Review / Ardbeg Hypernova

This new whisky is the latest limited edition exclusive from Islay distillery of Ardbeg. The Ardbeg Hypernova is pitched as the smokiest Ardbeg single malt ever and is only available to Ardbeg Committee members. The new whisky is an evolution of previous cult classic Supernova and shows peat levels in excess of 170ppm (phenol parts per million). This is over three times above the regular level of Ardbeg spirit. The Ardbeg Hypernova is bottled at 51% ABV and will be available in limited numbers from the Ardbeg Committee part of the Ardbeg website and Ardbeg Embassies around the world. Membership to the Committee is free and open to all Ardbeg fans or peaty whisky drinkers. A bottle will cost £190. 

Inbox / The Week's Whisky News (October 21, 2022)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 

Inbox / The Week's Whisky News (April 8, 2022)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 

Review / Ardbeg Fermutation (Committee Release)

This whisky is the latest Ardbeg Committee exclusive and limited edition release from the cult Islay distillery. Ardbeg Fermutation is the result of an accident at the distillery in 2008. The boiler broke down and threatened the contents of six washbacks of fermenting wash. With the wash unable to be collected at its normal fermentation time of 72 hours, it was left to continue fermenting until the boiler was fixed. This resulted in the wash being in the washbacks for three weeks - the longest in Ardbeg history and an unprecedented length of time for wash. The unplanned experiment was overseen by Dr. Bill Lumsden, the Director of Distilling & Whisky Creation at Ardbeg. 

Inbox / The Week's Whisky News (January 28, 2022)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 

Allotment Drams / Ardbeg 8 years old : For Discussion & Redbreast Lustau Edition

We have two more Allotment Dram episodes for you as Matt returns to the plot following a period of self isolation and a busy couple of weeks. First, he takes a look at the brand new limited edition Ardbeg 8 years old : For Discussion. This whisky is exclusively available to Ardbeg Committee members and he managed to snaffle a bottle. Watch to discover about Ardbeg and the Committee, before he opens the bottle on camera to give his thoughts and tasting notes.

Then on his next visit he revisits an old favourite - the Redbreast Lustau Edition. Learn about the origins of the Redbreast brand and the collaboration between the Midleton distillery in Co.Cork and Bodegas Lustau in Jerez, Spain. Then watch further to find out his thoughts and tasting notes on this Irish classic.

To keep up-to-date with our latest videos or to watch previous episodes of the Allotment Dram, please subscribe to our YouTube channel - click here.

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Review / Ardbeg 8 years old : For Discussion

This single malt whisky is the latest limited edition from the Islay-based distillery and will be exclusive to Ardbeg Committee members. The Ardbeg 8 years old : For Discussion is designed to get Committee members talking about the whisky and how it compares to other whiskies in the Ardbeg range. It has been created by Dr. Bill Lumsden, the Director of Distilling & Whisky Creation, and has been matured in ex-sherry casks. The aim was to temper the powerful smoke of the 8 year old spirit. The Ardbeg 8 years old : For Discussion is bottled at 50.8% ABV and is both natural colour and non chill-filtered. The Ardbeg Committee has over 100,000 members worldwide.

Inbox / The Week's Whisky News (July 2, 2021)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 

Review / Ardbeg Scorch (Committee Edition)

This whisky is the latest single malt for the Islay distillery's annual Ardbeg Day bottling, which celebrates the final day of the Feis Ile festival on the island. The 2021 edition is named Ardbeg Scorch and is inspired by a mythical dragon that is said to live in one of the dunnage warehouses at the distillery. The whisky has been matured in heavily charred American oak ex-bourbon barrels. This heavy char makes the wood crack and is often known as 'alligator char' as it looks like reptile skin (or dragon skin in this case ...). The Scorch (Committee Edition) is bottled at the natural cask strength of 51.7% ABV. It was available exclusively to members of the Ardbeg Committee but has now sold out.

