Ardbeg unveils Marsala cask-aged Dolce
The Glenmorangie Company has announced its limited edition 2026 Fèis Ìle release from Ardbeg Distillery, called Dolce.
Bottled at 47.8% ABV, Dolce is made from whisky aged in sweet Marsala dolce fortified wine casks from Sicily, along with Ardbeg's signature Bourbon barrel-aged single malt. Gillian Macdonald, master blender and co-chair of the Ardbeg Committee, said: "Uniting whisky matured in Marsala dolce casks and classic Ardbeg, Ardbeg Dolce is a dramatic blend of Mediterranean sweetness and Islay peat. "Sweet notes of apricot, marmalade and dark chocolate rub shoulders with salty, smoky flavours and roasted nutty tones. "Enjoy this limited edition in a Sicilian courtyard, on a rain-drenched Scottish island or wherever you are. We think it'll be an instant classic." Ardbeg Day is celebrated annually on the final Saturday of Islay's Festival of Music and Malt, known as Fèis Ìle. This year, the event will take place on Saturday 30 May, inviting peated whisky enthusiasts to indulge in a taste of 'la dolce vita', Islay-style. Ardbeg will host events at the distillery and around the world in tribute to its limited edition Dolce, inviting fans to celebrate the glamour of 1960s Italian cinema with an 'Ardbeggian' twist. On Ardbeg Day, the distillery's Committee members and their friends will enjoy Italian delicacies with hints of Islay, sample a limited edition, play retro games, and dance to medleys of Mediterranean street music and Scottish folk. Bryony McNiven, distillery manager and committee co-chair, said: "For smoky malt lovers, life doesn't get much sweeter than on Ardbeg Day. And this year, we're celebrating the sweet life Islay-style. "It's time to dial up the 1960s spirit and enjoy 'la dolce Islay'." Ardbeg Dolce will be available to purchase worldwide at Ardbeg Embassies, whisky specialists, online retailers, and the distillery visitor centre, with a suggested retail price of £85 (US$112/€99). Members of the Ardbeg Committee will have the chance to buy this bottling on the distillery's website on 26 May, four days before its official release. Last year's Ardbeg Day featured a 'high-gravity' limited edition release known as Smokiverse. Earlier this year, the distillery released a higher-ABV version of its 10-year-old single malt for the committee.
