Ardbeg 10 Year Old

Does the world really need more reviews of popular young whisky? Definitely not, but I need practice writing reviews so I suppose you'll have to suffer through it. And, this being my first review, please be gentle.

Nose: Iodine (called "medicine" by some) is the immediate full on aroma. Then follows earth, smoke, and sea spray. One has to work a bit at getting more, but below the surface is the sweet bit with papaya, pineapple, and sweet vanilla all making cameos.

Palate: Much like the nose with Iodine, smoke, salt, a bit of white pepper, and vanilla.

Body: Quite thick on the tongue. Not exactly oily, but one respects the fact that this is nowhere close to thin.

Finish: This is the star of the show. Very long. Iodine is certainly present along with a bit of smoke and an ever so faint reminder of sugar. But the best part of the dram follows as one spends the evening dramming it up, slowly, inexorably, the finish turns to full on white sugar with the Iodine taking second fiddle. I am reminded of my childhood when I had numerous bouts with strep throat. My mother would take a spoon of sugar and sprinkle it with a few drops of Balsam de Malta. For those too young to remember, this stuff was horrid, but as time went on the terrible taste faded, and all I was left with was sweetness in the mouth. Such is an evening with this whisky. I think anyone who simply "tastes" it would highly undervalue the component never gotten to.

So there it is. Forgive me if my nose and palate do not pick up things as a pro would, but having said that, I recently read a review by Serge where he mentioned mustard seed as an aromatic component. I've been around mustard seed a lot. It is absolutely odorless.

Find where to buy Ardbeg whisky