I don't have either open right now but I have 2 of each in the wings. I forget sometimes that the Ardbeg10 defined my journey. Top shelf dram with bottom shelf price. I went back to it after a few months to finish the bottle and it's a perfect whisky. Taste, smell, presentation and price, all perfect. I don't hunt the committee releases at all when the core range is so good. Ledaig. Blew my mind! Some sweet barley and chocolate is hiding in the development to the finish. All I can say is "must drink Tobermory". Any age, and independent bottle, any finish...it just transfixed me, that little note.
I am glad to see your shootout video between these two gems Alan. I usually do a non-peaty fare and then one of these as a nightcap. That way you get to appreciate both at different times. I believe Ledaig 10 beats out Ardbeg 10 on value for the money at the moment. Both are great and should be on your bar.
Ledaig 10 is a very competent whisky, but the ledaig 18 is the one. Literally blew my socks off with how fantastic it was at the price point. For 80 quid its hammering whiskies that are five times as expensive
Nice matchup Alan. These are so different from each other. The Ardbeg is a light straw smoke with a maritime element. I find the Ledaig to be an oily, heavy meathouse/fishhouse smoke. Just like you described, well done again!!
Nice comparison Alan! I did this with Port Charlotte 10 included in the bunch the other day. All are fantastic. All three for me did well. To me it kind of depends on what style I want on a given day. Slainte my friend!
Looking at the responses here i would not say its quite clear cut buddy, looks more like 50-50 to me and on any given day it could be either for me...thanks for dropping by my friend...
Another great video!! Taste is so subjective, you can love a bottle one month and go back and it’s not quite what you remembered the next. That’s half the fun that it changes and you can always find another favorite or special dram.
Hey Alan. Would be a disaster if the storm would hit the shed and ruin your beautiful bottles in there ! And thanks for this battle. Great to see it again.
About time I saw someone pit those two together, I love them both but I think the Ledaig compares to the Ardbeg better than the laphroaig 10. Awesome, thanks.
Nice one. I just finished a bottle of Ledaig a couple of weeks ago, it was my first peated scotch and I can tell you I’m in the peat camp now. FYI Tobermory states on their site “as with all our single malts, this peated Ledaig is non-chill filtered and natural colour. They should put that in the bottle if they are serious.
I've currently got bottles of both open and I'd say I agree with you Alan. Both great value peated whiskies but the Ledaig just steals it for me at the moment.
Thanks for another comparison, Alan. For me the Ardbeg 10yo stands out as most balanced with the different notes in both smell and taste. I always have one in the cabinet. The Ledaig is a great dram, but with the Ardbeg in the cabinet I do not have the need to put a Ledaig next to it... I will reach out for the Ardbeg anyway. Slàinte mhath
Great shoot out my friend. A little surprised at the outcome, but respect for the process! I might need to do to a comparison blind on this. At the end of the day? Please pour me either one and let's run down the week! Cheers!
Great review Alan I agree there is so much more to peated whisky than the peat. Balance is key. I get almonds and marzipan in heaps with Ardbeg. Both good drams, one of each 🤩👍🏻
Both super sweet and nutty it the coconut and macaroon... Sipping the Ledaig now and it's just gave me a super confectionary note from nowhere my even be kola cubes... Mad drams fella... Cheers for dropping bye Simon...
Good head to head Alan 👍. Haven’t got a favourite, their both good in their own rights , both of these I usually have at home. Don’t know if its me but Ledaig 10 has got a bit darker over the years though (??). Cheers Alan DOON THE HATCH.
This is really interesting head to head. Nice content as usual Alan. I find Ardbeg to be way heavier on the smoke than Ledaig, but they are both fantastic in my opinion. If I had to pick ONE standard Islay bottling to keep forever (not including Cask Strength bottles), it'd be Ardbeg 10. Your Ledaig is waaayyyy darker than the ones I've had. Cheers.
Great shootout, Alan. I just scored two bottles of Ledaig 10, which is experiencing a distribution issue in Texas. The only chain that has it in stock is Total Wine. I was told that Ledaig/Tobermory switched importers. One observation: your bottle appears to be an older one, with considerably more color than my brand new ones. A minor detail, but compared to a 2017 mini I had in 2018, the new one is richer, spicier, with subtle chocolate and vanilla i didn’t get in the older version. Cheers🥃
Yes I bought a couple of bottles on offer from amazon a couple of years ago.... Got to give props to both distilleries the consistency and quality is fantastic.... Thought about throwing the pc 10 into the mix but the video would have lasted about an hour.... Lol.... 3 beauties...
