By Richard Thomas
Rating: B+
(Credit: Ardbeg)
The 2026 Committee Release from Ardbeg, the fan favorite Islay distillery, has been long requested by those fans: a cask strength version of the classic Ardbeg Ten. A release of a 10 year old cask strength previously came out in 2003, but in tiny amounts and then only distributed to Japan. Whereas the standard 10 year old is bottled at 46% ABV, the upper tier for standard Scotch Whisky, this one comes out at a whopping 61.7%. Both, however, are drawn from the same stocks of ex-bourbon barrel aged whisky.
The cask selection was reportedly more involved, as befits a Committee Release: Dr. Bill Lumsden, Master Blender Gillian MacDonald and new Distillery Manager Bryony McNiven (the latter will be the subject of a The Whiskey Reviewer interview in a couple of weeks time) went looking for casks with an unusually high alcohol strength, which explains the above 60% ABV. Although that would be pretty typical for an American barrel proof bottling, over in Scotland maturation conditions tend to evaporate alcohol rather than water, and in my experience most cask strength editions to come out of the Scotch industry are in the fifties ABV, not the sixties. Hazmat Scotch is almost unheard of.
The Scotch
Despite being almost 20 points stronger, the coloring for this pour is almost the same as for the standard Ardbeg Ten: pale white wine. Despite its potency, the whisky really only needs a few drops of water to open up sufficiently, and is scarcely hot at all without.
My nose led with pineapple and musty wood. As things developed, a faint oceanside smell arose, the sort of thing that one experiences along the coast after a heavy rainfall. Once fully open, a dash of ash and a dash of cloves join the parade.
The liquid is thick and oily on the palate. Inverting the pattern from the nose, tasting leads with clove and cinnamon, and behind that come restrained notes of caramel and vanilla, while the spices merge with a sliver of dry wood. Again it takes a while to surface, but an ash note eventually makes itself present. Only on the finish does the smoke really take over, with the conclusion turning from sweet to smoke bomb on a dime.
The Price
Expect to pay $90 for a 70cl bottle, if you can find this at MSRP that is.
