Ardbeg Drum

Sold out within minutes the Ardbeg Drum is an early 2019 committee-only release. Already well-matured Ardbeg taken from ex-Bourbon casks and placed in ex-rum casks from the Americas to produce a downright wondrous paradiddle of aromas. Fragrant pine resin, woodsmoke, and seaspray dance alongside ripe banana and pineapple. Lavender, liquorice, and vanilla sway into rich dark chocolate, before parading into a long, smoky finish. The story of Ardbeg Drum goes on the last day of the Feis Ile Festival – locals would transform everything from harvesters to hatchbacks into magnificent floats. If it had wheels, they decorated it. Adorned with brilliant flowers and fabrics, these vibrant mobile gardens were a sight to behold. Starting at the pier in Port Ellen, the procession would roll by the crowds at Ardbeg, before honking and tooting its way back to be judged. This was a typically Islay cavalcade of colour. And this year, it just so happens that Ardbeg Drum is a perfectly peaty excuse to celebrate.