The Ardbeg Ten is one of the most enigmatic of all the commonly available standard malts. In last year’s Whisky Bible, Jim Murray gave it an incredible score and declared it whisky of the year. Apart from that, it’s generally highly regarded. In fact, it doesn’t make sense to publish tasting notes, because I believe everything is written already.

It is said that recent batches contain quite a lot of older whisky (almost twice the age), because there was a shortage of younger casks.

Ardbeg 10yo ‘Ten’ (46%, OB 2006)

Nose: peat, but not so much the medicinal type that you find in Laphroaig. Ashes, a bit of tar. Sea air. Fresh, fruity notes as well, mostly apple and lemon. Walnuts and roasted almonds. Well integrated flavours. Mouth: smokey-sweet and full bodied. Nicely oily. Apple and lime. Lovely notes of roasted coffee towards the finish. Finish: peaty with a touch of vanilla. Getting drier and grassier in the end.

I have to say my opinion on the Ardbeg Ten changes over time. At first, I didn’t see what the fuzz was all about. Nowadays, I appreciate it more (depending on my mood, I guess) and I have to agree it’s an outstanding malt considering the age and the price (€ 35).

Score: 86/100