Review - Ardbeg Blaaack (Committee Release)

The Blaaack is the annual Ardbeg Day release from the Islay distillery of Ardbeg. The 2020 edition celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Ardbeg Committee, one of the world's first distillery clubs that boasts over 100,000 members. Ardbeg Blaaack is so named to honour the distillery's 'black sheep of the family' image amongst Islay distilleries and has been matured in ex-Pinot Noir red wine casks. These were sourced from New Zealand by Dr. Bill Lumsden, the Director of Whisky Creation at Ardbeg. This cask strength limited edition will be released at 50.7% ABV exclusively for Ardbeg Committee members. A bottle will cost £94.

Review - Ardbeg Drum Committee Release

This whisky is the annual Committee Release from the renowned Islay distillery of Ardbeg. The special bottling, named Ardbeg Drum for 2019, is only available to Ardbeg Committee members. A lower ABV version will be available in domestic retailers closer to Ardbeg Day, which is on June 1 this year. Ardbeg Drum is a limited edition single malt that started its maturation in American oak ex-bourbon casks before being transferred to ex-rum casks from the Caribbean for a period of finishing. This is the first ever expression of Ardbeg to feature ex-rum casks.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 5, 2018)

Welcome to Inbox.  For those new to WFE, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - Ardbeg Grooves Committee Release

Ardbeg Grooves is the latest experiment in the annual Ardbeg Committee series from Dr. Bill Lumsden (the Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation & Whisky Stocks at Ardbeg) and is inspired by the distillery's community when it was a much smaller and local operation in the 1960s. The release is part of a wider 1960s themed promotion that will run throughout the year, including this year's Ardbeg Day on June 2, which is called 'Peat & Love'.

Grooves has seen a pocket of the whisky included be matured in re-toasted ex-red wine casks, which were heavily charred while still sticky with the residue of the wine. This created deep grooves in the wood and an intense flavour profile.

Review - Ardbeg Twenty Something

Ardbeg Twenty Something is a recent limited edition release that was one of the Islay distillery's oldest and rarest ever bottlings. It was exclusive to Ardbeg Committee members and is a 23 years old single malt, which was distilled during a time when the distillery was just ticking over and producing just a few casks of whisky each year. This period in the 1990s saw a downturn in whisky production across Scotland and almost closed Ardbeg for good. Ardbeg Twenty Something has been matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks and these were selected by Dr. Bill Lumsden, the Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation & Whisky Stocks for Ardbeg.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 20, 2017)

Welcome to Inbox.  For those new to WFE, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - Ardbeg Kelpie

The Kelpie is this year's limited edition single malt from the cult Islay distillery of Ardbeg. Each year a special whisky is released annually to celebrate Ardbeg Day and the distillery's participation in the Feis Ile festival. The whisky is named Kelpie after the mythical shape shifting creature that legend says inhabits the sea near to the distillery and occasionally comes on to land to terrorise islanders.

Kelpie has been produced by Dr. Bill Lumsden - Ardbeg's Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation & Whisky Stocks - and some of the whisky included has been matured in rare Black Sea oak casks. The wood for these was sourced from the Adyghe Republic in Russia.  This has then been married with Ardbeg matured in traditional ex-bourbon barrels to create the final expression of Kelpie.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (March 24, 2017)

Welcome to Inbox.  For those new to WFE, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - Ardbeg 21 years old

The Ardbeg 21 years old is a limited edition single malt that was released in September to members of the Ardbeg Committee, a group operated by the brand for its fans.  The whisky is one of the oldest to be released by the distillery in modern times and was created from some of the last remaining casks from the mid-1990s.  After this time the distillery was closed for some time before current owner LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey) took over. The casks were selected by Dr. Bill Lumsden, the Director of Distilling & Whisky Creation at LVMH, and Mickey Heads, the Distillery Manager at Ardbeg and Chairman of the Ardbeg Committee.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (September 16, 2016)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - Ardbeg Perpetuum

The annual release for Ardbeg Day at the Islay Festival always creates a big stir amongst the whisky community each year. This year's bottling is named Perpetuum, which means 'forever' or 'ongoing' in Latin, and kicks off the distillery's 200th anniversary celebrations.  The Perpetuum has been created by Dr. Bill Lumsden and he has taken inspiration from the different styles of Ardbeg that have been made over the past two centuries.  The final whisky contains a mix of different ages and casks, including a small amount of the oldest Ardbeg malt currently available.