This year, Ardbeg celebrates 25 years of its loyal following, the Ardbeg Committee. Inspired by that dedicated fanbase, Ardbeg Eureka! was conceived to capture the many taste preferences of the Committee’s thousands of members in a single dram, the company says.
A quarter-century ago, after Ardbeg was saved from the brink of extinction, a few committed enthusiasts formed the Ardbeg Committee. Its mission was to prevent the doors of the Islay distillery from ever closing again. Ever since, its membership (now 200,000-strong) have debated the ins and outs of the whisky.
Recognizing the zeal of the Committee’s deliberations, Ardbeg’s whisky creators summoned a select group to the distillery on Ardbeg Day 2023, to take part in an experiment named Operation Smokescreen. At the event, 100 members from 15 different countries — a cross-section of Ardbeg’s diverse, global fanbase — tasted and discussed five extreme (and secret) examples of Ardbeg. Then Dr Bill Lumsden, Ardbeg’s Director of Whisky Creation, and Master Blender Gillian Macdonald took the findings back to their sensory laboratory, to craft a bottling representing the Committee’s multi-faceted preferences.
After months of experimentation, the pair combined whisky aged in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks with roasted malt spirit matured in bourbon casks. Salted crispy seaweed and sweet cinnamon mixed with dark-chocolate-coated raisins and burning embers, reflecting the Committee’s tastes, according to the distillery. Thrilled in their experiment, they named their creation Ardbeg Eureka!
Gillian says, “Operation Smokescreen was a brilliant opportunity to get inside the minds of the Ardbeg Committee – and has inspired our most bespoke Committee bottling yet. With its medley of flavors, from cherries and red apples to briny seaweed and bonfires, topped with cinnamon and raisin fudge, Ardbeg Eureka! is packed with a variety of flavors, inspired by our eclectic group of Committee members’ tastes, who are united by their love of Ardbeg’s smoky and fruity balance. There was a real eureka moment when, after countless experiments, Dr Bill and I landed upon the perfect recipe.”
Ardbeg Eureka! will be available to buy from whisky specialists, online at ReserveBar.com, select retailers and at the distillery.
