroaig for example. The nose of this jumps out of the glass with a fist full of smoke and tar. A few drops of water bring out heavy caramel, raisins and baked apples. Tasting is full of flavors all fighting for attention. Salt, sea, iodine, smoke, malt, with the above nosed raisins converge into a chewy full flavored dram. The finish is long, salty and peaty with a tingle on the sides of the tongue that lasts and lasts.

For those that like the peaty Islay drams, Ardbeg is a staple of the liquor cabinet. For a $40 bottle it is a hell of a buy. ACE :thumbs:

eh, this is the sort of exactly perfect review that saves me money, and lets me appreciate the quality without argueing over opinions.

I'm the 'un-peat' sort of scotch drinker, and short of moving to the great white north will likely remain so. I LOVE the smell of it..

I love MOST things smokey, and good peated malt is perfume to me.. wouldn't mind a dash behind my ears when I went out dancing..

But, it certainly is not a casual taste, and while i did gaze wistfully at my first empty bottle of Laphroaig, and even MORE at the Lagavulin..

I didn't open another. Just too serious a drink for me, most days. It's grand to get the experience vicariously. If i'm ever stuck for the right bottle to take ice fishing, Ardbeg makes the cut!

After learning to enjoy smoky, peaty, Islay single malts, I figured I'd ask AVB how he thought I might like this Ardberg. he suggested that I try the Ardberg Uigeadail so I bought a bottle and it arrived today. The Uigeadail is 108.4 proof! :0 and as AVB suggested to me, it's best enjoyed with a little ice. I first tried it neat and it knocked me on my arse.

I am fast becoming a fan of the Islays now that I have a Laphroaig, Bowmore and Ardberg in my modest collection. I plan on picking up a bottle of Lagavulin 16yo next week. :thumbs:

Another great review Ray. I hear you Bill. Ray is having quite an effect on me as well, as I have a bottle of Laphroaig 30 year Apparently, this is the next Islay on the list!

BobbyRitz said:

Another great review Ray. I hear you Bill. Ray is having quite an effect on me as well, as I have a bottle of Laphroaig 30 year Apparently, this is the next Islay on the list!

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Yeah, I hear that! :laugh: And here I thought Cuban cigars were a "slippery slope" By this time next week, my collection will be at eleven bottles with three Islays and a bottle of Talisker 18yo. :thumbs:

Ardberg Uigeadail is not the most peaty whisky out there but it is the most peaty that is fairly easy to find. I'm out of the stuff myself at the moment but will fix that in a month or two.

coventrycat86 said:

BobbyRitz said:

Another great review Ray. I hear you Bill. Ray is having quite an effect on me as well, as I have a bottle of Laphroaig 30 year Apparently, this is the next Islay on the list!

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Yeah, I hear that! :laugh: And here I thought Cuban cigars were a "slippery slope" By this time next week, my collection will be at eleven bottles with three Islays and a bottle of Talisker 18yo. :thumbs:

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Shit, that goddamned Loren got me started and now I'm somewhere around 54 bottles or so.
















So when's the next buy? :laugh:

About 2 weeks or less

Smokyballs said:

So when's the next buy? :laugh:

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Just had a chance this Thanksgiving to try this blessed nectar they call Ardbeg 10! I've always been a fan of the Islay but now I'm gaga for it and can't wait to try more. I ususally drink Lagavulin 16, and have enjoyed Laphroaig when I get the chance. I don't know exactly what I like better - the peat, the salt, the iodine, or the phenominal flavors and aromas coaxed with the addition of branch water. AVB, your review is spot on and I love :love: the tingle on my tongue. BTW: Why did my bottle not have a label? I was in a sealed box. I smoked a Don Carlos 2005 God of Fire Robusto with a large pour! I'd love to try some of the older bottlings of Ardbeg as well one day. Review of the GOF to follow.

You are expanding my horizons!

Jim Murray, in the 2008 Whiskey Bible, named this the World Whiskey of the Year. His re-tasting of it scored a 97 out of 100 points.

I just picked this 2 days ago in the same store I found the Chrystal Head I have been looking for. It has been a few years since I have had this and after reading some more reviews from Ray this one jumped out at me at the store. I paid $46 for this bottle, which I feel was a good price for what it is.

Well as stated by Ray above this is a really peaty Islay, which in the past I didn't really appreciate as much as I do now. I am hoping that my palate is finally growing up. At first pour (neat) this has a very string nose to me mostly of smoke and peat, my nose didn't pick up on the tar until after I put a few drops of water in the glass. Also after the water entered the scotch the toffee and sweet chocolate hit. Taste is almost a mouthwatering feel, very deep peat taste and almost a tobacco smoke in the middle which turns into a sweet finish that lingers on the tongue with a nice tickle that hangs out for a bit.

All in all the finish is nice I really like it it had a great peat almost malty feel, nice and warming on the way down that stayed for the long haul. I wouldn't recommend this for a beginner but for someone that has a few bottles of something milder under their belt. This is a very acquired taste, you must really enjoy a good strong single malt to drink this.


Thanks for the aforementioned review Ray, it really did make me try this again and in doing so I fell in love with an old flame.



Sam

Smokey, smokey and some more smoke. This is my goto heavy spirit I always have a bottle on hand, when ever I am in the mood for something heavy and it is not a special occasion this is what I pour me a dram of it's wonderful. It goes great with a full bodied smoke like a La Gloria Cubana Serie R. This is a must try scotch if you think you can handle its boldness. Enjoy :thumbs:

Found a bottle of this at the state store in Punxy Pa. (little town for those who don't know) and was the only one left. A customer had ordered a bottle and the manager decided to get two. The bottle wasn't on the shelve long and it wasn't in the system yet either. As I was checking out, the manager said she was going to be placing another order for it.

I had a glass last night. Absolutely fantastic! Tasted great just as it was, no ice or water! Honestly, I don't know if I like this or Lagavulin better. Good thing I picked up another bottle of Lag to take on our yearly Hatfield and McCoy trip!

Just a comment. I am really enjoying the heavily peated scotches, so far, a Laphroigh Cask Strenght and Lagavullin. My sweet wife purchased a bottle of Ardberg 10 year old. I have really enjoyed the strength of it so far. Nice reviews on this if you really like peated scotches.

I've been blessed with bottles of each of the Uigeadail and Corryvreckan expressions of Ardbeg this year. Peat deliciousness! Wonderful and more wonderful respectively... Now there's just the Supernova to try.

tuelle said:

I've been blessed with bottles of each of the [font=Helvetica Neue']Uigeadail and [/font][font=Helvetica Neue']Corryvreckan expressions of Ardbeg this year. Peat deliciousness! Wonderful and more wonderful [/font]respectively... Now there's just the Supernova to try.

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And don't forget to try the Galileo and Alligator versions of this delicious dram.

Love this bottle, has a great price point and is equal to Laphroiag in my opinion. I think I like this one a little more actually.