Ardbeg has launched a whisky challenge like no other on its remote island home.
Ardbeg last week launched a whisky challenge like no other on Ardbeg’s remote Scottish island home - Islay. Ten contestants from six different countries converged on the island to compete in the world’s most daring whisky challenge,
The Ultimate Ardbeg ARDventurer challenge.
The Ultimate Ardbeg ARDventurer challenge brought to life the single malt’s untamed spirit, by taking the contestants on an extraordinary odyssey into essential Islay. The competitors learned first-hand how the island’s rugged coasts, wild peat bogs, mist-capped hills and brooding lochs have inspired the world’s smokiest, peatiest Islay malt whisky for more than 200 years.
The ARDventurer were led by Ardbeg Distillery Manager Mickey Heads and survival expert Monty Halls, the ten, who included Ardbeg fans, journalists, commentators and bloggers from Canada, Germany, Japan, the UK, US and Sweden, faced a series of intrepid challenges as they vied to become the Ultimate Ardbeg ARDventurer. Armed only with essentials and a rather unusual ration pack inspired by the tastes and aromas of Ardbeg, to use as they saw fit – innovative use of the kit earned contestants vital points in their bid to become the Ultimate Ardbeg ARDventurer. The ration pack included: a bottle of Ardbeg Ten Years Old, a bar of soap, a line of tarry rope, a tin of sardines, iodine, lime, peat, Vicks VapoRub (menthol), cheese, smoky bacon, black pepper, chocolate, aniseed, almonds and matches.
The ARDventurers were immersed in the rain-soaked, windswept homeland of Ardbeg for three days…until a winner emerged. Beginning with an apprenticeship at the Distillery and an arduous trek to Ardbeg’s water source, Loch Uigeadail, the contestants then spent a day cutting the peat which lends Ardbeg its smoky character. Finally, they rowed a cask of whisky along Islay’s perilous coast, following in the wake of the earliest distillers, who transported their cargo by sea. ARDventurers carried a 12kg pack and camped at atmospheric locations such as the 8th century Kildalton cross – a symbol of Islay’s Celtic heritage. They cooked on an open fire (with only a wee dram or two of Ardbeg for comfort). Each day, they were ranked by Heads and Halls, for Ardbeggian qualities such as survival spirit, endurance and resourcefulness.
In the end there could be only one winner and that was Keishi Iwata, of GQ Japan, who was named the Ultimate Ardbeg ARDventurer.
Mickey Heads commented: "Keishi really is our Ultimate Ardbeg ARDventurer. He went about things in his own quiet way, but he has really embodied Ardbeg’s spirit. Keishi was more than a match for Islay’s untamed landscape. He never complained and one night cooked singlehandedly for 16 in camp. Even more impressive, he must have been the only ARDventurer not to have fallen in a bog..."
Following the inaugural launch challenge, you can now have the chance to book your own bespoke ARDventurer experience from 9th September 2016; with prices starting from £12,000 upwards for an individually-tailored trip.
If you are looking for a little less expensive Ardbeg ARDventure you will find the current Ardbeg single malt whisky range available from specialist online whisky shops such as
The Whisky Exchange or perhaps you may enjoy the forthcoming Ardbeg Twenty One
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