Lauded purveyor of peaty single malts, Ardbeg, has launched a new limited edition single malt scotch whisky, dubbed Ardbeg Spectacular.
The Distillery’s first whisky aged in Port wine barrels, this expression boasts a rather different flavour profile from the brand’s more familiar bourbon-matured bottlings.
The Spectacular launch corresponds with its annual Ardbeg Day celebration, held on the final Saturday of Islay’s Fèis Ìle Festival of Music and Malt. This year’s festivities at the Distillery, will be echoed with other events around the world on June 1.
Taking inspiration from the whisky’s deep, flavour notes, the smoky malt specialist is inviting fans to join its very own ‘Dark Circus’ on Ardbeg Day. We’re promised ‘an offbeat and smoky Ardbeggian take on the circus, through intriguing tastings, outlandish games and an extravaganza of peaty delights.’
This limited edition boasts a rather different flavour profile from the brand’s more familiar bourbon-matured bottlings…
Ardbeg Spectacular tasting notes
We’ve had an early sample of Ardbeg Spectacular, and found it to be a whisky of big, bold flavours, and chewy complexity.
Bottled at 46% ABV, the liquid is burnt orange of hue, and offers aromatic BBQ smoke on the nose, along with an almost tropical sweetness and the unmistakable aroma of two stroke lawn mowers.
This summery bouquet carries across to the palate, which offers notes of warm apple pie, Black Jack chews, a dark chocolate richness, and shavings of cinnamon. It’s an elaborate, earthy dram, one that might lend itself to a spectacular (!) Old Fashioned.
Ardbeg Spectacular is available to purchase online for £110 at Ardbeg.com and Master of Malt.
The Whisky Exchange has dropped three new exclusive bottlings to mark the start of 2026, spanning Scotch whisky, American bourbon and Jamaican rum. The limited collection comprises an experimental single-cask Torabhaig from the Isle of Skye, a punchy single-barrel bourbon from Bardstown Bourbon Company, and a sherry-cask-aged Hampden Estate rum that leans fully into the…
Just in time for Burns Night, Orkney-based Highland Park has announced a limited-edition cask strength single malt whisky. The new release, Cask Strength: Heather, is made using 100 per cent Orkney peat-smoked barley, with peat sourced responsibly from Hobbister Moor, just a few miles from the distillery. Given Orkney’s northern latitude, trees struggle to grow,…
January may feel long and grey, but one undoubted bright spot is Burns Night, the annual celebration held on January 25, marking the birthday of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns. For whisky lovers, it’s one of the most convivial fixtures of the year: a night where poetry, food and Scotland’s greatest export meet in cheerful,…
The Luxe Review 
Lauded purveyor of peaty single malts, Ardbeg, has launched a new limited edition single malt scotch whisky, dubbed Ardbeg Spectacular.
The Distillery’s first whisky aged in Port wine barrels, this expression boasts a rather different flavour profile from the brand’s more familiar bourbon-matured bottlings.
The Spectacular launch corresponds with its annual Ardbeg Day celebration, held on the final Saturday of Islay’s Fèis Ìle Festival of Music and Malt. This year’s festivities at the Distillery, will be echoed with other events around the world on June 1.
Taking inspiration from the whisky’s deep, flavour notes, the smoky malt specialist is inviting fans to join its very own ‘Dark Circus’ on Ardbeg Day. We’re promised ‘an offbeat and smoky Ardbeggian take on the circus, through intriguing tastings, outlandish games and an extravaganza of peaty delights.’
Ardbeg Spectacular tasting notes
We’ve had an early sample of Ardbeg Spectacular, and found it to be a whisky of big, bold flavours, and chewy complexity.
Bottled at 46% ABV, the liquid is burnt orange of hue, and offers aromatic BBQ smoke on the nose, along with an almost tropical sweetness and the unmistakable aroma of two stroke lawn mowers.
This summery bouquet carries across to the palate, which offers notes of warm apple pie, Black Jack chews, a dark chocolate richness, and shavings of cinnamon. It’s an elaborate, earthy dram, one that might lend itself to a spectacular (!) Old Fashioned.
Ardbeg Spectacular is available to purchase online for £110 at Ardbeg.com and Master of Malt.
Drink in 2026 with these Jamaican sherried rum, peated whisky, and high-strength bourbon exclusives
The Whisky Exchange has dropped three new exclusive bottlings to mark the start of 2026, spanning Scotch whisky, American bourbon and Jamaican rum. The limited collection comprises an experimental single-cask Torabhaig from the Isle of Skye, a punchy single-barrel bourbon from Bardstown Bourbon Company, and a sherry-cask-aged Hampden Estate rum that leans fully into the…
New Cask Strength Highland Park whisky puts Orkney heather front and centre
Just in time for Burns Night, Orkney-based Highland Park has announced a limited-edition cask strength single malt whisky. The new release, Cask Strength: Heather, is made using 100 per cent Orkney peat-smoked barley, with peat sourced responsibly from Hobbister Moor, just a few miles from the distillery. Given Orkney’s northern latitude, trees struggle to grow,…
Toasting the Bard: Where to eat, drink and celebrate Burns Night 2026
January may feel long and grey, but one undoubted bright spot is Burns Night, the annual celebration held on January 25, marking the birthday of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns. For whisky lovers, it’s one of the most convivial fixtures of the year: a night where poetry, food and Scotland’s greatest export meet in cheerful,…
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