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Ardbeg
Region: Islay
District: South
Shore
The Ardbeg single malt comes by its reputation
as "the most traditional" of the island malts very honestly.
There were no fans in the pergodas on the roofs of the malting
houses. The peat smoke was thus "trapped" in the houses, exposing
the malt to the smoke for extended times. Even though the
distillery no longer does its own maltings, the specifications
for its malt is still, apparently, heavy peat. Ardbeg is located
on the south coast of Islay. A family by the name of McDougall
was known to have lived in the area as early as 1798. One
of them started a legal distillery around 1815-17. In spite
of its reputation, the Ardbeg is much sought after by the
single malt connoisseur and is the "ultimate digestiff" after
Texas bar-b-que or Mexican food.
10 year old
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|
| Proof |
80 |
| Color |
Light gold. |
| Nose |
Peaty and dry.
Plenty of smoke, with some salt and iodine. |
| Body |
Full. |
| Palate |
Rich, with some
peat, smoke and slight sweetness. |
| Finish |
Long, with some
iodine and smoke. |
18 year old, Cadenhead
|
|
| Proof |
116 |
| Color |
Light gold. |
| Nose |
Peaty, with some
pungency. A trace of sweetness. |
| Body |
Full. |
| Palate |
Rich. Some malt,
salt and the sweetness comes through. |
| Finish |
Long, with some
salt. |
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