LouisianaLonghorn
Ardbeg 10 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
October 30, 2020 (edited April 4, 2021)
Re-review at bottle kill.
Opened June 2020
Departed November 2020
I’m gonna split this review into two parts. If you’re reading this and you’re looking to dip your toe into peated whisky for the first time, keep reading. If you’re one of my regular readers, skip to the end.
For those of you new to scotch. Perhaps you’ve had a nice fruity speyside or highlander, or you’ve tried something matured in a sherry barrel and enjoy the dark fruit and spice that offers, but you’re looking to try the smoky beasts from the south you’ve heard about, I recommend you start here. When you’re looking to get into smokey scotch, most people start at one of three places: Laphroaig 10, Lagavulin 16 (or 8), or Ardbeg 10. I think you ought to start here because (1) Laphroaig is a acquired taste. People either love it or hate it. I’ve been drinking whisky for a while and I still struggle with Laphroaig. Try this one, and if you like it, then move on to Laphroaig. (2) Lagavulin is damned expensive. Yes, it’s Ron Swanson’s scotch, but it’s also $100 on average in the US now because of a combination of import tariffs and Diageo (Lagavulin and others’ corporate overlords) charge an arm and a leg for their products because they no people will pay it, bit the price doesn’t always reflect the quality. Again, try the Ardbeg 10 and if you like it, but are looking for some more complexity and a bit more sweetness, go for the Lagavulin.
Let’s be clear, Ardbeg is still a peat monster, bit I know there’s a lot of new whisky drinkers and users on this app (certainly compared to when I joined) and if you’re looking for your first smokey, start here. It has smoke, yes, but underneath the smoke the malt is quite sweet, with notes of lemon and a slight hint of coconut. Really quite lovely. Plus at 46% ABV, it’s still manageable for a less experienced palate but still offers a lot of flavor. I hope you like this as you go along your whisky journey!
NOW, for my regular readers, here’s the scoop. I meant what I said above, but I think I’ll be moving on from Ardbeg 10. As I finished this bottle I was almost overwhelmed at how sweet it was. After so many years of heavy peat, I hardly notice it (though the Mrs. still hates when I drink it as she claims it stinks up the kitchen, a designation I wear with honor!) and all I can detect is this sweet malt like it’s made in speyside or something. Maybe it’s palate fatigue. Maybe it’s just a more evolved palate. I still have yet to buy a bottle of Cory. Might be my next stop. Loved Ugi. Loved An Oa (despite popular opinion). This was good but left me wanting. Like I said, good first smokey, bit after many years and many drams, doesn’t pack the same punch as it once did. Hope to find that again with the Cory. Cheers all!
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@cascode I’ll be sure and give Longrow a go. I just cracked a bottle of Benriach 10 Curiositas open and I’ll be working through that for the next month or two. When that runs dry I’ll know where to go next.
I always figure that Longrow should be able to get by on the Springbank reputation @cascode , but you're right that it doesn't officially say Springbank on it and it ups the peat, setting it up for comparison with Islay and many people in making that comparison will prefer the likes of Ardbeg, Laphroaig, and PC.
@ContemplativeFox It doesn’t come from Islay, it’s not a well known and advertised brand, and it’s subtle and integrated instead of being a peat sledgehammer.
I quite enjoyed the regular Longrow too when I tried it @cascode :) I don't understand why most people are so lukewarm on it.
@PBMichiganWolverine @Scott_E Thanks for the rec on Smogen! I've seen Swedish whiskey gaining increasing attention, but I've been mostly ignoring it because it's all young and aged in a cold climate. Smogen doesn't seem too easy to come by, but I'll keep an ear to the ground!
I enjoyed the choose your own adventure aspect of this review :) Naturally, I circled back and tried both. I just got a bottle of this but have no plans to open it soon. Corry and Ugi are some fantastic drams already (as others have pointed out), so I'll likely be keeping them stocked :)
@Jan-Case Nice! Pretty eager for it to make it to this side of the pond as well. Look forward to your review!
@SolanaRoots I am for sure getting the Kilkerran 16y. It should become available here for online purchase in about 2 to 4 weeks.
