Last July 18, peat heads and whisky enthusiasts flocked to Buccaneers in Poblacion to celebrate Ardbeg Day, an annual festival that started in Islay, Scotland.
Islay, home to the famed Ardbeg Distillery and makers of the peatiest and smokiest whiskies in the world, celebrates Feis Ile Festival (Islay Festival) annually. The festivity welcomes guests with Islay food, history, songs, poetry, and a lot of whiskies. During this day, Ardbeg Distillery opens its doors to welcome fans from all over the world. This festivity eventually became Ardbeg Day and is now celebrated worldwide.
This year the Ardbeg Day theme is Caribbean Carnival, and it is about embracing all things tropical, Ardbeggian style. In partnership with Singlemalt.ph and Whisky Society, Ardbeg turned Buccaneers’ ship interior into a tropical tavern with dashes of carnival colors. Guests enjoyed drams of Ardbeg’s four core ranges—Ardbeg 10, An Oa, Uigeadail, and Corryvreckan, while enjoying and dancing to the drum beats of Hernandez Brothers.
Mixologist and owner of Buccaneers, Ulysse Jouanneaud, prepared special cocktails for the night highlighting Ardbeg whiskies—Old Peat—Pedro Ximenez sherry and orange peel; Ardbeg Collins—Sweet and sour mix, club soda, and burnt rosemary; Hallelujah Ardbeg—An Oa, ginger shrub, lime, and honey; and The Viking—Ardbeg 10 years, Mancino Rosso Vermouth, cherry brandy, and orange juice.
Peat fans also got an exclusive taste of the Ardbeg Drum, a no-age statement release created to celebrate Ardbeg Day 2019. This special bottling is aged initially in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished its maturation in rum casks to match this year’s Caribbean carnival theme. Ardbeg Drum is bottled at 52% ABV and is sold exclusively to Ardbeg Committee Members but during the event, Singlemalt.ph had a few bottles to sell to its patrons, and Ardbeg gave away one bottle to one winner who posted a photo of the festivity and got the highest engagement on social media.
The second version of Ardbeg Drum (46% ABV) will be available worldwide after Ardbeg Day but might not be widely available in the Philippine market. Currently, singlemalt.ph is selling this second bottling of Ardbeg Drum Limited Edition on their site at ₱12,995.00.
For more information about Ardbeg Day, visit the hashtags #ArdbegDay #ArdbegDay2019 ##ArdbegDayPH on Instagram and Facebook or visit the international site www.ardbeg.com