@@thewhiskyfriend I await an anticipated sale for Port Charlotte 10 hopefully early March. PC 10 has my favorite smoked meat peat smoke aroma & flavor. Ralfy just re-reviewed it, and his score rose by 4 points (might have been 5 or 6 if nonchillfiltered & natural color had appeared on the label as it does for The Classic Laddie).
Well thanks for dropping bye Kirk on any given day either of these two would be worthy winners... Adding the pc10 would have been interesting, however I think the video may have been an hour long.... 3 beauties....
Great comparison. I don't recall when and who mentioned that Ledaig uses their malted barley from Port Ellen. So in theory it should be an islay peat, but distilled in Mull. Can anyone confirm that? Thanks
Alan, I’m not a peat lover but I’m trying to develop a taste for peat. I have both that you have and tried them over the past couple months. I prefer the Ledaig 10 over the Ardbeg 10. I also have been tasting the Lagavulin 16, so for me the challenge is picking between the Lag and the Led. I was able to have my son pickup a bottle of Speyburn 15 this week but have to wait until he visits us next month. Take care, Rob
Same here Rob I have been taking one for the channel over the last couple of months... Not a lot between these 2....on any day it could be a diff winner... Give my warmest regards to Lila and thanks for dropping bye my friend... Normal sherry service should resume very soon... Cheers
I love both Ledaig 10 and Ardbeg Ten but definitely prefer Ledaig. I find it to be mellower, richer, more complex, more elegant and thus more interesting. Talking about nit-picking here but still for me Ledaig lays a little above Ardbeg Ten and a little below Port Charlotte 10. Value wise in Bulgaria Ledaig is also a little cheaper than Ardbeg but both drams can still be called good value nevertheless. Cheers!
Seriously considering getting the Ledaig 10 (my Laphroaig 10 bottle is almost done, need something similar to replace it). I really like the Laphroaig 10 but don't really enjoy the Ardbeg. Wondering if Ledaig is more similar to Ardbeg or Laphroaig. I don't have much experience with peated whiskies yet, the other bottle I have and absolutely love is the Lagavulin 16. Cheers!
The Ledaig is very good but I go with the AB 10 just for being so perfectly balanced and puristic. + The way better mouthfeel. AB 10 feels like home :) .Imo they keep the quality up way better than Laphroaig or Bowmore. // Try IB s of caol Ila & you may find some really stellar smokers you wouldn't imagine.
That was a fun head to head comparison. You had me guessing till the end as to who the winner would be. Glad to see the Ledaig 10 come out on top this time around, it's my pick as well by probably a 2 point margin. In my area it's the best bang for the buck peated scotch you can buy at roughly 30$ less than the Ardbeg 10! For some reason all Ardbeg products are way overpriced here, I can even get a Port Charlotte 10 for a few dollars less than Ardbeg 10.
@@peatbull3426 Yeah unfortunately our government run liquor board here does not allow us to order from abroad. All liquor sales must go through them. So I'm stuck paying $104 CDN for Ardbeg 10 and $78 for the Wee Beastie which is relatively decent price when you can find it. PC 10 is $102 and Ledaig 10 is $75.
@@peterruffolo700 yes, its dramma and kind of monopoly! What happend to Canada nowadays?! It was nice country of free ppl but now with your justin castro and this bastards gov is a hell. What about the custom from usa?
@@peatbull3426 It's still a nice country with good people and freedom. I just think that 2 year's worth of covid restrictions is wearing on people. Some more than others. My hope is that as we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel that the cooler heads will prevail. Also looking forward to the supply chain issues getting cleared up so that our bare liquor store shelves will be overflowing with whisky again! 😀
I'm not a fanboy of either or a complete peathead, normally go for lower pp like Springbank, Kilkerran and Talisker, but I prefere the Ardbeg to the Ledaig. I find the Ledaig a bit ashy in the aftertaste, where the Ardbeg are more pure bonfire in the aftertaste.
I'm like you my friend I'm no peat head either, however, I have come to appreciate the quality of both these drams and to keep producing this quality and at fantastic money... I tip my hat to them... On any given day any of these 2 would be worthy winners... Cheers
My NEW Ledaig-10 is a lot darker than pre-2015: Ardb-10 WAS my fave until 2015, now it is overpriced over here. Like both, but LD10 has been my daily dram since 2015...
Fantastic my friend I have had both on the bar for years now and on any given day there hard to split... Love that sweet peat buddy... Prices are pretty much the same here and put that pc 10 into the mix and the budget end peated malts are OK... Thanks for dropping bye....
