Ardbeg Smoketrails Cote Rotie Edition

Volume: 1 litre | Alcohol content: 46% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

The Smoketrails Côte Rôtie Edition brings together two types of cask maturation: Ardbeg from Bourbon Barrels is married with whisky matured in Côte Rôtie red wine casks from France’s Rhône region. The distillery’s classic bourbon cask maturation thus meets the influence of French wine casks. This is the second edition in the Smoketrails series, whose releases combine casks from different origins with Ardbeg’s smoky Islay style. The edition was launched in 2023 for international travel retail; a limited quantity was also available at the distillery’s visitor centre.

Alongside powerful smoke and berry aromas, the whisky shifts from warm camphor to cooling menthol. Subtle impressions of smoked cranberries and tar give way to dark chocolate, which in turn yields to soft fondant. The whisky is bottled at 46% alcohol, without chill filtration or added colouring. The bottle contains 1 litre and is offered without gift packaging.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, powerful peat smoke sits alongside paprika, grilled artichokes and salty brine.
• Palate: On the palate, eucalyptus and spicy barley malt combine with dense smoke and grilled bacon. Beneath them lie juicy blackberries, fresh mint, blackcurrants and cranberries.
• Finish: Dark chocolate, oily smoke and salty liquorice linger on the finish.

Distillery/Bottler:

Ardbeg stands on the south coast of the Scottish island of Islay. In 1815, John Macdougall obtained a licence that established the distillery as a legal commercial operation. Following closures and limited production in the 1980s and 1990s, The Glenmorangie Company acquired Ardbeg in 1997 and resumed regular production. The Ardbeg Committee was founded in 2000 to support the distillery’s future through a worldwide community of whisky enthusiasts.

Ardbeg’s production methods include barley malt dried over peat fires, water from Loch Uigeadail and wooden washbacks made from Oregon Pine. A distinctive feature of distillation is the purifier on the spirit still’s connecting pipe: it returns heavier, condensed vapours to the still, where they are distilled again. This increases reflux and copper contact. The process helps combine powerful smoke with fruity, floral and sweet aspects of the house style. The Smoketrails series extends this approach through the selection of casks from different regions.

Facts: