How good is the new Ardbeg 10 Years Old Cask Strength 2026 (Review)?

It was all already there.

There is no distillery as iconic, and as polarizing, as Ardbeg. A legacy forged through one of the most troubled histories in Scotch whisky, shaped by extraordinary highs and devastating lows. Always fighting. Always surviving. Constantly moving forward.

The history of Ardbeg is long and complex, marked by wars, financial crises, closures, and resurrection. A story of resilience that has inspired one of the most passionate and loyal fanbases in the whisky world.

But with great love comes great expectations.

In recent years, Ardbeg rode the wave of the global whisky boom, doing what every distillery with a strong legacy and growing demand would do: scaling production, expanding releases, and leaning heavily into its USP. What was once a small, cult Islay distillery evolved into a global marketing powerhouse.

And with that growth, something shifted.

While Ardbeg continued to innovate and experiment, part of its core fanbase began to feel increasingly distant from what had made them fall in love with the distillery in the first place.

Balancing innovation and legacy is one of the hardest challenges any historic distillery can face, especially in a market as competitive and volatile as today’s.

In this crucial moment where many distilleries created a gap that seems impossible to fill, Ardbeg did something simple. And yet, something incredibly powerful.

It listened.

It listened to its 200,000+ Committee members, its embassies, and whisky lovers around the world.

You could already see the shift beginning with Ardbeg Eureka, an experiment launched in 2023 during Fèis Ìle, where 100 selected Committee members worked directly with cask samples, helping shape what would become one of the most appreciated releases in recent years.

This was the beginning, and many meaningful initiatives followed, from sending out thousands of 5cl miniature rewards, to the Malt Vault mystery box campaign, and last but not least, returning to festivals and reconnecting with whisky lovers of all kinds, far beyond the Committee itself.

Coming back from Islay, there were no doubts in my mind.

Ardbeg was not only hearing its fans.

It was really listening.

And today, we see the clearest expression of that renewed direction.

Perhaps experimentation will always remain part of Ardbeg’s DNA. But ultimately, the secret to greatness was already there.

Something simple. Something authentic. Something unmistakably Ardbeg.

Something fans had wanted for decades:

The cask strength version of the legend, Ardbeg 10 Year Old.

There is a reason for the enduring success of Ardbeg 10 Year Old. It is simply a spectacular whisky. An entry-level expression capable of still scoring over 90 points in an increasingly competitive market. A whisky that embodies not only the soul of Ardbeg, but the very essence of Islay itself.

Sometimes, there is no need for exotic casks or complex finishing.

Sometimes, the answer is simply to bottle a great distillate in its purest form, matured in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels.

That said, a subtle but important technical detail makes this release truly unique.

Many do not realize that most new make spirit is diluted with water before being filled into casks, reducing its strength to a standard filling ABV. In this release, however, part of the spirit was filled into casks at its natural strength, without dilution.

The result is a stunning 61.7% ABV, the highest ever recorded for an Ardbeg Committee Release.

This is, fittingly, a Committee Release. A reminder of the importance of the global Ardbeg Committee and its role in shaping the distillery’s future, restoring meaning to one of the most powerful communities in whisky.

Let’s explore the whisky itself.

Colour

Pale gold.

Nose

Pristine Ardbeg. Classic, but elevated. Lemon custard, freshly cracked black pepper, and coastal kelp. A curtain of smoke envelops everything, with hints of sea spray, cold ash, rubber boots, and fresh peat moss.

Palate

An explosion. No water needed, this whisky deserves to be experienced at full strength. A whirlwind of tar, peat, and smoke. Deeply mineral, constantly shifting between spice and sweetness. Fresh oysters with a squeeze of lime and two drops of Tabasco. Sweet malt. Vanilla. Intense, but perfectly controlled.

Finish

Endless. Balsamic and herbal. Pine needle tea. Coastal embers. Thick, chewy, and coating. Vanilla pods and lemon drops lingering indefinitely.

It was all already there.

Sometimes the solution is not innovation, but clarity. The distillate never changed. The passion of the fans never disappeared. The identity of Ardbeg was never lost.

It simply needed to be revealed again.

Ardbeg listened.

And this is the result.

Sláinte