Reggaeblues wrote:C'mon Dave! Live dangerously! Ardbeg puts hairs on your chest!
Seriously, there's a reason we all love it. It ain't just peer pressure. It was my standard long before I discovered this forum!
But I'm with you on Talisker 10. For me it comes a close second to Ardbeg.
but be aware folks. Arran have just standardised their 10yo...and it's NCF and 46%
Had a mini the other day. Very impressive...
LOL, I didn't say anything about peer pressure, are you reading between the lines?
I just don't think Ardbeg make particularly balanced whiskies - too much front-of-the-mouth, tangy peat with not enough big gutsy flavours to offset it. I dunno if it's a strong wash, narrow spirit cut or the purifiers I know they use, but I like a peated whisky to taste "big" and to me Ardbeg tastes "feisty" or "impertinent" and lacks the complexity of its Kildalton cousins.
Of course different people look for different things in their whisky, and taste vary - that's what makes SMSW such a great tipple. But since you raised the issue - yes I do think you get a lot of machismo associated with drinking the peatiest whiskies, like going into the Indian Restaurant and ordering the Vindaloo (none of that girly Glen Grant Chicken Korma nonsense)
Of course, the people who care enough about whisky to post on these forums are likely to be above such things. 
