Ardbeg BizarreBQ

Ardbeg distillery continues to try to amaze and surprise fans of peaty, smoky whisky from the south coast of Islay. Another remarkable launch any day now.

Ardbeg BizarreBQ are the results of the collaboration of Drs. Bill Lumsden and Christian Stevenson, more widely known as DJ BBQ, and who has been working with Ardbeg for several years now to promote successive editions of whiskies from the distillery.

Whisky with no age declaration, bottled as a 50.9% vol. beverage., was created by combining distillates aged in three types of barrels. These included double-fired barrels, Pedro Ximénez sherry barrels, and specially prepared barrels whose staves were fired over a traditional grill. Traditionally, this edition of Ardbeg will have a natural color, with no added caramel, and will not be cold-filtered.

According to the makers of the new whisky, the combination of casks used provides the liquor with an appetizingly sweet, distinctive and slightly spicy smoky flavor. In its aroma you will find notes of smoky wood, charcoal, soot and aromatic herbs and spices. Whisky offers aromas of campfire, glowing grill, grilled steak, chili oil, leather and cloves. In the taste we can expect accents of grilled ribs, ginger and aniseed. The finish will feature notes of grilled artichokes and black olives.

The new Ardbeg is set to debut on April 3 and will initially be available only in the distillery's store and in the German market. Its appearance in other European markets is scheduled for around mid-year. The retail price of a single bottle has been set at £75.

Founded in 1815, the distillery is one of nine currently operating Scotch whisky factories located on Islay. This island, which is part of the Inner Hebrides archipelago, is famous for its whisky with a distinctive smoky-peaty aroma and flavor, the result of malt drying over peat smoke. On the south coast of the island there are three distilleries, a kind of Sevres benchmark in terms of the smokiness of the spirits produced. These include Laphroaig, Lagavulin and just Ardbeg. The number of active distilleries on this most legendary of Scottish islands - at least in the opinion of whisky lovers - will soon rise to eleven. Work on reactivating Port Ellen, which closed in 1983, is at a very advanced stage, and Elixir Distillers has already begun construction work on the plant, to be called Portintruan. The new distillery will be erected between the village of Port Ellen and the Laphroaig distillery. This will bring the number of distilleries operating on the south coast of Islay to five.

Before Ardbeg BizarreBQ hits the market, fans of smoky whisky are encouraged to take a look at the our current range of Ardbeg whisky. You can find many old, extremely valuable, collector's specimens, as well as whisky for everyday sipping.


[24.03.2023 / graphic: Ardbeg]