Side by side: Five 10 year olds

There aren't a lot of distilleries sending out standard bottlings at 10 years of age, most leave it another couple of years for their entry level age statements.

In fact the Balvenie 10yo I'm trying here has been discontinued and replaced by a 12yo.

So which distilleries are we trying today?

Glenmorangie
Glenmorangie was founded in 1843 in the town of Tain in the Highlands. Famous for having the tallest stills in Scotland.
Balvenie
Balvenie was build in 1832 in Speyside and originally known as Glen Gordon after the huge ruined castle located nearby. One of only a handful of distilleries with it's own  floor maltings.
Arran
Arran is one of the first wave of new distilleries, built in 1995 it's the first distillery on the Island since 1835. Explore their Core Range
Springbank
Springbank was founded in 1828 when an illicit distiller applied for a licence. One of a handful of distilleries where the full malting to bottling process is done onsite.
Tomintoul
Tomintoul was founded in 1965 in Ballindalloch in Speyside, It's spend most of it's life as a distiller of blends before being taken over by Angus Dundee in 2000. Old Ballantruan is the name of it's heavily peated malt.

Let's see how their whiskies taste:

Dram	Glenmorangie 10yo Original	Balvenie 10yo Founder's Reserve	Arran 10yo	Springbank 10yo	Old Ballantruan 10yo (Tomintoul)
Characteristics	40% ABV	40% ABV Bourbon & Sherry casks	46% ABV NCF	46% ABV NCF	50% ABV NCF
Bottler notes	Glenmorangie Original is produced by marrying the delicate spirit that emerges from Scotland's tallest stills, with first and second fill American white oak casks. Aroma: The scent of citrus and ripening peaches is softened by the aroma of vanilla. Taste: First, vanilla is detected on the tongue before it ripples along the palate bringing a burst of flowery fruitiness. Finish: About a minute after tasting, you are left with a clean and salving aftertaste with hints of orange and peach.	Balvenie 10 Year Old Founder's Reserve Speyside single malt Scotch whisky. Matured in bourbon casks and sherry butts. Nose: medium-bodied with notes of marmalade and rosewater, honey and spice with a gentle smoky note. Palate: sweet and spicy with notes of lightly sherried peels and acacia honey. Finish: Long and Warming	Our classic Arran 10 Year Old Single Malt encompasses the unique taste of the beautiful island we call home and is one of the best single malt whiskies Scotland has to offer. Nose: Luscious citrus fruits. Palate: The initial rush of rich vanilla sweetness gives way to a touch of cinnamon which adds a spicy edge to the soft and sweet texture. The classic Arran citrus notes have rounded with age and reveal new depths of character against a background of sweet oak. Finish: Sweetness, Apple, Citrus, Cinnamon.	Our 10-year-old offers whisky drinkers the perfect introduction to the Springbank range. Matured in a combination of bourbon and sherry casks, it is perfectly balanced from the first sip through to the full, rich finish. Nose: Orchard fruit (pear) with a hint of peat, vanilla and malt. Palate: Malt, oak, spice, nutmeg and cinnamon, vanilla essence. Finish: Sweet, with a lingering salty tingle.	"Old Ballantruan" Speyside Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch Whisky is only one of a handful of peated malt whiskies from the Speyside region. Nose: Heathery smoke balanced with subtle floral notes Taste: Gentle "peat reek" flavours with hints of citrus tones and malty nuttiness Finish: Lingering smoke and peat with touch of malted barley sweetness
My thoughts:
Appearance
	Pale gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line which takes an age to bead up and fall as slow thin legs.	Pale gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line which beads up and falls as slow thick legs.	Very pale gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line which beads up and falls as slow thin legs.	Pale gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line which takes an age to bead up and fall as slow thick legs.	Pale gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line which takes an age to bead up and fall as slow thin legs.
Nose	Stewed orchard fruit: apples, pears, apricots, covered in warm honey and vanilla custard. a little time and air offers sharp citrus peel and a hint of toffee.	Orchard fruit and a little smoke: apples, pears & peaches. There's a little honey and hints of orange zest & peppery spice.	Citrus zest: orange, lemon and lime; vanilla, cocoa powder, almonds and a little melon.	Tropical fruit wrapped in gentle smoke: pineapple, banana, ginger and mandarin. There's a maltiness and some almond nuttiness.	Huge maritime smoke, salt, wood fire, a little iodine. You'd always say Islay if trying this blind. There's a little hidden orchard fruit and some citrus.
Palate	Smooth sweet arrival, honey and orchard fruit from the nose and a gentle bite of peppery spice as the liquid disappears. It's a little thin but very warming, leaves a drying caramel note on the tongue and a little brown sugar.	Similar to the Glenmorangie - smooth and sweet - orchard fruit and honey - but with a gentle blanket of peat smoke. It's also a little thin. The spice kicks in as the liquid disappears - ginger or pepper burning on it's way down. There's a little astringent citrus note too.	Lovely mouthcoating arrival, citrus and tropical fruit notes mixing on the tongue: lemon, lime, pineapple and kiwi. There's some honey, fresh cut grass and a bite of ginger spice.	The fruit turns all citrusy, zesty and spicy as it coats the tongue. The malt from the nose is here and a lovely blanket of peat smoke. There's some marzipan and a little rubber hint.	Thick oily arrival, peat smoke and seaweed dominate until the liquid spreads then a little fruit and honey join the party. There's a huge bite of peppery spice leaving an ash note in the mouth as the liquid disappears.
Finish	Lingering citrus and peppery spice.	Lingering ginger spice, honey and gentle smoke.	Long citrus, honey and ginger spice.	Long citrus, fruit, honey and smoke.	Lingering peat smoke, iodine, fruit and a ginger spice.
Overall	The obvious thing here would be to bash the chill filtered 40% ABVers and praise the 46%+ drams but that's not the case - to be honest they all were good. The Glenmorangie is a huge seller and meant to be a daily drinker or an introduction to whisky - you can find it in most supermarkets. And it is pretty good, lots of fruit, a bite of spice and easy to drink. I think the Balvenie, with it's sherry butt influence adds a little more to the sweetness and a hint of smoke - again a nice introduction to whisky. These both have lovely lingering finishes though. The ABV and the price goes up with the Arran and Springbank - much better mouth feel due to the lack of chill-filtering but not as long finishes. The Arran in all citrus, honey and spice, the Springbank adds gentle peat smoke.  The ABV goes up a little further on the Old Ballantruan  but the price is somewhere in-between the Arran and Springbank. As I said: blind you'd say this was an Islay - peat smoke, seaweed and iodine - but it's a Speysider... For me the order of preference was probably the reverse of order tasted: Old Ballantruan was easily the most complex of the five, the Springbank and Arran were good and the Balvenie and Glenmorangie  not far behind.