This whisky is the 2026 edition bottling by the Islay distillery of Ardbeg for Ardbeg Day. Each year, a limited edition single malt is released to celebrate the final distillery open day of the famous Fèis Ìle – the Islay Festival of Malt & Music. This year Ardbeg Day is on Saturday 30 May. Ardbeg Dolce fuses a parcel of spirit matured in ex-bourbon barrels with another matured in ex-Marsala dolce fortified wine casks from Sicily. Dolce is is sweetest version of Marsala.
The Ardbeg distillery is located on the southern coast of the Hebridean island of Islay. It was founded in 1815 by John MacDougall, although records have distillation taking place on the site as far back as 1794. The recent history shows numerous changes of ownership from the 1950s through to a fallow period in the 1980s and 90s.
The Glenmorangie Company (now Moet Hennessy) took over in 1997, renovated and restarted production. This signalled the dramatic rebirth of Ardbeg and a significant upturn in fortunes, including the founding of the Ardbeg Committee in 2000. The distillery now has a worldwide fanbase and an annual production of 2.4 million litres per year.
Ardbeg Dolce has been created by Gillian Macdonald, the Master Blender of Ardbeg and Co-Chair of the Ardbeg Committee. It is bottled at 47.8% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. The official release date is Ardbeg Day (May 30). It will be available to buy worldwide. This includes via Ardbeg Embassies, whisky specialists, online retailers, and distillery visitor centre on Islay. A bottle will cost £85/ €99.
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is deep gold and the nose is fruity and sweet with a muted peat smoke. Aromas of sultana and citrus dominate – think of orange marmalade with further hints of candied lemon and lime. There is also a hint of soft dark cherry, golden syrup and malty cereals. The peat smoke appears understated and wisps around everything. It feels a little ashy with hints of pine needle, damp moss and a brine-like salinity.
On the palate this whisky feels bold and chewy in texture. The bitter and acrid ashy smoke is more prominent now – this has a distinct saltiness and a charred oily nature to it. Beyond this, velvety notes of fresh honeycomb and orange marmalade come through nicely. These sit alongside some candied lemon and lime again, which evolve further with time. A creamy nuttiness, reminiscent of salted smoked almond, also evolves.
The boldness of mouthfeel really carries this whisky along. It feels increasingly sticky like a dessert wine – notes of maple syrup and dark chocolate aid this. An underlying malty biscuit-like characteristic also adds depth and structure, as does a peppery prickle and touch of cinnamon heat. Plump, sugary sultana develops towards the close, as does a hint of black treacle or molasses. With water, the creamy nuttiness and chocolate really come out.
The finish is long and seemingly endless. The oily and chewy texture facilitates this and drags out each flavour component. The sweet and fruity elements linger superbly before slowly fading. Hints of dark chocolate and caramel last longest. Then it is all about the smoke, which was so muted at first on the nose, and warming peppery spices.
What’s The Verdict?
This is another fine bottling from Ardbeg. At a recent Ardbeg Day event in London, the general consensus was that it was one of the better Ardbeg Day releases of recent years. After several years of experimentation and innovative practices – nothing wrong with that of course – the brand really seems to have gone back to basics. Recent releases have centred around ex-bourbon cask maturation, which always allows Ardbeg to shine brightest.
Here, the addition of the sweet ex-Marsala dolce casks have lifted it further and the result is a sublime Summery whisky. Not something you can often say about a heavily peated whisky. As somebody described it at the Ardbeg Day event – “it is like an Islay pantry meeting a Sicilian kitchen”. We could not have said it better ourselves. Grab one before it sells out.
