Introducing Ardbeg Dark Reserve – an Australia-Scotland collaboration
Ardbeg’s latest limited release is believed to be one of the darkest whiskies ever bottled by the distillery. It delivers everything the Islay peat specialist is known for, marrying its signature smoky profile with its propensity for innovation, in the form of rare black sherry casks. The result is a whisky with notes of treacle toffee, walnuts, earthy charcoal and spice. And it is exclusively available in Australia and New Zealand.
"This is the ultimate sherry-matured Ardbeg, and we’re delighted to finally let the news out to our Members "
Ardbeg Dark Reserve uses the unique casks throughout the full maturation process, with a portion of the final batch fully black sherry-matured, and a portion starting life in Ardbeg’s usual bourbon casks before being finished in black sherry.
According to the distillery, black sherry is comparable to Pedro Ximénez sherry, with grapes sun-dried to concentrate the Spanish wine’s deep, sweet notes.
The resulting casks create a strikingly deep coloured Ardbeg. Rich, sherried notes of molasses, nuts, dates, ginger and clove are layered on the distillery’s signature charcoal and peat, magnified by its near cask strength ABV of 49.4%.
The release was exclusively made for, and available through, The Whisky Club in Australia and New Zealand.
“We’re so excited to share this rare limited edition with members of The Whisky Club in Australia – some of the most devoted Ardbeggians around,” said Ardbeg’s Master Blender Gillian Macdonald.
“By marrying classic bourbon matured Ardbeg with whisky aged in rare black sherry casks, we’ve created a malt of smouldering intensity. Dive into notes of Muscovado sugar and aromatic ginger threaded with smoked paprika, nutty, earthy flavours and swells of rich smoke. Bottled just shy of cask strength to amplify its bold character, Ardbeg Dark Reserve is a whisky tailor-made for our friends Down Under.”
Seamus Carroll, The Whisky Club’s General Manager, added: “These supercharged casks come from a single bodega, so working with the team to build a release around them was a truly remarkable experience. Australia and New Zealand are home to some of Ardbeg’s most passionate whisky lovers, so it is a true pleasure to bring this milestone release to our Members.”
Ardbeg Dark Reserve will be available for a sneak preview at Ardbeg Embassies from Thursday 24 September. Whisky Club Members and Ardbeg Committee members can register for an exclusive complimentary tasting, with tickets to be released shortly.
The bottle will then be available for purchase from Friday 2 October for $150 AUD / $145 NZD.
Ardbeg Dark Reserve with the highly sought-after Ardbeg Dark Cove, first released in 2016
