Ardbeg 10

Striking pale gold, hay colored.

Nose: Intense smoke, but not overwhelmingly peaty. Brushfire, tangy BBQ. Smoke envelops the aroma of toasted barley, cereal notes, dry heather and a remarkable ozone freshness. Butterscotch. With water, damp woods and mushrooms. Something exotic like coconut or rubber as well. Muddy boots and band-aids.

Palate: Sweet activity at the front and back of the tongue, very phenolic. A light juiciness rounds out the palate, and you get powdered sugar with white fruit flesh. Benefits from being held in the mouth, wrestling with it. The drinker is rewarded with explosions of flavor: mulling spices, maple, apple cider and pickled pears. Seems to be a whisky in transition; moving from peaty to fruity. Pear again. Buttered toast, apple-cinnamon. Touch of clove.

Finish: Long. Molasses, warm caramel. A little numbing; for an aggressive whisky, the finish is medicinally soothing. A woolen blanket after a cold wet day outdoors. The sap of a maple tree.

Additional Notes:
- I was especially interested in comparing Ardbeg with Laphroaig. Talk about to totally different experiences. When I consider the celebrity of these two malts, I wonder how many people actually have tasted both and realized the opposing character of each.
- Ardbed in the fall, outdoors and with activity
- Laphroaig in the dark long nights of snow shrowded winter
- As far as the 10 year olds go, my vote on taste to Laphroaig, but my respect to Ardbeg for their pure unadulterated whisky.
- Most importantly, what these two whiskies have in common reaffirms the theory of terroir. As they are heavily peated, these whiskies share a relationship with the same kind of smoke. Definitely distinguishable from the peat of other regions, such as Orkney.