Somebody let Ned Stark know he got one right, winter is very much here. And with nighttime temps crashing all the way down to the low 20’s Fahrenheit in North Carolina, it’s an optimum time to get free and loose with the peated single malt pours.

Last night I did a blind flight with a straight A-B-C comparison of three of my favorite Islay whiskies: Lagavulin 16, Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10, and Ardbeg Uigeadail. I’ve previously done deep dives on all three if you want my extended thoughts, this is more an exercise in comparisons.

I went in blind, but I’ve marked each glass for your reference.

Glass 1 (Ardbeg Uigeadail): Appreciably darker in the glass than the other contestants. Heavy brine, salty smoke, and dense caramel on the nose. Maple bacon donuts, salted caramel, and sea salt in the palate, with an undertow of damp firewood and oily smoke. Long finish, with salted caramel and suggestions of dark fruit and jam. In direct back-and-forth, easily the sweetest and least citrusy of the bunch.

Glass 2 (Port Charlotte 10): Why hello, Port Charlotte 10. That nose is a dead giveaway. I could be blindfolded and left in the middle of a perfume factory and I’d still recognize this nose. An atomic blastwave of smoke and lemon zest on approach, with an avalanche of charred honey, ocean air, lemon peel, and campfire smoke on the palate. Even compared to its fellow peat monsters, this bottle shows as much restraint as the Mongol warhost displayed during the Fall of Baghdad.

Glass 3 (Lagavulin 16): It’s not often Lagavulin 16 gets accused of being friendly approachable and easy drinking, but it was mind-blowing how comparatively light this drank coming on the heels of PC10. It was even more surprising to me when I saw the bottle’s identity. That all said, this is still a Wagnerian pour of iodine, earthy smoke, and oil on the nose, with orange peel, caramel, iodine-rich smoke on the palate, but I was surprised how easy it was to approach versus its colleagues.

I’ve gotten to the stage in my alcoholism where I don’t believe in objective bests any more. All three of these pours are incredible, and I could see why anyone would favor any one over the others. I most enjoyed the Port Charlotte 10, which remains in my favorite 3-5 bottles of all-time. But I’m also a sadomasochist who adores whisky that the distiller really flew the freak flag when making it.

While I don’t conceptualize any Ardbeg as “sweet,” man if Uigeadail didn’t come across like a GlenDronach or even Rabbit Hole Dareringer when compared to its Islay kinsmen. These head-to-head comparisons are so helpful for be in teasing out differences. Same with the Lagavulin 16 — I seldom jump to “lively” and “bright” when describing any Lagavulin, but there was a citrusy zest and bounce that emerged in the 16 versus its more violent cousins.

Image courtesy of Jon who also writes on Low Class & High Proof.

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