Holy God this is so much darker than I expected. I imagine I've had plenty of scotches that have been partly aged in French Limousin casks, but considering such a large portion of this offering features it, I'm expecting to be hit by a different flavor entirely. What's more exciting than all of that, though, is just being able to find a cask strength of any Ardbeg, so the flavors I already know from Ardbeg are expected to be much more up front and flavorful here. The color here is much darker than I have seen of traditional Ardbeg 10, so this already tells me that the French Limousin contributes such a large portion of a new flavor and color. Past salted fat and seaweed notes traditional of the peat, I get a large amount of oak on the nose that splits the line between sweet (caramel and vanilla, like that of a bourbon barrel), and fruity (grilled tropical or berry fruits with plenty of char, typical of raw, European oak). The oak lends the first flavor notes, giving a sweetness bomb that is very unexpected and almost unwelcome for what Ardbeg traditionally provides. The sea salt and other ocean flavors stay put initially, but the oak definitely mellows out any of the harder smoked meat notes also typical of the Ardbeg 10 year. The fruity notes that I got on the nose are trying to surface, but never quite get past the proof, which, although is very pleasant for a cask strength, does provide a slight spiciness that rules over most of the finish. In addition to this, the earthy, salty shores also join the finish in flavor. Well, this may be the best scotch I have so far in my collection. The difference here that cask strength and the extensive French Limousin aging makes is not necessarily different, but stacks so well with the traditional flavors of Ardbeg 10. This offering turns out to be much sweeter than I would have expected, which ends up taking away some of the more familiar smokier notes that I appreciate from the base Ardbeg spirit. Still, this particular scotch really does hit all notes typical of smoky Islay, sweet Highland, and grainy Speyside, that is very approachable for a lot of parties regardless of the cask strength.