Ardbeg 10 Year Old

Heheh, an "acquired" taste then... ;)

its not for everyone but I've got to wonder what the condition of the cork was .. was it spongy, slimy or crumbly?

would be interesting to see a truely "corked" bottle .. you could always send me a sample ..

The cork is a little spongy but not slimy or crumbly. I will send you the bottle to have not just sample...if you wanna send me postage :)

@ironlion27 Can I ask what whiskies you would rate higher? I'm trying to get a grasp on your scale.

I think its unlikely to be a bad bottle/cork. Ardbeg shift a lot of this stuff so it's not like it sits around for years waiting to be sold.

To the inexperienced palate Ardbeg 10's phenol flavours can come across as quite medicinal.

At the risk of sounding patronising, perhaps you're not quite ready for this kind of whisky?

@LeFrog- For an everyday pour I enjoy Jameson and Chivas Regal but for when I'm feeling fancy I go with a Macallan 12 or 15 fine oak and a glenfiddich 12 year time frame.

@PeatAndMeat- I am definitely not ready to try this kind of whisky again anytime soon. I may just put this bottle in the back of the cabinet and revisit in a year or so...probably not though.

I'd recommend the old Diageo flavour map:

www.lfw.co.uk/diageo/flavourmap.html

You might be able to plot your way up to the 'beg 10 via others. Cragganmore is nice, and Old Pulteney drifts more towards the salty side, but in a very well-rounded way. Highland Park and Talisker are always good choices in the smoky direction, before getting onto Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig...

Worth hanging on to though. It's a great malt once you get into it!

@scribe- Thank you for the flavour map. I'll see where I can travel.

I would agree with working up to Ardbeg. Black Bottle is a good low-cost intro to Peat, you can dedcide whether or not you like it before you spend the money on Ardbeg. Bunnahabhain and Bruichladdich also have a more gentle peat quality that is a good stepping stone toward Ardbeg or Lagavulin.

@sassberto Thanks for the advice mate.

I almost feel jelous of someone working their way up to the Ardbegs and Lagavulins. Its where I started, and there doesnt seem to be anywhere to go from there, on a smoky/peaty front. I do get to do lots of experimenting as I move in the other direction tho!

I'm really suffering on seing my beloved Ardbeg rated 5 out of 100...of course, reviews are absolutely subjective, but this is a benchmark, please find your way to enjoy it! :)

Speaking of working your way up - I've just opened an SMWS single cask, cask strength Ardbeg that has a phenolic content of 100ppm! Tastes surprisingly subtle. It's from an ex sherry cask and has a sweetness that reminds of a slightly more smoky Uigeadail. Plenty of fruit and toffee notes in there. Amazing!

@ piero could I have some more information of that bottle?

@lucadanna1985 it's from the current SMWS list: smws.co.uk/whisky/…

You need to be a member to buy it (or at least know a member who can buy it for you!)

My bottle of Ardbeg also tasted like windex, TCP or toilet cleaner.

If I can ask, have you tried other heavily peated whiskies? Maybe you can't just stand the flavour of peat, cause Ardbeg is usually well rated...

@lucadabba1985

I contacted Ardbeg about the 10 yr old and here's their response:

Dear Adrian,

Many thanks for your email and apologies for the delay in responding to you.

We're sorry that you were disappointed with your bottle of Ardbeg.

Many malt whiskies which originate from the island of Islay intend to have quite distinguishable and distinctive sensory characteristics. For example you may pick up on either nose or palette flavour characteristics of peat, smoke, salt, iodine and medicinal notes. Mouth feel sensations can be drying, and astringency may also be noted.

We would expect such characteristics from our Ardbeg products, it can be common for consumers to recognise the naturally occurring flavour components, which can be described as medicinal or even “TCP”.

Like all products, the individual sensory attributes of this, is subject to the personal preference of the consumer.

We hope this has helped in answering your enquiry, should you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind Regards Laura

I just got a strong urge to go and buy a bottle of Windex. Never tasted Windex but it sounds absolutely fantastic!!