Ardbeg Dolce

 

 

 

47,8°

Distillery : Ardbeg - Islay

American Oak Ex-Bourbon and Sicilian Marsala Wine Casks 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2026

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 54 ppm

 

 

 

And here is the annual Ardbeg Day release, which we’ve been enjoying every year for the past fifteen years now, during the Feis Ile, the festival held on the island of Islay, when the distillery opens its doors to a wide audience. To be honest, the last release in the series that I liked was the Scorch, which came out five years ago now. This one has been partly matured in Marsala casks, a sweet Sicilian wine. That’s all we know, in fact, there’s no information on the age or the number of bottles. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Heavy smokiness combined with lemon, candied apricots, white raisins, freshly squeezed oranges, crushed grapefruit and sliced lime. Aniseed biscuits, pine needles, slightly rough mineral notes. Salty limestone, mirabelle plums. On the palate, cinnamon, fresh pineapple, candied lemon, Prosciutto di Parma, dates and dried figs. Nuts, intense spices, a pinch of sea salt. A long, biscuit-like finish with charcoal and liquorice, cigar ash, young bark, dried tobacco, engine oil, caramel and shea butter. 

 

In Short, 

I don’t think it’s bad, but you’ve got to like citrus. It certainly has the merit of being original, and I really did enjoy the finish. It’s a summery Ardbeg, very fresh and approachable, where the smoke is almost sweet. It’s similar to the Drum, but I preferred the Dolce. It’s not on a par with my favourite Ardbeg Day releases, the Dark Cove, the Ardbog, the Scorch, the Auriverdes, the Blaaack, or even the Kelpie, but it’s not far behind the latter. I wouldn’t go so far as to recommend buying it, I prefer the Ten, which is much cheaper. 

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                             To Be Listened While Sipping : 

                                             Kittridge - Root Rot