Ardbeg Spectacular

Profile: The Ardbeg Spectacular at a glance

• Limited bottling: Exclusive to the Fèis Ìle Festival 2024 on Islay
• Experience Islay's cult distillery in a completely new way: The limited Ardbeg Spectacular from Port Casks
• Bottled in drinking strength: With an alcohol content of 46%vol. bottled
• Natural: Bottled without the addition of dyes and without chill filtration

Portrait: What the Ardbeg Spectacular.

Ardbeg prides itself on being the ultimate Islay malt whisky. Founded in 1815, Ardbeg is revered by connoisseurs around the world as the peatiest, smokiest and most complex of all Islay whiskies. The island distillery had to fear for its survival in the 1980s and 1990s. Only since it was bought by the Glenmorangie Company in 1997 has the distillery risen like a phoenix from the ashes - and today has cult status.
 
Ardbeg Day, for example, bears witness to this. Traditionally celebrated on the last Saturday of Islay's music and malt festival, Fèis Ìle, it has grown into a worldwide event. Also because Ardbeg Day features highly sought-after special bottlings. This year, Ardbeg is delighting whiskey lovers with an experimental limited bottling: the Ardbeg Spectacular.

The single malt is spectacular in fact: It is thefirst Ardbeg to mature in port wine casks as well as bourbon.

And so, as Gillian Macdonald, Ardbeg Master Blender, puts it, “a brilliant fireworks display of aromas is ignited that the Ardbeggians have never experienced before.”
 
The barrels expand the Islay malt lush taste and surprising color: 

Dark chocolate dances across the tongue, mint balances like a high-wire artist, while aromas of candied fruit, incense and smoked pecans seem to float weightlessly through the ring.

Tasting Notes: This is how the Ardbeg Spectacular tastes like

• Nose: unusually perfumed and aromatic, with aromas of lavender that transition to vetiver and incense - behind this there are aromas of leather, wax and clearly almonds - with a little water there are nuances of wood smoke and moist peat moss with a hint of menthol and leather to the fore 
• Palate: pleasantly viscous, with salty, sweet and spicy notes - peat smoke, eucalyptus oil, mint chocolate and toffee mix with notes of smoked pecans, creosote and tar - subtly sweet pear crumble and caramel fudge notes lurk in the ring
• Finish: a long, lingering finish with salted caramel and cooling menthol