Second Stop on the Isle of Islay

After comparing a few single malts these last weeks for the podcast, I can firmly say I will not find a single malt Scotch I dislike. I will probably end up just differentiating between them. Thus far, Lagavulin is the reigning champion. For that reason, I thought it would be fun to do a virtual regional tour to compare distilleries in a similar region.

So, I continue my tour of the Isle of Islay (pronounced eye-la, which I totally screwed up in the podcast), just of the Western coast of Scotland. I took a trip to Ardbeg. Following the road from Port Ellen to the southern tip of Islay brings the consumer to a lighter, friendly single malt. Contrasted to Lagavulin, Ardbeg possesses a gentle sweetness that compliments the characteristic ‘smoky-peaty’ Islay signature.

Whereas Lagavulin pounds you over the head with a smoky-woody presence that lingers like a visiting relative, Ardbeg is content to deliver fragrant, lighter notes that quickly dissipate. It has a woody-sweet nose that doesn’t overpower, and with a splash of water, it takes on a mossy overtone.

It doesn’t have an ‘outdoorsy’ taste, but a rush of caramel, vanilla and oak. It reminds me of a cellar. Overall, it is a nice contender. It doesn’t have the complexity of Lagavulin, but I am not going to use Lagavulin as a barometer, as I understand it is the strongest of all the Islay whiskeys. Ardbeg clocks in at $50 a bottle for the 10 year, and is well worth the investment.