Of course “best” in terms of what is best a pleasing a single individual is completely subjective, but since formal attributes CAN be discussed to some extent, I would argue that: - GENERALLY I consider the Ardbeg the “better” whisky for it’s crisp, refined, original and very elegantly balanced nature and exquisite peat development, the discrete moderate sweetness, with all the underlying familiar mineral notes and IN THE GOOD ONES faint citrusy notes. It was for a long time, my favourite dram in the price range. … HOWEVER … my first and best reference was a 1 ltr bottle I bought in the airport in Edinburgh years ago. That was good. It had full ardbeg complexity. The last 3-4 bottles of ardbeg however 10 have been somewhat disappointing to me. It’s as if there is a depth of flavour and a richness of notes and a complexity of peat that has gone down. And I’ve taken my own good time savouring them too, buying from different purveyors in different countries and having only a bottle of 10 for company on extended hikes into remote areas of artic Norway. They just seem a bit less complex now, and I fear they may have run out of some old stock in more recent batches. - SO in conclusion: Today - I would probably consider the ledaig the more rewarding choice in terms of exploration and appreciation options. Not as elegant perhaps, a bit more in your face, thats the style, but really really authentic properly done malt. In fact would be having one now if I didn’t have a bloody online meeting coming up.
Ledaig 10..everytime!😁🥃
I don't have either open right now but I have 2 of each in the wings. I forget sometimes that the Ardbeg10 defined my journey. Top shelf dram with bottom shelf price. I went back to it after a few months to finish the bottle and it's a perfect whisky. Taste, smell, presentation and price, all perfect.
I don't hunt the committee releases at all when the core range is so good.
Ledaig. Blew my mind! Some sweet barley and chocolate is hiding in the development to the finish. All I can say is "must drink Tobermory". Any age, and independent bottle, any finish...it just transfixed me, that little note.
Get them open and sent doon the hatch immediately... Do your own comparison.... Thanks for dropping bye my friend....
I am glad to see your shootout video between these two gems Alan. I usually do a non-peaty fare and then one of these as a nightcap. That way you get to appreciate both at different times. I believe Ledaig 10 beats out Ardbeg 10 on value for the money at the moment. Both are great and should be on your bar.
Thanks for dropping bye my friend and on any given day any of these would be worthy winner.... Cheers my friend
Ledaig 10 is a very competent whisky, but the ledaig 18 is the one. Literally blew my socks off with how fantastic it was at the price point. For 80 quid its hammering whiskies that are five times as expensive
I love these head to heads. Thanks for doing this one. We all have our preferences. There is no winner and no loser.
Nice matchup Alan. These are so different from each other. The Ardbeg is a light straw smoke with a maritime element. I find the Ledaig to be an oily, heavy meathouse/fishhouse smoke. Just like you described, well done again!!
Cheers fella... Thanks for dropping in buddy....
Both are good ledaig it’s little more complex ardbeg is more peaty
Great rundown Alan. Enjoyed watching - keep 'em coming. Cheers pal - a few shout outs coming asap!
Nice comparison Alan! I did this with Port Charlotte 10 included in the bunch the other day. All are fantastic. All three for me did well. To me it kind of depends on what style I want on a given day. Slainte my friend!
Ardbeg all day every day.
Looking at the responses here i would not say its quite clear cut buddy, looks more like 50-50 to me and on any given day it could be either for me...thanks for dropping by my friend...
Another great video!! Taste is so subjective, you can love a bottle one month and go back and it’s not quite what you remembered the next. That’s half the fun that it changes and you can always find another favorite or special dram.
It's whisky fella... You gotta love it.... Cheers for dropping bye my friend...
Hey Alan. Would be a disaster if the storm would hit the shed and ruin your beautiful bottles in there ! And thanks for this battle. Great to see it again.
The shed is fine buddy more shedanigans coming soon fella.... Cheers for dropping bye as usual....
Love Peat and enjoy the different presentations from both! I love both of them!
I choose ledaig 10 now imo. I have both. But Ardbeg 10 goes backwards and ledaig10 forwards..
Port Charlotte 10 over both of those
About time I saw someone pit those two together, I love them both but I think the Ledaig compares to the Ardbeg better than the laphroaig 10. Awesome, thanks.
Wonderful Again My Friend!
Cheers Buddy....
Nice one. I just finished a bottle of Ledaig a couple of weeks ago, it was my first peated scotch and I can tell you I’m in the peat camp now. FYI Tobermory states on their site “as with all our single malts, this peated Ledaig is non-chill filtered and natural colour. They should put that in the bottle if they are serious.
