Ardbeg Ten Years Old is a very special bottling for the Ardbeg distillery as it is the only non-chill filtered whisky in the Ardbeg range. Chill filtering isn't a bad thing, in fact it created real consistency of product when the whisky industry was a little more 'hap-hazard' than it is today. Ardbeg Ten Years Old is whisky with none of the goodness taken out and as good as straight from the cask.

Colour - Light Gold

Aroma - Exceptional balance and depth. At full strength, the aroma is a beguiling mix of toffee and chocolate sweetness, cinnamon spice and medicinal phenols. Fresh citrus and floral notes of white wine are evident, as are melon, pear drops and a gentle creaminess. There is also a phenolic aroma of seaspray (iodine) and smoked fish. Hickory and coffee emerge later as the most volatile top notes fade. With water, the depth of the peat opens up, at once revealing layers of phenols with gristy peat and leather followed by medicinal phenols (carbolic soap) and a whiff of wood smoke. However, the sweetness of vanilla and the fragrance of citrus fruits are never far behind, maintaining the balance and intrigue.

Taste - An initial moderate and clean sweetness is rapidly followed by a mouthful of deep peat notes, with tobacco smoke and strong espresso coffee, which then gives way to treacle sweetness and liquorice. The mouthfeel is first lightly spiced, then chewing, mouthwatering and full, finally drying.

Finish - Long and smoky. A smoky sweetness is left on the palate, with a crushed peat and sweet malted cereal character.

Chill-filtering is a process widely used in the malt whisky industry to remove particles from the whisky which can occasionally appear. The materials removed are in no way harmful and are entirely natural. Chill-filtering makes the appearance of malt whisky more stable, however, a certain amount of flavour may be removed during this process. A malt whisky which has not been chill-filtered retains maximum flavour and is the purest way to enjoy whisky, apart from sampling it straight from the cask.

Stuart Thomson
Distillery Manager