Ardbeg marks Committee’s 25th anniversary with Eureka Moment
Ardbeg’s 2025 Eureka Moment Single Malt Scotch Whisky bottling
Ardbeg celebrates 25 years of its loyal following, the Ardbeg Committee with the ultimate Committee bottling.
Inspired by – and exclusively for – that dedicated fanbase, Ardbeg Eureka! was conceived to capture the many taste preferences of the Committee’s thousands of members in a single dram. In this limited edition’s paradoxically complex flavours of dark chocolate, cinnamon, briny seaweed and smoke, Ardbeg’s whisky creators believe they have cracked it. Eureka!
A quarter-century ago, after Ardbeg was saved from the brink of extinction, a few insanely committed enthusiasts formed the Ardbeg Committee. Its mission was to prevent the doors of the Islay Distillery from ever closing again. Ever since, its membership (now 200,000-strong) have endlessly debated the ins and outs of the whisky they revere as The Ultimate Islay Single Malt.
Recognising the zeal of the Committee’s deliberations, Ardbeg’s whisky creators summoned a select group to a hidden corner of the Distillery on Ardbeg Day 2023, to take part in an experiment named Operation Smokescreen. At the event, 100 members from 15 different countries, a cross-section of Ardbeg’s diverse, global fanbase, tasted and discussed five extreme (and secret) examples of Ardbeg. Then Dr Bill Lumsden, Ardbeg’s Director of Whisky Creation, and Master Blender Gillian Macdonald took the findings back to their sensory laboratory, challenging themselves to craft a bottling representing the Committee’s multi-faceted preferences.
After months of experimentation, the pair skillfully combined whisky aged in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks with roasted malt spirit matured in bourbon casks in a uniquely complex dram. Salted crispy seaweed and sweet cinnamon jostle with dark-chocolate-coated raisins and burning embers, reflecting the Committee’s eclectic tastes. Thrilled to have succeeded in their experiment, they named their creation Ardbeg Eureka!
Gillian said:
“Operation Smokescreen was a brilliant opportunity to get inside the minds of the Ardbeg Committee – and has inspired our most bespoke Committee bottling yet. With its medley of flavours, from cherries and red apples to briny seaweed and bonfires, topped with cinnamon and raisin fudge, Ardbeg Eureka! is packed with a variety of flavours, inspired by our eclectic group of Committee members’ tastes, who are united by their love of Ardbeg’s smoky and fruity balance. There was a real eureka moment when, after countless experiments, Dr Bill and I landed upon the perfect recipe.”
Committee Chair and Ardbeg Distillery Visitor Centre Manager Jackie Thomson said:
“The Committee have been the lifeblood of Ardbeg for a quarter of a century – you won’t find a more passionate bunch of smoky malt lovers anywhere else. Ardbeg Eureka! is an exuberant reward for our members’ dedication. Slàinte mhath to 25 years of the Ardbeg Committee!”
Ardbeg Eureka! is available exclusively to Committee members on Ardbeg.com from 6th February, RRP: £72. For those intrepid enough to venture to the Distillery, a small number of bottles will be available to buy in person.
To play a part in the Distillery’s future and keep up to date with all things Ardbeg, smoky malt whisky fans can join the Ardbeg Committee at ardbeg.com/en-gb/committee
Tasting notes:
ABV: 52.2%
Colour: Amber
Aroma: Full and fruity on the nose with cherry and juicy red apple. Caramel infused coffee grounds and cocoa powder are softened by a subtle backdrop of heather bonfire and hand rolled sweet tobacco leaves. There are some herbal notes like cedar and fennel present in the distant background. With water, dark chocolate and walnut oil come through and more smoke emerges through the sweeter fruits. Like walking alongside a road that’s being freshly tarred!
Taste: An explosion of sweet flavours like nut toffee brittle, raisin fudge and dark fruits (fig, damson and plump cherries) is balanced with a rockpool salinity. Dark chocolate coated raisins lead into chicory and sweet cinnamon spices alongside a curious drying sensation. The smoke builds up to a crescendo of sweet applewood and a medicinal iodine, burnt moss and ash.
Finish: The finish is long and chewy with sweet treacle toffee aniseed spice, coal tar soap and burning embers.
RRP: £72
About Ardbeg
Ardbeg prides itself on being The Ultimate Islay Single 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. Today, Ardbeg is one of the world’s most highly awarded smoky single malt whiskies.
The Ardbeg Committee
The legacy of the whisky was safeguarded in 2000 by the formation of the Ardbeg Committee. The Committee is made up of thousands of Ardbeg followers worldwide who are keen to ensure that “the doors of Ardbeg never close again”. Today there are more than 200,000 members of the Ardbeg Committee in over 140 countries. Committee Members are regularly consulted on new bottlings and expressions and are offered exclusive Committee bottlings. Members also receive invitations to special gatherings, tastings and events. The Committee, chaired by Jackie Thomson, is free to join at ardbeg.com.