Thanks for the info fella... Really don't know why they don't just put it on the label... Thanks for dropping in my friend....
I've currently got bottles of both open and I'd say I agree with you Alan. Both great value peated whiskies but the Ledaig just steals it for me at the moment.
have to say I find the ledaig just a bit sweeter
Thanks for another comparison, Alan.
For me the Ardbeg 10yo stands out as most balanced with the different notes in both smell and taste. I always have one in the cabinet. The Ledaig is a great dram, but with the Ardbeg in the cabinet I do not have the need to put a Ledaig next to it... I will reach out for the Ardbeg anyway.
Slàinte mhath
The Ledaig is superb.
Great shoot out my friend. A little surprised at the outcome, but respect for the process! I might need to do to a comparison blind on this. At the end of the day? Please pour me either one and let's run down the week! Cheers!
Great review Alan
I agree there is so much more to peated whisky than the peat. Balance is key.
I get almonds and marzipan in heaps with Ardbeg.
Both good drams, one of each 🤩👍🏻
Both super sweet and nutty it the coconut and macaroon... Sipping the Ledaig now and it's just gave me a super confectionary note from nowhere my even be kola cubes... Mad drams fella... Cheers for dropping bye Simon...
Good head to head Alan 👍. Haven’t got a favourite, their both good in their own rights , both of these I usually have at home. Don’t know if its me but Ledaig 10 has got a bit darker over the years though (??). Cheers Alan DOON THE HATCH.
This is really interesting head to head. Nice content as usual Alan. I find Ardbeg to be way heavier on the smoke than Ledaig, but they are both fantastic in my opinion. If I had to pick ONE standard Islay bottling to keep forever (not including Cask Strength bottles), it'd be Ardbeg 10. Your Ledaig is waaayyyy darker than the ones I've had.
Cheers.
Great shootout, Alan.
I just scored two bottles of Ledaig 10, which is experiencing a distribution issue in Texas. The only chain that has it in stock is Total Wine. I was told that Ledaig/Tobermory switched importers.
One observation: your bottle appears to be an older one, with considerably more color than my brand new ones. A minor detail, but compared to a 2017 mini I had in 2018, the new one is richer, spicier, with subtle chocolate and vanilla i didn’t get in the older version.
Cheers🥃
Yes I bought a couple of bottles on offer from amazon a couple of years ago.... Got to give props to both distilleries the consistency and quality is fantastic.... Thought about throwing the pc 10 into the mix but the video would have lasted about an hour.... Lol.... 3 beauties...
@@thewhiskyfriend I await an anticipated sale for Port Charlotte 10 hopefully early March.
PC 10 has my favorite smoked meat peat smoke aroma & flavor.
Ralfy just re-reviewed it, and his score rose by 4 points (might have been 5 or 6 if nonchillfiltered & natural color had appeared on the label as it does for The Classic Laddie).
Great review. I agree with your results. Add the Port Charlotte 10 in the mix . All 3 are winners for me
Well thanks for dropping bye Kirk on any given day either of these two would be worthy winners... Adding the pc10 would have been interesting, however I think the video may have been an hour long.... 3 beauties....
Great comparison. I don't recall when and who mentioned that Ledaig uses their malted barley from Port Ellen. So in theory it should be an islay peat, but distilled in Mull. Can anyone confirm that? Thanks
You're not alone in hearing about this...
Yes, it's true!
Alan, I’m not a peat lover but I’m trying to develop a taste for peat. I have both that you have and tried them over the past couple months. I prefer the Ledaig 10 over the Ardbeg 10. I also have been tasting the Lagavulin 16, so for me the challenge is picking between the Lag and the Led. I was able to have my son pickup a bottle of Speyburn 15 this week but have to wait until he visits us next month.
Take care, Rob
Same here Rob I have been taking one for the channel over the last couple of months... Not a lot between these 2....on any day it could be a diff winner... Give my warmest regards to Lila and thanks for dropping bye my friend... Normal sherry service should resume very soon... Cheers
@@thewhiskyfriend OK, will do buddy.
ARDBEG 10 Rocks Mate...
Love the ledaig 10 it is great value and less hype
So true fella....
I love both Ledaig 10 and Ardbeg Ten but definitely prefer Ledaig. I find it to be mellower, richer, more complex, more elegant and thus more interesting. Talking about nit-picking here but still for me Ledaig lays a little above Ardbeg Ten and a little below Port Charlotte 10.
Value wise in Bulgaria Ledaig is also a little cheaper than Ardbeg but both drams can still be called good value nevertheless.
Cheers!