@PBMichiganWolverine Great discussion and recommendations. Slight change of subject, but curious if you acquired a bottle of the new Kilkerran 16 Yr. Would be great to see your comments/thoughts on that bottle despite your recent review sabbatical!
@WhiskeyLonghorn I get a sweet note in all Islay peated whisky - it's just part of the territory and I think only not noticed when something else is masking it. If you are seeking something dry may I suggest Longrow Peated? Don't go for the Red series to start with, just the basic NAS "Peated". It's a much underrated malt with a more savory/salt personality than most.
I totally get where you are coming from. There are much more sophisticated peated malts out there. That said grab a bottle of Wee Beastie then circle back to Ard10. I honestly feel the 10 holds up at price point. Of course as you go up in $ Ard10 is eclipsed totally agree. As far as Kilch I take Sanaig over Machir easy as I love me some sherry.
@WhiskeyLonghorn @PBMichiganWolverine I agree - I'd say Sanaig vs Machir is a matter of personal preference. And I've only had a sample of the Sanaig. Something about the sherry notes seemed just a touch artificial, like a candy or cough syrup as opposed to a fruit. But I really need to try it again.
@Scott_E those Smogen are so damn hard to find...but I’d love to try some their sherry ones. That Triple was a Sauternes one I think
@jonwilkinson7309 Machir is excellent. Then again, so is most of Kilchoman’s products (only one I didn’t like was their port cask one). @WhiskeyLonghorn I personally preferred the sherry -peat combo, so loved the Sainag and Loch Gorm...but it’s all preference, they’re all good.
@jonwilkinson7309 you’re too kind :). Do you prefer the Machir Bay or the Sannig? I hear the latter has a higher proportion of sherry casks.
I did not skip to the end (Why would I? Your insights are always interesting.). I think you're spot on - this is a great Islay intro. But let me throw out another option for discussion - Kilchoman Machir Bay. As I write, I'm sipping a pour from a specially vatted bottle exclusive to K&L Wines. It has a slightly higher ratio of bourbon casks vs sherry casks. I like it a bit better than the standard Machir Bay. Regardless, the standard version is a nice hit of peat, oak notes and fruit, without getting too sweet or too challenging.
@PBMichiganWolverine. Yes. The Triple was excellent. Did not expect a Swedish whiskey to be so good.
@WhiskeyLonghorn if you want to venture out of Islay peat, my favorite has been the Swedish distillery Smogen ( means smoke in Swedish I think). It’s small batch grain to glass local Scandinavian.
@Anthology sadly that won’t be happening here in Berlin. It is a different infrastructure here. Liquor stores don’t have proper whisky and only stuff like Johnny Walker. And the regular whisky stores either have shelf lives of 1 to 2 weeks or maybe a month. Most of them also only have standard bottlings (core range) and specialize in independent bottlings. And Ardbeg rarely has any IBs if any to my knowledge.
@WhiskeyLonghorn for their core range, i really liked the Ugi. Cory was great too, but the peat and sherry, for me, was an edge more enjoyable. Cory spice and earthiness are just as fantastic. Cannot go wrong with either.
@WhiskeyLonghorn Did your Ugi & OA love stay true at bottle kill for these drams? @Jan-Case I think your best bet at finding Ardbog is on a dusty shelf at a mom & pop liquor store. I got lucky and found one for $199. Crazy thing is I was headed to another store and went in for something else. You just never know what you’ll find at some of the smaller, off-brand (aka NOT big box) stores. They also had Galileo and Alligator Committee but those were priced silly money (sad face). Good luck with your hunt, and keep hope alive! Rooting for ya.
@WhiskeyLonghorn I completely get that sweetness thing you experienced. I had that with the Octomore whiskies as well with Laphroaig and especially Port Charlotte - the latter I couldn’t even finish a dram of because of the insane sweetness. Thats why I also adore the Uigeadail - because it manages to balance everything out so nicely. And I also liked the An Oa which I actually preferred over the Corry in a side by side tasting some weeks ago. But I of course decided on the Uigeadail. My next task is to hunt down the Ardbeg Ardbog. I had it at a bar some weeks ago and it is basically the Uigeadail Premium Plus. It is nearly impossible to get online but my hunt continues.
TLDR: Great first smokey for folks new to smokey single malt. Bit too sweet and one dimensional for the experienced drinker.