Ardbeg 10 Year Old Single Malt Whisky

  • Country: Scotland
  • Region: Islay
  • Category: Single Malt Whisky
  • Owners: LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE
  • Bottler: Distillery
  • Brand: Ardbeg
  • Age Statement: 10
  • Chill Filtered: No
  • Alcohol % ABV: 46
  • Average Price (2023) £: 40.95
  • Colour Description: Light Gold
  • Colour Status: Unknown
  • Peated / Smoke: Heavily Peated
  • Peat PPM: 50
  • Cask Maturation / Finish: Ex-Bourbon Matured
  • Single Cask: No
  • Mash Bill: Malted Barley
  • Barley: 100%
  • Whisky Experience Level: Experienced
  • Value Score : 95 out of 100
  • Bottle Stopper: Natural Cork
  • Packaging: Box
  • Product URL: https://www.ardbeg.com/en-gb/whisky/ultimate-range/ten-years-old
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Ardbeg 10 Year Old

Ardbeg Ten Years Old is revered around the world as the peatiest, smokiest, most complex single malt of them all. Yet it does not flaunt the peat; rather it gives way to the natural sweetness of the malt to produce a whisky of perfect balance. Named World Whisky of the Year in 2008.

Non chill-filtered with a strength of 46% ABV.

Nose
A burst of intense smoky fruit escapes into the atmosphere of peat infused with zesty lemon and lime, wrapped in waxy dark chocolate. Bold menthol and black pepper slice through the sweet smoke followed by tarry ropes and graphite. Savour the aroma of smoked fish and crispy bacon alongside green bell peppers, baked pineapple and pear juice.

Add water and an oceanic minerality brings a breath of cool, briny seaspray. Waxed lemon and lime follows with coal tar soap, beeswax and herby pine woodlands. Toasted vanilla and sizzling cinnamon simmer with warm hazelnut and almond toffee.

Palate
An explosion of crackling peat sets off millions of flavour explosions: peat effervesces with tangy lemon and lime juice, black pepper pops with sizzling cinnamon-spiced toffee. Then comes a wave of brine infused with smooth buttermilk, ripe bananas and currants. Smoke gradually wells up on the palate bringing a mouthful of warm creamy cappuccino and toasted marshmallows. As the taste lengthens and deepens, dry espresso, liquorice root and tarry smoke develop coating the palate with chewy peat oils.

Finish
The finish goes on and on a long and smoky with tarry espresso, aniseed, toasted almonds and traces of soft barley and fresh pear.
 

Available from:

The Whisky Exchange
Master of Malt

One comment

  • To regular and long time whisky enthusiasts this Single Malt needs no introduction, its a classic. To those of you who are new to whisky or are exploring new tastes and experiences, then this review is for you.

    Ardbeg is, as mentioned above, a classic, established in 1798 it has been producing whisky more or less consistently ever since, a brief period of shutdown during most of the 1980s. It is a peated Islay that can hold its own against all its neighbours. up and down the coast.

    It is a non chill filtered single malt, bottled at 46% abv, it is very pale in colour, so much this whisky cannot have any E150 added, however, while they state the fitration status on the bottle and website, there is no mention of colour, its obvious, it has no colour, but we still have to dock a point for its value score. It can be obtained online for an average price of £40.95, some supermarkets have it higher priced, but often have it on offer below £40. For its value score it hits a fantastic 94.91, just below Springbank 10 from review number 5 , if it stated it was natural colour on the bottle, it would have scored higher than the Springbank 10, thats how close these two are in terms of value.

    On the nose Arbeg 10 is Meaty, Peaty, Salty, Iodine/TCP with some fruit. The meat is like a deep BBQ smoked bacon which is then salted, the smoke has permeated every pore. But don't let the smoke on the nose put you off, it is a pleasant sweet and fruity smoke at the same time. The alcohol nose it just noticable giving away its youthfulness, but this is a 46% abv, the casks and maturation have done an amazing job on this spirit.

    On the palate it starts sweet and fruity, maybe some honey and vanilla there, but this gives way to the smokey phenols and iodine from the nose, it has a sharp salt and pepper not offering up spice. The flavour goes on and no for a long finish with a tamed alcohol burn and at the very end when you think its over glimpses of Oak can be detected.

    Adding water tones down the smoke and allows the oak to come forward with more sweet pepper on the palate. It is reminiscent of a Lapsang Souchong Tea gently sweetened.

    This is very much a dram to end the evening with or consider having before you have some budget whiskies if your wanting to get merry. Having it early on in the evening will test your palate and make picking up notes on other whiskies much more of a challenge.

    Overall it scores an excellent 89/100. Im certain that if the label was to clarify its colour status, this could be rated 90/100

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