Head to head · same category, comparable price
Ardbeg 10 Year Old vs Talisker 10 Year Old
One axis separates these two: peaty, 9 against 6.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| Ardbeg 10 Year Old | Talisker 10 Year Old | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | Single malt |
| Origin | Islay, Scotland | Highland, Scotland |
| Age | 10 years | 10 years |
| Strength | 46% ABV | 45.8% ABV |
| Cask | Ex-bourbon barrel | Refill American oak |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £48 | £42 |
| Per 10cl | £6.86 | £6.00 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £149 | £131 |
| Chill-filtered | No | Not stated |
What separates them
Both from Scotland: Ardbeg 10 Year Old from Islay, Talisker 10 Year Old from Highland.
Both state 10 years.
Cask as each producer describes it: Ardbeg 10 Year Old in ex-bourbon barrel, Talisker 10 Year Old in refill american oak.
Chill filtration: Ardbeg 10 Year Old is not, Talisker 10 Year Old does not say.
Colour: Ardbeg 10 Year Old natural colour, Talisker 10 Year Old silent.
Talisker 10 Year Old: specifications not yet producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
Ardbeg 10 Year Old is £6.00 dearer a bottle than Talisker 10 Year Old.
Strength keeps that ordering: £131 a litre of pure alcohol for Talisker 10 Year Old against £149.
Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, Ardbeg 10 Year Old is 18th cheapest and Talisker 10 Year Old 13th cheapest.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | Ardbeg 10 Year Old | Talisker 10 Year Old |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 9 | 6 |
| Sweet | 3 | 4 |
| Fruity | 4 | 4 |
| Spicy | 5 | 7 |
| Woody | 4 | 5 |
| Sherried | 1 | 2 |
| Cereal | 4 | 4 |
| Oily | 7 | 7 |
That is the only axis of the eight to reach 3 points. Next widest is spicy, 5 against 7.
Identical on fruity, cereal and oily.
Each bottle in its own right
Ardbeg 10 Year Old
Tar, lime and soot, then a long smoked-vanilla finish. Bracing rather than comfortable.
Ardbeg's own page states the whisky is matured solely in ex-bourbon casks and is non-chill filtered, with no sherry component at all — unusual for a flagship Islay malt. It is bottled at 46% where most competitors at the price sit at 40%.
Full record →Talisker 10 Year Old
Pepper and brine over a warm smoky core. The pepper is the signature.
Full record →No overlap in what we list them for: Ardbeg 10 Year Old for first serious peated malt and value at 46%, Talisker 10 Year Old for peat curious and cold weather.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for Ardbeg 10 Year Old and Talisker 10 Year Old: ardbeg.com, malts.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.