Head to head · same category, comparable price
Ardbeg Uigeadail vs Laphroaig Quarter Cask
One axis separates these two: sherried, 6 against 1.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| Ardbeg Uigeadail | Laphroaig Quarter Cask | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | Single malt |
| Origin | Islay, Scotland | Islay, Scotland |
| Age | No age statement | No age statement |
| Strength | 54.2% ABV | 48% ABV |
| Cask | Ex-bourbon cask, Oloroso sherry cask | Ex-bourbon barrel, American oak quarter cask |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £60 | £44 |
| Per 10cl | £8.57 | £6.29 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £158 | £131 |
| Chill-filtered | No | Not stated |
What separates them
Both Islay whiskies, from different distilleries.
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, Laphroaig Quarter Cask in ex-bourbon barrel and american oak quarter cask.
Chill filtration: Ardbeg Uigeadail is not, Laphroaig Quarter Cask does not say.
Laphroaig Quarter Cask: specifications not yet producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
Ardbeg Uigeadail is £16 dearer a bottle than Laphroaig Quarter Cask.
Strength keeps that ordering: £131 a litre of pure alcohol for Laphroaig Quarter Cask against £158.
Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, Ardbeg Uigeadail is 20th cheapest and Laphroaig Quarter Cask 12th cheapest.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | Ardbeg Uigeadail | Laphroaig Quarter Cask |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 9 | 9 |
| Sweet | 5 | 4 |
| Fruity | 4 | 3 |
| Spicy | 7 | 6 |
| Woody | 5 | 6 |
| Sherried | 6 | 1 |
| Cereal | 4 | 4 |
| Oily | 9 | 8 |
That is the only axis of the eight to reach 3 points. Next widest is sweet, 5 against 4.
Identical on peaty 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 →Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Laphroaig with the volume up — more oak, more sweetness, considerably more grip at 48%.
Double matured: standard ex-bourbon barrels, then re-racked into smaller quarter casks whose greater wood-to-spirit surface area speeds maturation. Laphroaig publishes no ABV, and one UK retailer lists 41.4% — that is a data error; 48% is confirmed by two independent retailers.
Full record →No overlap in what we list them for: Ardbeg Uigeadail for value at cask strength and after dinner, Laphroaig Quarter Cask for value at 48% and peat lovers.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for Ardbeg Uigeadail and Laphroaig Quarter Cask: ardbeg.com, laphroaig.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.