Ardbeg Dark Cove

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Ardbeg's 2016 special release, was launched at Ardbeg Night celebrations around the world on May 28th, 2016. It is exclusive to Ardbeg Embassies for the first few weeks and will then be opened to select other stores. It is not expected to last long. 

Ardbeg Dark Cove is being billed as the Darkest Ardbeg Ever. Partially matured in rare Dark Sherry Casks and married with whisky matured in American oak.

Distiller's Tasting Note

Colour: The darkest Ardbeg ever.
 
Nose: At first meaty, earthy and spicy. Bold notes of dark chocolate emerge against orange, rich treacle toffee, coffee and oak. Wafts of a distant, smoky bonfire in the background, along with a mysterious floral note, like flowering blackcurrant bushes. And lashings of linseed oil.
 
Taste: The mouthfeel is almost tart or zesty lime. Raisins, dates, ginger and pepper spice surge forward, then retreat. Waves of smouldering charcoal, wood polish and huge, tarry creosote notes follow. Finally a more savoury note escapes; cured smoked ham and squid ink noodles.
 
Finish: Long, spicy and rich with lingering notes of toffee, coffee and tar.

More From the Distillery:

Take this whisky and hide it well. For its heart has been matured in DARK SHERRY CASKS, imparting waves of treacle toffee, coal tar, squid ink noodles and toasted coffee grounds.  
 
THE DARKEST ARDBEG EVER
 
Its colour is that of copper stills in moonlight. Its nose – dark chocolate, rich treacle toffee and distant bonfires – betrays a secret: a clandestine meeting of Ardbeg matured in ex-Bourbon casks and a heart matured in dark sherry casks. Hints of pepper spice and zesty lime lure you in. Smouldering charcoal and wood polish flit across the palate, with raisins, dates and ginger emerging from shadows of tarry creosote. Echoes of cured smoked ham and squid ink noodles signal the arrival of a long, spicy aftertaste. 

“It was a moonless night, with a fierce tide surging landward. The gang, having captured the lighthouse keeper and snuffed out the lamp’s wick, sent signal to the black boats to come ashore. What fearless men these are, that navigate without light the treacherous hidden reefs that extend from the shore like barbed fingers!”
 
If you stand on the rocky headland behind Ardbeg Distillery today, sunlight dancing on the waves, a soft breeze whispering through the long grass that fringes the shore, listening to the cheerful call of seagulls as they follow the fishing boats that pass this way, it’s hard to believe this idyllic spot has a turbulent and murky past.
 
For Ardbeg was once a notorious hideout for smugglers, who plied their trade within its hidden caves and secret beaches. Dark tales abound of ill-gotten gains, daring deeds and narrow escapes from the island’s excise men, until finally a raid was made, the dens destroyed and the gang scattered…
 
Shortly afterwards, John McDougall founded Ardbeg Distillery on the site of their nefarious operations. Thus, from that dark past, creating the greatest legend of all…

Even the greatest distillery on Earth cannot escape the shadows of the past. It is said (though not often, and then in hushed tones) that John McDougall’s own uncles, Allan and Alexander, were once apprehended on charges of distilling whisky without a license in the dark coves along Islay’s rocky coastline.
 
“They crept through the woods under cover of darkness. Feeling their way to the cliff edge, they clambered down to their secret hideout as they had done a thousand times before. But this time they were not alone. This time they were being watched, and it was the eyes of the law that were upon them.”
 

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