Ardbeg fuses Sicilian sweet with Islay peat in annual Ardbeg Day release
Ardbeg’s 2026 limited release, Ardbeg Dolce, brings together Marsala cask sweetness and classic Islay peat, landing in Australia ahead of its global debut as part of the annual Ardbeg Day celebrations.
Every year, on the final Saturday of Islay’s festival of music and malt, Fèis Ìle, Ardbeg fans the world over unite for the distillery’s annual Ardbeg Day celebration. At the centre of festivities is an annual limited-edition, released in Australia prior to any other market and a full month ahead of the official global launch.
The 2026 release, Ardbeg Dolce, continues this tradition, bringing together rare malt matured in Marsala dolce casks, the sweetest style of Sicily’s fortified wine, with classic bourbon cask-matured Ardbeg, marking the distillery’s first return to marsala casks in 14 years.
This dramatic contrast intensifies Ardbeg’s ‘peaty paradox’. Aromas of sun-ripened orange and apricot set the scene, while flavours of dark chocolate and olive grove give way to soft smoke and salted nuts. “Ardbeg Dolce is a dramatic blend of Mediterranean sweetness and Islay peat,” adds Gillian Macdonald, Master Blender and Ardbeg Committee Co-Chair. “Sweet notes of apricot, marmalade and dark chocolate rub shoulders with salty, smoky flavours and roasted nutty tones.
Enjoy this limited edition in a Sicilian courtyard, on rain-drenched Scottish island or wherever you are. We think it’ll be an instant classic.” Ardbeg Dolce will be available to purchase for a 24-hour preview through the Ardbeg Committee on 30 April, then through The Whisky Club from the following day. Each bottle retails for $180 and is bottled at 47.8% ABV.
Ardbeg’s Aussie activations: The launch of Ardbeg Dolce will once again be supported by a range of events and activations, both in Australia and globally, collectively inspired by the iconic 1960s Italian film, la dolce vita. In Australia, this has been re-imagined as ‘Peat-Zzeria’, a celebration of peat and pizza named in tribute to the lone standing Pizza restaurant on Islay, with five Embassy Events scheduled across Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra, culminating in a final Ardbeg Day Sydney Celebration.
For the first time, Head of Distilling & Whisky Creation at Ardbeg and Glenmorangie, Dr Bill Lumsden, will join the Sydney event, offering a rare opportunity for Ardbeggians to meet and celebrate with him in person.
Tickets to the Sydney Celebration will be available exclusively to Ardbeg Committee members. If you're not yet part of the Ardbeg Committee, joining is free and grants you immediate access to this global community of peat enthusiasts.
