The prince of peat, the sultan of smoke, the chairman of char – Ardbeg's flagship 10-year-old bottling is anything but shy. On the official phenol-content chart, measured in parts per million, it's the most pungent of Islay's three smokiest flagship offerings, the other two being Lagavulin 16 and Laphroaig 10.
It hails from a 203-year-old Islay distillery that has developed a cultish following since it emerged from mothballs in 1989 and, especially, following its purchase by Glenmorangie in 1997, which invested heavily in new equipment.
And what a great balancing act it is. If you stop fixating on the combustion fumes and break through the cloud, you'll notice that the centre is surprisingly delicate and perfectly sweet with juicy pear and green apple, a sublime counterpoint to the smoke, which comes across with a meaty bacon overtone. It would be a great choice for a Burns Night dinner, just the sort of dram to wash away and make you forget every bite of haggis. Available in Ontario at the above price, $91.99 (plus tax, of course) in British Columbia, various prices in Alberta, $97.10 (plus tax) in Manitoba, $95 in Quebec, $86.29 in New Brunswick, $87.29 in Prince Edward Island, $79.08 in Nova Scotia.