Ardbeg 10 Year Old

Great review as always! You know, I actually picked up a bottle of the 10 and the Uigeadail just recently. I hadn't had either of these whiskies in quite some time. I realized two things; 1. I forgot what great whiskies they are. 2. I actually think I prefer the 10 now. Seriously a fantastic dram!

94 for the young Ardbeg. And you can be such a hard grader on other whiskies. . . Ever seen Angel Heart? Deniro played the devil in that one. I liked the book better than the film. It was an enjoyable read. I would say that Laphroaig is more like Angel Heart.

@CanadianNinja I have a 6cl sample of Uigeadail waiting in my cabinet. I can't wait to test it, I think I'm going to make a battle of 10 & Uigeadail soon...

@rigmorole I've noticed that age doesn't mean that much to me. Laddie Ten is another good example of a great under 12 year old.

I think that Angel Heart was okay. Haven't read the book but I'm sure it has to be better like you stated. Somehow the movie script was lacking in many areas, for example in characters.

Characters eh? I assume you mean character development. That's interesting. Well, in all honesty, it's been a while since I"ve seen either film, or read the book. So I checked Rotten Tomatoes to see what the critics and the public thought about each respective piece of film making.

Angel Heart: Critics: 78, Audience: 78. Devil's Advocate: Critics: 66, Audience: 78. Guess the critics didn't like Devil's Advocate as much. I seem to recall it was more "Hollywood" than Angel Heart, which is kind of artsy, believe it or not, in a bit of a cheesy overwrought way. It cost Lisa Bonet her career due to some racy (and perverse) scenes and plot points. Jonathan Lemkin was the screen writer (original screenplay) of Devil's Advocate. His other screenplays? 21 Jump Street, Beverly Hills 90210, etc. Films? Showdown in Little Tokyo, Lethal Weapon 4, Red Planet, and Shooter, other than Devil's Advocate.

William Hjortsberg wrote the screenplay for Legend, aside form his novel, Falling Angel, upon which Angel Heart was based. The novel was adapted for the screen by "Sir" Alan William Parker, who directed Bugsy Malone, Fame, Pink Floyd's The Wall, The Commitments, Mississippi Burning, The Road to Wellville, Angela's Ashes, Shoot the Moon, and The Life of David Gale. I'm not sure why that filmography warranted being knighted, but this certainly gives me pause for thought (and a more critical examination in light of the effect those films have had on society). Falling Angel was no masterpiece, but it was creepy in a way that revealed a deeper occult side to the author than his screenplay career indicates. Frankly, it seemed genuinely evil, whereas Devil's Advocate seemed a bit fluffy to me, at least insofar as the devil in it was concerned. Personally, I don't believe in the devil, but I do think that the devil is symbolic for a very ancient occult belief system(s) that has been shaping and plaguing humanity for many thousands of years (certainly more than 6,000), and which seems to be swelling towards a crescendo of sorts these days. Certainly no "end of days" as such, but perhaps a dark annal in human history that will rival (and parallel) some in the past that have been lost, forgotten, or even obfuscated to some degree. One thing is statistically certain: the number of human murders (especially in wars, genocide, and other forms of mass killing) in the 20th Century adds up to more than the entire (known) collective history of mankind. I think that's worth pondering, don't you? I can't think of anymore more "devilish" than that.

At any rate, I totally appreciate your sentiments about younger scotches not always being less interesting or worthwhile. As a matter of fact, I've got a bottle of Laddie Ten in my safe that I might open tomorrow due to your comments. Now I'm really curious. Never tasted it before. Cheers, rigmorole

@rigmorole You have to try that Laddie Ten, I will try to add my review of it this week...I've given it a stunning 93 points, that's how much I loved it :) connosr.com/lists/284582/…

yeah, character development indeed, and artsy is the right word for Angel Heart. I agree that Angel Heart feels genuinely more evil than the Devil's Advocate but I think it has lots to do with the more "believable" story and location. In my opinion DA wins AH with much more interesting characters and better performances by the actors (even Keanu does well :), not so predictable plot twists and with that nice "twist" at the end that left me grinning with content.

I honestly can't remember DA very well. You've convinced me to watch it again. In fact, I will hold off opening my Laddie 10 until my Netflix of DA arrives. Then I will drink my first glass of Laddie 10 while I watch DA with a fresh set of eyes. Excellent review and follow up comments, Rantavahti. Thanks again.

And you're right about one other thing: Ardbeg is delicious but it seems even more toxic than the average scotch. After I drink it, I feel like I've swallowed a chunk of cigar ashes or something. It hits me harder than the average whisky, but there is a euphoric quality to the buzz not found in many other whiskies, aside from Laphroaig, which also does the same sort of thing, at least in my estimation. Kind of makes me feel a little bit like the way I do after drinking absinthe.

Thanks rigmorole! I started a new discussion which involves Ardbeg 10 and my "pet peeve" Glenfiddich 12, check it out: connosr.com/wall/discussion/…

@rigmorole Did you try Laddie Ten already? I emptied my bottle last weekend and again it was absolutely brilliant. I think I should score it even higher but here's my review of it: connosr.com/reviews/bruichladdich/…

Yes I'm part way through the bottle. Fantastic stuff! I really like it