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Make it
snappy or we’ll see you later, urges
Ardbeg as they unleash their annual
Limited Edition - Ardbeg Alligator.
 Bosses at Ardbeg – the iconic whisky
distillery on the remote island of Islay
– are urging whisky aficionados to snap
up their annual Limited Edition Ardbeg
Alligator…before it’s too late.
Described as a “whisky with bite”, it is
hoped Ardbeg Alligator will go on to
emulate the success of last year’s
limited edition – Ardbeg Supernova –
which not only sold out in record time
but also won the coveted Scotch Whisky
of the Year award.
On sale from today (September 1 2011),
there are a limited number of bottles of
Ardbeg Alligator available worldwide.
With an RRP of £65, it will be available
from whisky specialist shops.
Ardbeg Alligator is the result of
experimentation carried out many years
ago by the Distillery and its team
headed up by Dr. Bill Lumsden, Head of
Distilling and Whisky Creation.
“Alligator Charring” describes the
method of charring (or burning) the
inside of the oak casks before they are
filled with spirit. The burnt wood
staves take on the appearance of an
alligator’s scales, hence the name. The
heart of Alligator is spirit matured in
‘Level 4’ casks - the most intense type
of charring you can achieve.
Lumsden said: “Since we bought and
restored the Ardbeg Distillery we have
undertaken lots of experiments, laying
down spirit in different types of casks.
This began back in the late 1990s and
Alligator is a good example of one
experiment that has definitely worked.
“The key for us was to “marry” the
intense smoky bacon and charcoal taste
of the whisky from these heavily charred
casks with the equally intense smoky
peaty flavours of hallmark Ardbeg and
get the right taste. We are intensely
pleased with the results and it would be
fair to say that this whisky has bite.”
On the launch Hamish Torrie, Ardbeg
Brand Director explained: “It is a
limited release and, judging by the
reaction of our Ardbeg Committee Members
to the few bottles we pre-released in
June it will be snapped up very
quickly!”
Ardbeg prides itself on being the
‘Ultimate Islay Malt Whisky’.
Established in 1815, Ardbeg is revered
by connoisseurs around the world as the
peatiest, smokiest and most complex of
all the Islay malts. Despite its
smokiness, Ardbeg is renowned for its
delicious sweetness, a phenomenon that
has affectionately become known as ‘the
peaty paradox’.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Ardbeg
suffered from an uncertain future and it
was not until the brand was purchased by
The Glenmorangie Company in 1997 that
the Distillery was saved from
extinction. Since then, the Distillery
has risen like a phoenix and today
Ardbeg is well established as a niche,
cult malt, with a passionate following.
Ardbeg was voted Scotch Whisky of the
Year three years in a row (2008-2010) by
Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.
Ardbeg Alligator has been bottled at
51.2% ABV and as with all Ardbegs is non
chill-filtered for extra texture and
mouth-feel.
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