All wonderful whiskies... Thanks for dropping in my friend... Cheers Alan
Seriously considering getting the Ledaig 10 (my Laphroaig 10 bottle is almost done, need something similar to replace it). I really like the Laphroaig 10 but don't really enjoy the Ardbeg. Wondering if Ledaig is more similar to Ardbeg or Laphroaig. I don't have much experience with peated whiskies yet, the other bottle I have and absolutely love is the Lagavulin 16.
Cheers!
Such is my patience that I pulled the trigger on a Ledaig 10 less than 10 minutes from writing this. lol
Pick up that ledaig 10 you will not be disappointed my friend...
Good man...
The Ledaig is very good but I go with the AB 10 just for being so perfectly balanced and puristic. + The way better mouthfeel. AB 10 feels like home :) .Imo they keep the quality up way better than Laphroaig or Bowmore. // Try IB s of caol Ila & you may find some really stellar smokers you wouldn't imagine.
Try ardbeg 5 wee beastie
That was a fun head to head comparison. You had me guessing till the end as to who the winner would be. Glad to see the Ledaig 10 come out on top this time around, it's my pick as well by probably a 2 point margin. In my area it's the best bang for the buck peated scotch you can buy at roughly 30$ less than the Ardbeg 10! For some reason all Ardbeg products are way overpriced here, I can even get a Port Charlotte 10 for a few dollars less than Ardbeg 10.
UK Amazon now PC and Ardbeg same £46, Ledaig £38
@@peatbull3426 Yeah unfortunately our government run liquor board here does not allow us to order from abroad. All liquor sales must go through them. So I'm stuck paying $104 CDN for Ardbeg 10 and $78 for the Wee Beastie which is relatively decent price when you can find it. PC 10 is $102 and Ledaig 10 is $75.
@@peterruffolo700 yes, its dramma and kind of monopoly! What happend to Canada nowadays?! It was nice country of free ppl but now with your justin castro and this bastards gov is a hell. What about the custom from usa?
@@peatbull3426 It's still a nice country with good people and freedom. I just think that 2 year's worth of covid restrictions is wearing on people. Some more than others. My hope is that as we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel that the cooler heads will prevail. Also looking forward to the supply chain issues getting cleared up so that our bare liquor store shelves will be overflowing with whisky again! 😀
@@peterruffolo700 👍🤞🙋♂️
I'm not a fanboy of either or a complete peathead, normally go for lower pp like Springbank, Kilkerran and Talisker, but I prefere the Ardbeg to the Ledaig. I find the Ledaig a bit ashy in the aftertaste, where the Ardbeg are more pure bonfire in the aftertaste.
I'm like you my friend I'm no peat head either, however, I have come to appreciate the quality of both these drams and to keep producing this quality and at fantastic money... I tip my hat to them... On any given day any of these 2 would be worthy winners... Cheers
My NEW Ledaig-10 is a lot darker than pre-2015: Ardb-10 WAS my fave until 2015, now it is overpriced over here. Like both, but LD10 has been my daily dram since 2015...
Fantastic my friend I have had both on the bar for years now and on any given day there hard to split... Love that sweet peat buddy... Prices are pretty much the same here and put that pc 10 into the mix and the budget end peated malts are OK... Thanks for dropping bye....
Ardbeg
Of course “best” in terms of what is best a pleasing a single individual is completely subjective, but since formal attributes CAN be discussed to some extent, I would argue that:
- GENERALLY I consider the Ardbeg the “better” whisky for it’s crisp, refined, original and very elegantly balanced nature and exquisite peat development, the discrete moderate sweetness, with all the underlying familiar mineral notes and IN THE GOOD ONES faint citrusy notes. It was for a long time, my favourite dram in the price range.
… HOWEVER … my first and best reference was a 1 ltr bottle I bought in the airport in Edinburgh years ago. That was good. It had full ardbeg complexity. The last 3-4 bottles of ardbeg however 10 have been somewhat disappointing to me. It’s as if there is a depth of flavour and a richness of notes and a complexity of peat that has gone down. And I’ve taken my own good time savouring them too, buying from different purveyors in different countries and having only a bottle of 10 for company on extended hikes into remote areas of artic Norway. They just seem a bit less complex now, and I fear they may have run out of some old stock in more recent batches.
- SO in conclusion: Today - I would probably consider the ledaig the more rewarding choice in terms of exploration and appreciation options. Not as elegant perhaps, a bit more in your face, thats the style, but really really authentic properly done malt. In fact would be having one now if I didn’t have a bloody online meeting coming up.
Try ardbeg 5 wee beastie