Ardbeg 10 Year (Third Take)

As I prepare for the arrival of the new Ardbeg - called An Oa ("An Oh") - I am revisiting the other three core expressions from the distillery, Ten Year, Uigeadail, and Corryvreckan. I realized that I had sampled my beloved Ten Year fairly recently, but at a pretty poor bar that served the dregs of a bottle in a giant widemouth tumbler, like I was some kind of riverboat gambler guzzling rye before cheating some rubes at poker in a dark and smokey saloon.


So I bought a fresh bottle (ok, I bought two, it's my favorite) and decided on a fresh taste from a fresh bottle in a clean Glencairn glass, and happily minus the awkward glazed-eyed bartender who didn't know Scotch from Skittles. As always, the Ten Year offering is bottled at 46%, from ex-bourbon barrels (rumored to be a split between first- and second-fill), un-chill-filtered, and uncolored - it's a beautiful light straw color. 

I love this stuff. If I could, I would have a whole separate Ardbeg blog. LVMH, call me! (only slightly kidding). Here we go...

Nose: Peat and dense smoke are still massive and at the center of the scent. Rolling around them is a strong maritime element - salt and brine and strong iodine and seaweed. Underneath everything is vanilla, and citrus fruit - lemon and grapefruit, but quite far in the background. 

Mouthfeel: Viscous, oily. The legs and lacings on the glass are very thick. 

Palate: A brief immediate push of lemon and vanilla and lime peels - extremely delicious - is immediately overtaken by a tidal wave of smoke and wet bog peat. The smoke etches into your tongue, and the peat clings to the sides of your mouth. Amazingly rich and bold flavors. The fading flavors as they all zero out are marvelous. 

Finish: Among the longest finishes I know, simply because the oaky smoke goes on and on and on, curling in on itself to suggest shag tobacco, and leather. 

Verdict: If you can stand the smoke and peat, this is the best whisky of any kind under $50. In fact, this is very easily my sub-$50 desert island pick. I have a lot of really great memories tied up with Ardbeg, and I'm hoping to visit their distillery at some point in the next few years. I am beyond excited about the new An Oa, and look forward to posting my review here as soon as I can get my hands on it.