Scotland, Isle of Islay. Distillery operational. Owner: LVMH - Diageo

Founded in 1815 by McDougall & Co. in the south-east of Islay, near the Kildalton Cross, Ardbeg's malt was for a long time overshadowed by its neighbours and competitors Lagavulin and Laphroaig.It was under the patronage of the McDonald family (Glenmorangie Plc), who bought the distillery in 1997, that it was able to develop its potential and introduce the public to the treasures sleeping in its vaults. Between September and November 1997, no less than three bottlings - two of which would become great classics - were released on the market, the Ardbeg 17 Year Old, Ardbeg 1978 and Ardbeg Provenance 1974. The following decade was rich in single cask, cask strength bottlings matured in sherry and bourbon casks, each more impressive than the next. And it was dressed in a new green bottle with confident Celtic-Gothic aesthetics that Ardbeg flooded the market for fans of malts dominated by aromas of smoke, peat and tiger balm.

Ardbeg Dark Cove is a special edition released in 2016 for The Committee, inspired by the era when Islay was home to illicit distillers like Allan and Alexander McDougall, the uncles of Ardbeg’’s founder John McDougall. It contains whisky matured in sherry and bourbon casks. The Committee is a club founded in 2000 and open to all fans of the distillery, whose loyalty is rewarded with the ability to buy exclusive bottlings such as this one as well as access to the distillery’’s private room. As is often the case, two editions of these bottles exist, the first a cask strength version for Committee members and the second at a lower ABV for the general public.