The site grew into a small community with housing, a hall, greenhouses, a bowling green and a school for 100 pupils.

Like most distilleries it took the pains of the recessions in the 1920, but it was kept open until eventually becoming part of the DCL and Hiram Walker. Production increases in the 1960’s and 1970’s, when blends started to grow again in popularity. Demand for Ardbeg malt outstripped its capacity to malt and dry its own malt, resulting in peated malt being bought in from Port Ellen maltings from 1974.

Hiram Walker took full control in 1979, buying out DCL’s 50% share for £300,000, and everyone else’s holdings at the same time. By that time, blends were once again on the slide and, to compensate for the drop in demand for smoky malt, an unpeated single malt (Kildalton) began to be produced.

Just 2 years later, in 1981 the distillery was mothballed, but restarted again in 1989, albeit on an intermittent basis, by which time it had joined Laphroaig in the Allied Distillers stable.

In 1996, it was silent once more, but saved a year later by Glenmorangie, who paid £7m for the distillery and stock. By this time, Ardbeg had built its reputation as one of the cult single malts. Glenmorangie’s task therefore was both to manage expectations, eke out the remaining stock, and start recreating the brand.

Under Glenmorangie, the first age statement release was a 17-year-old. It wouldn’t be until 2008 for its own Ardbeg 10 to appear. From 2004, however, there had been incremental releases: ’Very Young’, ‘Still Young’ and ‘Almost There’ showed the work in progress.

Ardbeg Distillery Facts

Circa 1.1 million LPA of production capacity, a 3 still setup, 2 wash stills (18,000 litre capacity) and 1 spirit still (16,900 litre capacity), with 6 wash backs believed to be around 23,000 litres in capacity. It is believed that fermentation is somewhere between 50 and 56 hours with malt from a number of sources but primarily Islay concordat (from Port Ellen) peated to between 50 and 65 ppm. Fermentation yeast source is unknown.

The Range

Ardbeg distillery cranks out a standard core age statement bottlings, but the vast majority of production is dedicated to ultra premium limited edition bottlings.

There is an 8, a 10, a 19 and a 25 as the core range (although it’s likely that the 5 year will become a regular thing). Other offerings are bottlings that started as limited editions and are now a regular thing – An Oa, Uigeadail and Correyvreckan.

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Something of a cult amongst Ardbeg fans, this is a phenomenal whisky packing powerful peat and a favourite of many whisky lovers around the world. Produced on the Kildalton Coast of Islay, this single malt matures for a decade before being bottled without any chill-filtration. If you’re after a whisky with full of coastal air, smoke and more, this is exactly what you want.

Vital Stats

46% ABV, aged 10 years, 700ml bottle.

Appearance

Nice bright golden straw colour.

On the nose:

Peat smoke right off the pour. Opens up to reveal more peat, more smoke then add in some menthol. A hint of white grapes with more bold notes of peanuts, brine, grass clippings clogging a mower after cutting a wet lawn that had grown a little too long, a bit of sweat, and butter.

On the palate

The palate still showcases the collision of lightness and smoke that Ardbeg is trying to achieve. Light mouthfeel. Delicate on the tongue with powerful flavours. Salt takes the lead ahead of the full force of the smoke, which follows in very short order. Salted whipped honey, dried mango and papaya, fresh chopped parsley on buttered pasta, a bit of Thai sweet chili.

On The Finish

Long and glorious; sea salted caramel and beach bonfire smoke. The finish is ushered in by the smoke, which takes center stage after the swallow. Lingering notes of salt and vanilla cream with persistent smokiness.

Ardbeg 10 in Summary

Precise balance, big smoke and non-chill filtered. This is why this is such a famous dram

Your Opinion

It’s a free world, and everyone is entitled to their opinions. Especially something as subjective as whisky. If you have any thoughts or opinions on this whisky, then please feel free to leave them below in the comments. Alternatively, skip over to our forums to tell us what you think there.

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So here’s the story and a fine example of how the marketing fluffies at LVMH envelope their cultist Ardbeg Committee members in their smoke and mirrors.

In April 2012 Ardbeg sent some of its new-make spirit up into space to make Ardbeg the first inter-stellar whisky, so it came as little surprise that in September 2012, at the British Space Centre, this bottle, Ardbeg Galileo was throw to the masses, where it was mopped up like spew off the carpet of a third tier town nightclub floor, at kicking out time.

The Mashup

Apparently this is standard Ardbeg new make spirit, distilled in 1999, bottled in 2012, stated as being matured in ex-bourbon casks and Sicilian Marsala casks.  We’re not sure who came up with that idea, but with Marsala being a ridiculously sweet wine primarily used for cooking, we trust that idiot has since been fired and is now working in a takeaway selling chips with curry sauce.

The Review

It’s just vile.

It’s not even worth tasting notes.  It’s an insult to my palate to attempt to nose and savour this for the sake of pulling together words that aren’t profanities.

I’m personally a huge fan of Ardbeg, as a standard 10 year old bottling.  Sure, it’s not a session whisky.  It’s the last drink at the end of the night, that has the perfect balance of really disgusting characteristics that somehow have an addictive appeal.  Kinda like a masochistic fetish.  You know it hurst to get a really hard spank, but there’s a little bit of pleasure in there.

But this.  Adding in rotten fruit and dog vomit is taking it all a bit too far.

I’m all for mooching free whisky when the brands put on a bit of a show and want to get some free column inches, but if I turned up and this was the free whisky of the night, I’d walk out and go to the nearest dive bar and buy my own whisky.

Bin it.

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