Head to head · same category, comparable price
Ardbeg Uigeadail vs Kavalan Classic Single Malt
They diverge on 5 of our eight axes, most of all peaty, 9 against 0.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| Ardbeg Uigeadail | Kavalan Classic Single Malt | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | Single malt |
| Origin | Islay, Scotland | Taiwan |
| Age | No age statement | No age statement |
| Strength | 54.2% ABV | 40% ABV |
| Cask | Ex-bourbon cask, Oloroso sherry cask | American oak |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £60 | £60 |
| Per 10cl | £8.57 | £8.57 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £158 | £214 |
| Chill-filtered | No | Not stated |
What separates them
Different countries: Ardbeg Uigeadail from Islay, Scotland, Kavalan Classic Single Malt from Taiwan.
Neither carries an age statement, so neither discloses its youngest spirit.
Cask as each producer describes it: Ardbeg Uigeadail in ex-bourbon cask and oloroso sherry cask, Kavalan Classic Single Malt in american oak.
Chill filtration: Ardbeg Uigeadail is not, Kavalan Classic Single Malt does not say.
Kavalan Classic Single Malt: specifications not yet producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
Both last observed at £60.
Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, Ardbeg Uigeadail is 20th cheapest and Kavalan Classic Single Malt 28th cheapest.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | Ardbeg Uigeadail | Kavalan Classic Single Malt |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 9 | 0 |
| Sweet | 5 | 7 |
| Fruity | 4 | 8 |
| Spicy | 7 | 4 |
| Woody | 5 | 5 |
| Sherried | 6 | 3 |
| Cereal | 4 | 4 |
| Oily | 9 | 6 |
5 of the eight axes clear 3 points; after peaty comes fruity at 4 against 8, spicy at 7 against 4, sherried at 6 against 3 and oily at 9 against 6.
Identical on woody and cereal.
Each bottle in its own right
Ardbeg Uigeadail
Tar, raisin and smoked meat at 54.2%. The best-value cask-strength Islay there is.
A batched vatting, so the strength has varied slightly over time — 54.2% is the current stated figure, not a permanent one. Named after the peat-laden loch supplying the distillery's water.
Full record →Kavalan Classic Single Malt
Mango and coconut — subtropical maturation doing something Scotland cannot.
Matures in Yilan's heat, losing far more to evaporation each year than a Scottish warehouse.
Full record →No overlap in what we list them for: Ardbeg Uigeadail for value at cask strength and after dinner, Kavalan Classic Single Malt for something different and fruit-forward drinkers.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for Ardbeg Uigeadail and Kavalan Classic Single Malt: ardbeg.com, kavalanwhisky.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.