The Ardbeg 10 is the third Ardbeg reviewed here at Scotchology, and for good reason. This has been a standard from the distillery for a long, long time and for good reason. This entry is the base model for their regular offerings, which should not defer any interested in a good drink. Will this younger sibling be able to hold its head up around the Ardbog and Uigeadail?
The”Cairdeas” (meaning friendship in Gaelic) is a special product from Laphroaig that is unique to each bottling, and meant as a token of thanks by the distillery to its many supporters. And, let’s be honest, another good way to sell the whisky and make some money. It is also a No Age Statement (NAS) whisky, which allows the distillery to give a broad variation in taste each year. The bottle for this review was the 2013 release, the Port Wood Edition.
Kilchoman (pronounced Kilhoman) is one of the newest and smallest distilleries in Scotland, opening its doors in 2005. It currently produces a 3 and 5 year single malt, though they plan to release 8 year (2014), 10 year (2016) and 12 year (2018) bottlings. By what we taste from the junior varsity so far, age should make a good thing even better for Kilchoman’s future issues. The offerings are bottled yearly, quantified by flavor profile and maturation. Future releases of the Machir Bay (and others) will be re-released in more mature versions.