Ardbeg Spectacular Limited Edition Scotch Whisky
Ardbeg Spectacular Limited Edition Scotch Whisky is a 92-proof (46% ABV) 750mL single malt — the Ardbeg Day 2024 bottling, released June 1, 2024 for Feis Ile. For the first time in the distillery's history, Ardbeg matured spirit in port wine casks, then married it with classic ex-bourbon-cask Ardbeg. It is bottled non chill-filtered at natural colour. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- Proof / ABV: 92 proof (46% ABV)
- Size: 750mL
- Aging: NAS — port wine casks (a first for Ardbeg) married with ex-bourbon barrels
- Origin: Ardbeg Distillery, Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, Scotland
- Production: non chill-filtered, natural colour; Ardbeg Day 2024 "Dark Circus" release; Dr Bill Lumsden, master blender Gillian Macdonald
The Dark Circus Comes to Islay
Ardbeg's 2024 Ardbeg Day release stepped right up under the big top: the "Dark Circus" theme, and a first-ever port cask maturation for the distillery. Port and peat is a pairing the industry has flirted with for years, but Ardbeg had never attempted it — and the marriage of fragrant port-cask fruit with the distillery's famously assertive smoke turned out to be one of the boldest recent experiments in the annual release calendar. Press scores ran from 91 (VinePair) to 92 (Whisky Advocate) to 95 (Drinkhacker). Explore the Ardbeg collection and more Scotch whisky and bourbon whisky at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
A curiously perfumed nose — fragrant lavender, vetiver, incense candles, antique leather, and rich almond nuttiness, with a splash of water revealing woodsmoke, damp peat moss, and menthol. The palate is viscous and salty-sweet-savory: peat smoke, eucalyptus oil, minty chocolate, toffee, smoked pecans, creosote, tar, sweet pear crumble, and fudge, finishing long with salted caramel and cooling menthol.
How to Enjoy
Taste it twice — once neat to meet the port-cask perfume, then with a splash of water to wake up the smoke and menthol. Peat lovers should serve it alongside the standard Ardbeg 10 for a before-and-after study of what port casks do to Islay malt.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Ardbeg Spectacular released for?
Ardbeg Day 2024 (June 1, 2024), the distillery's annual celebration during the Feis Ile Islay whisky festival — the only annual limited release from 2024 onward.
Is this the first port-cask Ardbeg?
Yes — Spectacular is the first Ardbeg ever matured in port wine casks, married with ex-bourbon-cask spirit.
Is it chill-filtered or colored?
Neither — it is bottled non chill-filtered at natural colour at 46% ABV.
Step right up — order Ardbeg Spectacular Limited Edition Scotch Whisky online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.