Men in Chains, Bottle in Chains

After the release of the Ardbeg Day-bottling some weeks ago, Islay’s ultimate malt distillery now fires out a follow-up that celebrates the festivities around Christopher Street Day. This very rare bottling bears a special pink design and was finished in an Appletini-Cask. Spot the resemblance of the Ardbeg chain bottle presenter and the picture above. To get a bottle, you have to join the Ardbeg CSD-Parade (date soon to be released on Ardbeg’s homepage) in outfits according to the occasion. By that, Ardbeg wants to appeal to all men, not only the barbecuers and peat pushers.

Following Black Bowmore: The Pink Ardbeg

…I almost had you there, right? Just kiddin‘, guys! Don’t we all love the hype around one of the world’s finest whiskies, even when it goes a bit overboard? I am so glad I got my old bottles before that craze set in.

Anyway, I could try the new Ardbeg Day Dram (56,7%) with fellow Malt Maniac Keith at Royal Mile Whiskies (thanks!) and must say, very decent again. A quite tropical version from 8, 9 and 12 y.o. Bourbon cask stock which was then married in Sherry casks. It has nice fruits but still clearly is a South Coast Islay – a lot of Bourbon Cask character and the peaty, sulphury, sooty and ‚iodiny‘ joys of Ardbeg meet here, the Sherry influence is discrete. I score it a good 89+ in my books and recommend it, it is almost as good as the fabulous Alligator in my eyes, just in a different way. I am looking forward to try the Galileo (click here to see it) … and to a new Ardbeg in the future that bears a number instead of a name again.