‘Ardbeg Day’ Scotch Debuts Virtually For The First Time Ever

It’s not all bad news these days. There remain some things worth getting excited over. Ardbeg Day is a sterling example. The annual celebration of one of Scotland’s most storied single malt producers is generally held on the final Saturday of Islay’s Festival of Music and Malt (otherwise known as Fèis Ìle). It culminates in the unveiling of a new single malt, which would have been today. And although the festival was cancelled due to coronavirus, ‘the show must go on,’ as they say. For the first time in its twenty year history, the Ardbeg Committee will curate the revelry in a virtual setting.

Beginning at 2pm EST, you can follow a live two-hour broadcast of tastings, games and entertainment—all coinciding with the main draw: the Ardbeg Blaaack release. This year’s special offering was matured in Pinot Noir casks from New Zealand. That viticultural backbone lends the liquid all sorts of ripe, red berry edges. Surrounding a core of Ardbeg’s trademark peat smoke, of course. In the finish is an extension of smoldering stone fruit. A suitably complex dram for a non-age-statement expression retailing at $120 a bottle.

As for that odd elongation of vowels in its title? The distillery has decided to honor ewe and ram in the dram. The southerly islands of New Zealand maintain a sheep-to-human ratio of 6:1. These pastoral circumstances are evoked through name and design. Blaaack, as you might have guessed, is a cheeky reference to the expressive wool-wearers. The artfully rendered box holding the bottle is a patterned collection of the creatures, punctuated by a solitary black sheep. There’s always one.

But when it comes to sheepish puns there are many. “We were looking forward to marking Ardbeg Day this year with our dyed-in-the-wool fans here at the Distillery, and at celebrations around world,” says Mickey Heads, Ardbeg Distillery Manager. “Sadly, global events overtook us. However, we’ve put our heads together and come up with a back-up plan to keep our Committee Members entertained, safe at home. I’ll be shepherding the Ardbeg team in an online extravaganza instead – expect tastings of some much-loved whiskies, fun, conversation and maybe even a few Blaaack-inspired surprises.”

The Ardbeg Committee was formed in the year 2000 as a way to keep fans of the cultishly-revered distillery connected in a digital forum. Today it has swelled into a global phenomenon with a worldwide membership of over 120,000. You can join for free, and potentially even have a hand in shaping future Ardbeg Day releases.

In the meantime, soak up the live virtual content on Ardbeg’s Facebook page, or catch highlights on the brand’s website, as well as Instagram and YouTube channels. Look for the latest release to hit shelves this weekend. The distillery advises checking in with your local whisky specialist to confirm they’re in stock. Ewe have been warned.