Always fun going back to the classics and this has always been one of my favorite Ardbegs. Lets see if it stands up after what has to have been 2 years since I last had it. Nose - Mint, medicinal rubber, citrus, caramel, a mix of smoke and burn plastic. Oh boy this smells young and unrefined. I'm a bit worried about drinking it. Water brings out more fruity elements. Taste - ok so a lot to discuss here. Opens soft and sweet with some perhaps lime like the ardbeg 10 gives off. It transitions into some young and unrefined medicinal sweet caramel and new make like spirit notes, but then we comes out of that and brings in that coffee and perhaps not a chocolate but a darker sweet which has always been my love with this whisky. I think I'm getting some ginger spice notes. The finish it's medium to somewhat long but mostly just a peppery warm heat. Water tames the beast, still a peppery experience but it brings all those flavors swirling around more into focus and I'm not sure that's a good thing here. Some of the youth is gone and that younger new make element is faded, but oh there it is...I'm getting a touch of banana which was there before and really screams young whisky. 57.1% this thing is throwing the high heat and you know, it's mostly landing them. That said while this is no longer a standout whisky for me, there's still plenty to enjoy with this one. I hate to say it but it feels like I'm growing past Ardbeg as I explore better whiskies or perhaps their quality is falling. Anyway I'm still at 2.5 here. Wonderfully complex, very bold, very creamy and rich mouth feel, and a whisky I dare say any peat head would appreciate. There's more than enough here for most whisky lovers, but there are too many flaws to move this into the 3.0's where I feel whiskies are starting to get special.