Ardbeg 10 Year Old

This is a very funny scotch. Incredibly powerful peat and smoke notes, and an oily mouth feel with a smoky finish. But what's interesting about it is that's all there is. As far as flavor profile is concerned, it's pretty thin.

After that lead-in, you might think my overall review would be negative, but it's not. This is a really nice bottle, as long as you know what you're getting yourself into (it falls in the same category as the Macallan Cask Strength in that regard). If you're looking for a heavy load of really great peat flavor, this is a fantastic scotch. And the Ardbeg does it better than many others -- it manages not to be either overwrought, abrasive, or too strong. You can find other Islays (my favorite being the Lagavulin 16yo) that can bring more to the table than the Ardbeg 10yo -- a richer flavor profile, more going on than just peat, salt, and smoke. But you don't have to, and there are many times where a glass of this is exactly what I have in mind.

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