Ardbeg 10 years

Score: 68

Ardbeg 10 galloped into the tasting with all the force of a storm surge off the Islay coast, and it didn’t disappoint. Landing 2nd out of 6, it proved once again why it’s a cornerstone of peated whisky royalty. This is the true Ardbeg original: raw, intense, and utterly unapologetic. The nose hits with medicinal peat, bandages, iodine, sea spray, evoking the rough, untamed energy of a wild stallion. On the palate, it’s a full-throttle ride through smoke, brine, and charred citrus, with just enough malt sweetness to keep things from bucking you off entirely. As one of the core expressions of the peated whisky giants, Ardbeg 10 doesn’t try to be elegant. It’s here to challenge, to thrill, and to remind you that peat can be primal. Its 2nd-place finish was no surprise.