They say a warm summer's day on Islay is as good as any sun-drenched destination in the world (so long as you don't mind a midge or two).
Perhaps it was on just such a day that Ardbeg Dolce, a new limited-edition Scotch whisky that pairs Marsala wine with Islay smoke, was dreamt up.
Marsala is a fortified wine from Sicily, known for its intense sweetness and for usually bursting with notes of vanilla and apricot. It should be an excellent match for Ardbeg, one of the sweetest of Islay’s single malts.
But Ardbeg didn’t want to hand its trademark peat smoke and maritime notes over to the Italians, especially as Dolce celebrates Islay’s music and malt festival (Feis Ile). Instead, Dolce combines a small number of Marsala casks with ex-bourbon casks, injecting a hint of Sicilian sweetness into Ardbeg’s typical profile.
The result is an identifiable Ardbegian whisky with added orange peel and dried apricots. You still get the coastal salinity, you still get the lemon and lime sharpness, but there is more body than you’d expect from a young Ardbeg malt. If anything, they may have been too reserved with the Marsala casks.
But whereas Speyside distilleries think nothing of giving their distillery character over to heavy casks, Islay malts tend not to. That’s partly through their brand for smoke and salt, and partly because the character doesn’t lend itself to that ‘sherry bomb’ style of whisky.
Ardbeg Dolce is both notably different from anything in its core range, yet still identifiably Ardbeg. Those are two good things, adding up to one very good thing. Gillian Macdonald, master blender and co-chair of the Ardbeg Committee, thinks it’ll be an “instant classic”.
She said: “Uniting whisky matured in Marsala dolce casks and classic Ardbeg, Ardbeg Dolce is a dramatic blend of Mediterranean sweetness and Islay peat. Sweet notes of apricot, marmalade, and dark chocolate rub shoulders with salty, smoky flavors and roasted nutty tones. Enjoy this limited edition in a Sicilian courtyard, on a rain-drenched Scottish island, or wherever you are.”
Ardbeg Dolce will be available to Ardbeg Committee members on May 26 ahead of its official release on May 30, priced at £85 ($115).
You can read our review of Ardbeg Dolce on Tasting Notes.
