Ardbeg – 10 Year Old Distillery Tin (70cl, 46%)

Ardbeg – 10 Year Old Distillery Tin is a whisky from Ardbeg (Islay). Aged 10 years, bottled at 46% ABV, 70cl. Since its establishment in 1815, The Ardbeg distillery has been on a tumultuous rollercoaster ride of ownership changes, closures, and reopening. Stability was only achieved relatively recently, when the ailing distillery was purchased in 1997 by industry giants, Glenmorangie. The subsequent years have seen the distillery’s popularity swell, with fans enticed by the signature style of tarry, sooty smoke, balanced against citric sweetness and an oily mouthfeel. While Ardbeg still retains its distinctive personality, it has definitely been influenced by Glenmorangie’s propensity for experimenting with cask finishing, and (dare we say it) NAS expressions. The 10 Year Old: Due to distillation at Ardbeg being rather sporadic prior to its resurrection in 1997, there were a few gaps in the stocks available to the new owners. Therefore, it wasn’t until 2000 that a 10-Year-Old joined the range. Knowing these older casks wouldn’t last forever, a series of work-in-progress releases was introduced in 2005, paving the way for an all new 10-Year-Old, solely created under Glenmorangie’s stewardship. The TEN we recognise today properly re-joined the range in 2008 and, for our money, it remains one of the most reliably excellent core range expressions available. This bottling comes in the archetypal tin in the shape of Ardbeg distillery.