Whisky Reviews

Introduced to me by Tim, Ardbeg 10 was my first peated whisky, and unlike most people I've spoken to, I wasn't put off by Ardbeg's heavily peated style. The Ardbeg 10's peat came in manageable waves and, within it, I found a huge amount of complexity and character which really kicked off my love of whisky. This is the Whisky that made me go "oh, I can see why people get into this". Admittedly, we were on holiday in Cornwall at the time and tasting a lot of whiskies we'd brought with us. This could have contributed to it, but I've tried it many times since and have never been disappointed.

Ardbeg 10 has long been our bench mark whisky for peated whiskies and, as it stands, that's unlikely to change. All three of us will tell you how good it is and how for the price it's a whisky that punches well above its weight. We consider it the bar that peated whiskies are competing against and sets a high bar for its price. It's a very affordable whisky that I plan on having on my shelf regularly.

So how do I find it. With a clear pallet it starts off quite medicinal with a wave of peat which quickly gives way to a malty sweetness. You can open it up with a few drops of water or drink it neat, it certainly has the depth of character to allow you to open it up if you want to go fishing for flavours, or just have it as it is for a comforting warm dram. Part way through the dram the medicinal flavours move back and sweetness comes forward, giving you something reminiscent of one of those old chewy liquorish sweets you could buy in old fashioned sweet shops. This carries on into the after taste which lingers for quite a while and changes to have a slight saltiness.

The Ardbeg 10 has a lot more to offer than other peated whiskies of a similar price bracket, such as the Laphroaig 10 . Which makes more sense at this point, having learnt more about whiskies. The Ardbeg 10 has a higher ABV than the standard Laphroag 10 and, as such, has a much deeper flavour profile. The Ardbeg is one you can play with and find more in each time you have it. I've tried it many times along side other whiskies and different flavours can be found all the time.

Even as a heavily peated whisky the Ardbeg 10 is one I'd recommend to anyone. It's peaty but manageable. It's medicinal but has a depth of sweetness to back it up. It's complex so you never get bored of it. It has a lot to offer for it's price. If you wanted to try a smoky whisky this would be the one I'd recommend you try, if you're buying a whisky with your own money.

This single malt is to whisky as a fourty year old Bordeaux is to wine: complex, interesting, and more than worthy of the price. It is stunningly young, coming from the "first legal distillery" on the Isle of Raasay, which opened only in 2017. They may happily allude to the island's history of illicit distilling, and if a bit of underground action is what's required for a decent dram, then sign me up because this one is a corker.

Immediately striking is the bottle. Gone are the smooth and simple bottles common to other distilleries. Instead, the whisky is presented in rough glass, with the impressions of Raasay fossils across its surface. Talk about sticking to their roots and heritage.

The distillery itself sits atop a small rise on the south west side of the island, and looks over the sea to the Isle of Skye and beyond. It is in extremely esteemed company in this part of the world, with the likes of Talisker only a stone's throw away. Indeed, Raasay's single malt shares a similar style: sweet with an understated peaty note on the nose and on the palate. But what the Raasay adds is a complexity; sea salt and ripe fruit on the nose that reminds me of my short time on the island. A complex flavour follows, with toffee, citrus, cream, wood smoke, all wrapped in a warming winter blanket of pepper and light cinnamon. It finishes with lingering smoke and a comforting caramel richness.

Since I stumbled upon this distillery and this whisky, both have climbed the ranks of my favourites until they now sit healthily at the top. This whisky is something special, and certainly not one to miss out on. 

One of my stand out favourite's, Ardbeg 10 combines so many elements of whisky for me. A range of flavours and complexity that is particularly impressive for its price point. I first tired Ardbeg 10 early on in my whisky journey, at a time where my palate favoured smooth and sweeter whisky. But even then realised this was something special. My initial impressions was that it was a peat monster, the Smokey flavour overwhelmed everything else for me. This wasn't a negative as I enjoyed it, but initially this intensity meant I enjoyed it in small quantities from time to time. I used to describe it as chewing on an oak barrel, that intense peat and smoky flavour being the key characteristic. 

Over the years I kept coming back to it, and as my palate improved and evolved, I was able to pick out more flavours. I found I was no longer overwhelmed by the peat, instead being greeted with incredible sweetness. and as I drink it now, I find that sweetness can give nice subtle toffee flavours,  tempered with salt and an slight medicinal kick. This then builds into that intense woody smoke and peat, while never loosing the sweetness. Those powerful and intense flavours haven't been lost or diluted by the sweetness, but added to and enhanced. For me it's a whisky that has so much to offer and can bring something different yet familiar every time you drink it. Now I find its never the wrong time for an Ardbeg 10, and I can happily sit and drink it of an evening.

But what makes the Ardbeg 10 particularly impressive, is that it does all of this at it's price point. If you shop around you can usually find it between £40 -£50, usually closer to £40. To me this whisky punches well above its price point. Yes there are whiskies with more peat, or that can offer more range of flavour. But I don't think there are many that can do it for the price and affordability of the Ardbeg 10.

If your new to whisky, you might find the peat overwhelming initially like I did. If you do and your drinking other whiskies as well, maybe save this whisky for the end of an evening. That way you won't loose the flavours of the others. But come back to this from time to time, as you get more into whisky. I'm certain you'll also start to get more out of it like I did.

And if your not new to whisky, I'm sure you have already tired this. But if by some incredible feat you haven't, do yourself the favour and get a bottle.

I picked up the Port Charlotte after looking for something for a recent whisky weekend. We'd decided there would be a peaty theme to this one as we had some guests who we knew loved their peat. Needless to say when I saw the Port Charlotte 10 with its claim of "Heavily Peated" I figured I had to.

The bottle and presentation did worry me a bit, we're a group that love a traditional looking bottle. The Port Charlotte comes in a clean, modern presentation which had me worried it might be a whisky trying to sell to people that just want a hit of peat without much substance.

Needless to say I shouldn't have worried and had to eat some humble pie. Even though it followed after quite a few other strongly peated whiskies, the character and substance came though and showed off some very interesting flavours which the other whiskies hadn't shown. Since then I've been working though the bottle and really enjoying it as my current peaty whisky of choice.

Depending on what you've eaten before, how many whiskies you've had, and what phase the moon is in, you can look forward to some savoury BBQ flavours with a lovely tang to it which sets this whisky apart from others.

On a day to day bases this whisky will be lovely and sweet with caramel and wood smoke. Other times you'll try it and there's a real savoury sweet flavour reminiscent of a tangy BBQ sauce, the good kind where they haven't drowned it in sugar. As you open it up you'll find a lots of citrus on the nose and pine resin coming through as the sweetness and wood smoke are pushed back.

The after taste is juicy and complex. There is a lingering liquorish sweetness which sticks with you long after you swallow. As it dissipates a saltiness making a lovely salty sweet flavour like butterscotch. I think this is a really solid whisky. It punches really well for the price point of just over 40 pounds. If you're a fan of the Ardbeg core range I'd definitely recommend this as one to try.