Attended an Ardbeg Day yesterday. They are always fun events and provide the opportunity to catch up with old friends and meet new enthusiasts. This years special release was Dolce. “Celebrating their Italian-themed "La Dolce Vita, Islay Style" event, it blends classic Islay peat with sweet Sicilian Marsala wine casks and bourbon barrels.” Invariably, the discussion turned to what did you think of it? Reflecting on it, I came down to a few thoughts: 1. My palate - my ability to discern various flavours is about average and I can easily miss subtleties depending on my energy and hunger levels as well as surrounding noises and smells. 2. My sweet tooth - I really enjoy sweet so when I heard the description of this whisky I was immediately thinking of the level of sweet that I enjoy, which may be more than the average person. 3. Whisky makers judgement - when making a whisky the producer will want to ensure that the final product is accessible to as wide a group of people as possible. That may mean subtle rather than overly strong finishes. 4. The Ardbeg 10 is a fantastic whisky - this sets a high bar for any other Ardbeg to reach Overall, I found the Dolce to be a good whisky that is a bit toned down from a typical Ardbeg. But perhaps that’s more a compliment on how great the 10 YO is, than a condemnation of this whisky.

Posted by tyrone.cotie at 2026-05-31 14:26:55 UTC