Single Malt Review #2: Ardbeg 10

It's time for single malt review number 2! This time, we're reviewing Ardbeg 10 year old single malt Scotch. I (Steven) am a big fan of the peaty Islay whiskies. Rebecca can't stand them though, so this should be an interesting review. If I had to pick a "go-to whisky" at a price I can actually afford, it would probably be Laphroaig 10, a neighbor of Ardbeg (the distilleries are 2 miles from each other). Until recently though, I'd never tried Ardbeg, so I decided it was time.

Before we get started, let's talk for a second about Islay Scotch. Islay is an island off the west coast of Scotland. Only a little over 3,000 people live on the small Island, but at the time of this review Islay is home to 8 distilleries actively bottling whisky with a ninth beginning production and a tenth possibly opening soon. Islay whiskies are known for their intensely peaty character. Peat smoke imparts a strong smokey scent and flavor to the whisky that can also be reminiscent of iodine. As a result Islay whiskies are very polarizing with people either loving or hating the peaty influence.

Here's the rundown:

Region: Islay
Distillery: Ardbeg
Style: single malt Scotch
Age: 10 years
ABV: 46%

Rebecca really likes the bottle.

Extra style points for the distillery building inspired packaging

The bottle inside the nifty packaging

Steven's notes:

Nose:
Sea air, peat, leather... There's plenty of smokey peat here, but it doesn't punch you in the face in quite the same way that Laphroaig or Lagavulin do. The sea air rounds out the peat nicely along with the scent of an old leather apron.
Taste:
Peat, leather, honey at the end... Again, the peat is more rounded out than in neighboring whiskies, but there's still plenty of it. It's smoother than Laphroaig.
Finish:
Honey gives way to peat... Boom! There's the peat. It's a long, peaty finish with just a slight alcohol burn.
Verdict:
I love how different Ardbeg is from the other two distilleries within two miles (Laphroaig and Lagavulin). Really all three seem to be their own distinct variations on the peaty Islay theme. Laphroaig is intensely peaty but clean and crisp like lemon and grass. Lagavulin replaces the spartan crispness with caramelized bacon. And Ardbeg balances and rounds out the smoke with leather and a hint of honey. I'd love to compare all three in one night sometime. For me personally, Laphroaig might still just barely have the edge with it's peaty punch in the face, but if you want something a bit smoother, Ardbeg might be the thing. It's really very good, and at around $50 it'll definitely be in my rotation.

Rebecca's notes:

Nose:

Taste:

Finish:

Verdict:
This smells, tastes, and finishes as if the bottlers partnered up with a leather tannery and just bottled their air conditioning condensate. Apparently, this is supposed to be peaty, but I don't get that smokey flavor at all. Also, apparently some people like leathery tasting Scotch. All the power to them, I'll keep drinking something that doesn't taste like sludge from industrial leather processing.
Bottle Design:
11/10. Ardbeg really outdid themselves here. The bottle itself is quite a simple design, but has a solid, imposing presence on the table. As Steven says, "This is what a Scotch bottle should look like." The bottle design is rather nice, but the creativity comes in on the box design. The box is shaped and decorated like one of the buildings at the distillery. It really made me just want to travel to Islay and bask in the beauty of the historic storehouses and rugged coastline (while drinking anything else). A girl can dream, right?!