Ardbeg 10 Year Old

Can you tell me what the batch number is on your bottle? It is written in little white letters on the back and begins with an "L". So something like L13 004 16:23 6ML with those spacings. Sometimes there is a second group of white numbers that don't follow that pattern (those are for quality control). If you can figure out your "L-number" I can tell you what batch it was.

thanks, the code: L7 347 15:23 4ML

Wow! You got an older bottle there. That was bottled on December 13th of 2007. Had it long? What is interesting about that particular bottle is that it would have been one of the very last batches of Ardbeg 10yo from before it was reopened in 1998. That means the whisky in your bottle was made between 1989-1996. So your bottle really contains liquid that at the youngest is 11 1/2 years old. And probably has older juice in it as well.

But here is the other thing. I am sure it was the tail end of stock left that Ardbeg could call "TEN years old." Six months after your bottle was filled the new whisky that had been distilled by the Glenmorangie owned Ardbeg was able to be sold as "Ardbeg TEN." I am not surprised you don't like your bottle. I am sure it had the very end of what Ardbeg deemed as "fit for use."

My advice is find another bottle and see what you think of the new Ardbeg. I love bottles from L11 194. I recently picked up a bottle from this year L13 003 and I really don't like it. (the L is the year the next three numbers are the day it was bottled).

Hope that helps

Will do and thanks Bought it in 2011, heading back to Scotland in a few weeks, will try some other Arbeg bottles, cause due to this bottle I left this distillery largely unexplored. It is the only Islay distillery of which I tried only one of their products

That is sad. You really need to try an Uigeadail. Most L11's are good. I have not had anything from 2012. I tried the L13 from Feb. and it was good but not "amazing." I am jealous of your trip to Scotland. Where are you going?

Going to visit some old friends in Edinburgh and walk the West Highland Way. Probably going to pay a visit the Glengoyne and Ben Nevis distillery along the way, maybe another one on the way back from Fort William, may have to take a small detour on the way back.

Make sure you at least try a Bladnoch while you're there. Hard to get in North America. Worth bringing back a bottle if you're going.

Not sure if I'm going to buy a lot of real bottles, the cabinet is quite full at the moment, maybe I'll just bring back a suitcase of different samples

Just found a reference to a tasting done of old Ardbeg 10yo. In the mix were batches from 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007. Actually, there were four different L7 tried at this time. Sadly, the bottle you have is from a batch that was noticeably weaker and confused from the standard Ardbeg 10yo typically sets.

Sad to say other Ardbeggians agree you got a very disappointing batch.

Hope you have a fantastic time in Scotland.

Glad to hear nothing's wrong with me :) thanks