Head to head · same category, comparable price
Ardbeg Uigeadail vs The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask
They diverge on 3 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 | The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | Single malt |
| Origin | Islay, Scotland | Speyside, Scotland |
| Age | No age statement | 12 years |
| Strength | 54.2% ABV | 40% ABV |
| Cask | Ex-bourbon cask, Oloroso sherry cask | Ex-bourbon American oak, Oloroso sherry-seasoned American oak |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £60 | £72 |
| Per 10cl | £8.57 | £10 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £158 | £257 |
| Chill-filtered | No | Not stated |
What separates them
Both from Scotland: Ardbeg Uigeadail from Islay, The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask from Speyside.
The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask states 12 years; Ardbeg Uigeadail states none.
Cask as each producer describes it: Ardbeg Uigeadail in ex-bourbon cask and oloroso sherry cask, The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask in ex-bourbon american oak and oloroso sherry-seasoned american oak.
Chill filtration: Ardbeg Uigeadail is not, The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask does not say.
The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask: specifications not yet producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask is £12 dearer a bottle than Ardbeg Uigeadail.
Strength keeps that ordering: £158 a litre of pure alcohol for Ardbeg Uigeadail against £257.
Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, Ardbeg Uigeadail is 20th cheapest and The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask 29th cheapest.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | Ardbeg Uigeadail | The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 9 | 0 |
| Sweet | 5 | 7 |
| Fruity | 4 | 6 |
| Spicy | 7 | 4 |
| Woody | 5 | 5 |
| Sherried | 6 | 7 |
| Cereal | 4 | 4 |
| Oily | 9 | 6 |
3 of the eight axes clear 3 points; after peaty comes spicy at 7 against 4 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 →The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask
Butterscotch, orange and a dry oak finish. Polished and very easy to like.
Full record →No overlap in what we list them for: Ardbeg Uigeadail for value at cask strength and after dinner, The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask for gift and introduction to sherry cask.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for Ardbeg Uigeadail and The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask: ardbeg.com, themacallan.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.