| Whisky | Ardbeg 10 Year Old |
| Region | Islay, Scotland |
| Style | Single Malt |
| ABV | 46% |
| Price | £35 |
Ardbeg 10 Year Old Review: A Resurrected Great.
Now, this is a whisky that has a great reputation. Currently, as of writing this in September 2024, Ardbeg 10 Year Old is well-known to be a good solid choice, and it was a no-brainer for me to review. Ardbeg have proven that they can consistently bottle their 10 year old whisky so you don’t need to look out for a ‘good’ batch. Bottles from the early 2000’s will still fetch a fortune at auction, with bottles from the 90’s or 80’s commanding even more money, but you really don’t need to go after those bottlings to enjoy a proper Ardbeg 10. You can find it at your local supermarket, or online at many retailers, and it’s at a price point which is accessible for most. Current bottlings of Ardbeg 10 Year Old boast a lovely 46% ABV – this means that a lot of the flavour gets bottled.
So, Islay?
The distillery can be found in Port Ellen on Islay and, if you’re reading this, you probably already know how important Islay is for whisky. What you may not know though, is how to correctly pronounce it. It’s ‘eye-lah’, not ‘eye-lay’, or ‘eye-lerr’ or even what I originally thought ‘iz-lay’! Off topic – but it’s worth mentioning that I was probably fourteen years old before I was informed that it was ‘grand-pree’ not ‘grand-pricks’ when talking about motor vehicle racing, but I digress…
It’s a non-chill filtered dram with no added colourant – exactly what we want to find in a single malt scotch. I’ll be drinking it out of my standard Glencairn with a single drop of water.
Nose
Before adding water, I can smell a lot of ethanol (that ripe banana smell), orange peel, peat, wood smoke, peppermint, and weirdly – smoked bacon? After adding water, those smells still remain but a creaminess opens up – it brings other scents too; red berries, more banana, and a touch of toffee.
Palate
Before adding water, the pre-water smells translate very well into the taste; the peat, orange peel, wood and wood smoke being the primary flavours. After adding water it becomes sweeter – like treacle has been added, it’s more open and all the flavours seem to expand and grow bolder and it becomes even more delicious – charred chicken made its way out of the glass too. It’s very interesting what adding water to whisky can do… The peatiness doesn’t have a chemical edge to it like Laphroaig (one of my favourites!), but remains earthy and woody.
Finish
It has a long, drawn out finish that lasts 12 seconds or so – lots of peat and lots of wood smoke on a bed of treacle.
Overall Impressions
Ardbeg 10 Year OId is a single malt deserves its great reputation. It’s a lovely peated whisky, it has consistent bottlings, it’s at a good price point, and it’s a pleasure to drink. It’s similar to Port Charlotte 10 Year Old and Lagavulin 16 Year Old. Aren’t you lucky that I’ve also reviewed those?
Final Verdict
8.5/10
All said and done, I’m glad I picked up a bottle of Ardbeg 10 Year Old and reviewed it. It’ll have a place in my cupboard for as long as it continues to be distilled at this quality. With any luck, the distillery will continue to produce this great single malt and won’t begin cutting costs any time soon.
You can buy yourself a bottle of Ardbeg 10 from here
FAQ
Is Ardbeg peaty?
Yes it is. It’s one of the more peated whiskies on Islay, although for various reasons, it’s not one that tastes the peatiest!
Is Ardbeg a good whisky?
Ardbeg is a great distiller that has bottled some of the best peated whisky the world has ever tasted. So, yeah, I suppose it is!
