Ardbeg 18 Year Single Cask 

December 2nd's whisky is one I'm sort of familiar with. Last Christmas, I got a bottle of Ardbeg 10 year. It was a good gift; I'm a big fan of Islay Scotch, and the Ardbeg 10 is a strong Islay. The moment you open the bottle and pour a bit into your glass, whatever room you are in will smell like you just put out a fire. It is that smoky and peaty.

I went through nearly an entire bottle before I realized this is a Scotch that requires a bit of water. Maybe require is a strong word: I required drinking it with water. It mellowed it out considerably and you could actually make out the flavors -- the peat, the sea, the medicinal iodine. Islay's are an acquired taste, but if you like them, the Ardbeg 10 was a strong one. Not my favorite, but it was a fierce drink.

All that is preamble to December 2nd's Ardbeg 18 year Single Cask. Pouring it, the familiar smokey Ardbeg scent was clear, but not nearly as strong as in the 10 year. With the 10 year, my girlfriend could tell I had opened the bottle from the other side of the room; I drank this 18 year next to her with nary a comment.

The color of Ardbeg tends to be lighter than you'd expect from a drink that is this dark and strong. Ardbeg looks almost like white wine. It's a very pale yellow. Lighter than most whiskies I've had. This 18 year is no different.

The scent of the Ardbeg really is a campfire. Maybe a fire on the beach so you're getting some ocean breeze mixed in. (Like I said, I'm not sure you can review a Scotch without sounding like a complete tool.) With the 18 year, there's some more to the scent than just overpowering peat and smoke. I swear there was some leather. I could be insane.

The taste is much mellower and smoother than the 10 year. It's still peaty and smokey and medicinal, like a good Islay, but it's got some sweeter taste to it as well. It reminded me a bit of what is one of my favorite Islays, the Bowmore 12, which is smokey and chocolatey at the same time. The Ardbeg 18 didn't seem chocolatey to me, but it did have some sweeter flavors beyond the peat.

Two days into our Whisky Advent adventure and we're 2 for 2 on whiskies. I figure by the 10th, I'll be sitting in a leather recliner, wearing a robe, with a roaring fire going*. All the better to review these drinks.

* I have neither a recliner, nor robe, nor fireplace.