As far as whiskies go, I'm a peated scotch fan. It's almost always going to be my top choice when it's available. Now I like pretty much all styles of whisky when done right. But there's something about the peated scotches that floats my boat. I'd say Islay, but I love Talisker and that's a different island. In 2006, as I was discovering whiskies, my friend Peter hosted tastings at his apartment. They were invariably a success though the formula had to be tweaked over time. The first tasting was for bourbon. Everyone brought a bottle. And given there were 25 of us who showed up (less a tasting and more a full party at that point), we ended up with 25 different bottles to taste. He'd handed out slips of paper beforehand, and even though we were only taking sips of each, by about whisky number 10, the writing was slanting across the page like a sad clown. The next tasting was Irish, and he had us team up. Two or three of us got together and pitched in for one bottle, which raised the quality of the bottles involved and meant we only 10 or so to sample. The third tasting was the scotch tasting. It was more subdued. I think there were only around 10 of us showing up to that one. And one of the bottles was Ardbeg 10. My buddy Luke took a whiff and recoiled. But Peter loved it. He's a contrarian, so it made sense that he would love it, simply because everyone else there hated it. They say peated scotch is an acquired taste, and perhaps it is for most people, but when I said, "Hand it here," and poured a glass and took a sip, I knew I'd found my home. I've always loved campfire. I used to stop at this bar in South Philly called Devil's Den on my way home from work. It had a great selection of draft beers and they were half off between 4-6. Better yet, they had a woodfire in the bar, and I sat as close as I could to come home smelling like it. Don't know why that does it for me. Just does. Don’t know why Ardbeg does it for me. Just does. I tasted Laphroaig 10 not long after. And I loved that too. Whenever I tasted Laphroaig, I’d say, I’m a Laphroaig man. Then I’d taste Ardbeg and think, no, I’m an Ardbeg man. Finally, I tasted them both together, and I had to admit that perhaps I swing both ways. At this point, I hadn’t had Talisker. Lagavulin was a long way off in my future, and I’d never even heard of Bruichladdich. I’m not sure why it took me so long to taste them side-by-side (I’m not tasting them that way for this review), but it took me almost 15 years to decide to do so. Laphroaig is more medicinal. Ardbeg has a sweeter edge, but is rather saline. Those are the major differences. Ardbeg 10 has this description on the side of the bottle that I love, tarry rope. Not something I’d ever think to bother tasting, a tarry rope. I always think that’s funny, when whiskies get described as tasting like something we’d never taste. I get it, I do it, but I always think it’s funny. Because when you read, tarry rope, and you taste it, tarry rope seems to make sense. The sweetness, my own interpretation, is like this mixture of caramel and butterscotch, which is stronger and a little harsher in the Ardbeg 5 Wee Beastie and little tamer and subtler and more “grown up” here. And of course, on the nose, there’s the peat, the smokiness, that lovely sweet smokiness. It's hard for me to be objective about this or the Laphroaig 10. We go way back. They’re like that childhood friend where a lot of people can’t see why you think they’re so great, but you’re absolutely certain they’re the coolest person you’ve ever met, right? There’s also a saline quality mixed in with the smoke and the sweetness that give it a nice edge and balance. Really, all the flavors come through nicely, and though I think the Uigeadail is the best expression of Ardbeg I’ve tasted, Uigeadail is a rainy day treat, especially with prices skyrocketing, while the 10 is still pleasantly affordable to the point where I don’t feel guilty not sharing it, where I don’t feel guilty with its being a regular go-to bottle. It's a classic. That much is true. I don't ever give anything 5-stars though to some extent, this might deserve it, simply from a point of being consistently amazing, of being a first love.