A folktale can live on for thousands of years every time it’s told around the campfire. If just one person fails to hear the story. It could be lost forever. American craft whiskey was almost lost, but batch by small-batch, independent craft distillers have leveraged their tenacious spirit and willingness to innovate to redefine American Whiskey for the future.

Anthology is a limited-release series. Each volume is different from the last, weaving the tale of a uniquely American collaboration, a blending of culture, craft, and passion that honors its makers and will haunt your memory as the best folktales do. So sit down, share the warmth of the fire, and become the next keeper of the tale.

Here’s to new shores, where intention guides the course and community steers the ships of our future. Sailor Gary here, introducing Ape Strong Whiskey. Today, we drink for the Apes! A special thanks to all our friends who Aped in for the ride!

Appleton Estate 15 Year Old Black River Casks is a tribute to the Black River that is integral to Jamaica’s rum history and the source of the limestone-filtered water used to craft our rums. The rums that make up Black River Casks are hand-selected and crafted with Jamaican limestone-filtered water, with no added flavors, and have all been aged for a minimum of 15 years in the tropical climate of Jamaica.

Ruby Anniversary Edition is an exquisite blend of five hand-selected column and pot-still rums, crafted with Jamaican limestone-filtered water, with no added flavours, and aged in Jamaica – a taste of the excellence of the land and its people. Aged a minimum of 35 years, one of the charms of the Ruby Anniversary Edition is rooted in its strict ageing process. Each bottle contains liquid as old as 45 years and as young as 35 – a luxurious time capsule to taste the flavour of decades in the tropics. Due to Jamaica’s climate, Appleton Estate rums age nearly three times more quickly than spirits aged in cooler climates, allowing for richer, fuller flavors to develop in a shorter period of time – meaning that the minimum age of 35 years in the tropical climate of Jamaica is equivalent to over 100 years of ageing in a cooler climate, thanks to the significant loss of liquid by evaporation. “Heaven’s envy” is captured in the very limited quantity of liquid bottled for this release.

1794 celebrates the year that Arbikie was first discovered as a distillery. Now, as then, all ingredients for the still are taken from our farm and its surroundings. Ours is the truly authentic way of distilling. We sow, nurture, harvest, distill, mature, and bottle our spirits on-site, giving Arbikie whisky a sense of place, and a taste of the land and sea that surrounds us.

Records show that rye grain was used in Scotch whisky production until the late 19th century. It is this tradition we have revived. Using rye grown on our own estate, we have created the Highland Rye 1794 Edition that’s full of character and deep in flavour. This whisky is proudly ’single grain’ – grain whisky produced in its entirety at Arbikie Distillery.

Bourbon whiskey finished with American oak staves that’ve been smoked with hickory, mesquite, and pecan smoke.

If you walked into Sadler’s Smokehouse in Texas, where they diligently spend all day smoking Arby’s finest of meats, you’d find piles of hickory, mesquite, and pecan woods, like the ones used to smoke this here smoked bourbon. You’d smell that same earthy wood in the air that you taste in each sip. You’d feel the familiar warmth of fire. And you’d feel hungry. And you’d feel thirsty.

Finally, Arby’s has smoked the meat called smoked bourbon.

Starting with our flagship Arcola Whiskey we finish on charred pecan wood and deliver it to you at a respectable, yet eminently drinkable Cask Strength. It is as strong and unique as the prairies upon which our grain grows and in which we distill. We invite you to enjoy Arcola Pecan Wood Finished Cask Strength Whiskey. Distilled by hand in our small direct-fired stills, we selectively harvested to our exacting specifications only the very smoothest and best heart cuts. Your whiskey is now ready.

Bottled for the pioneers who were there in the beginning, Ardbeg 17 Years Old makes its masterful return. Fresh pine resin, enticing aromas of malted barley, and toasted bread perch on the palate. Delicate notes of cocoa powder and caffé latte soar alongside hints of oak smoke and chewy aniseed toffee. The peat returns for an enormously long finale. Welcome home, 17.

Released in 1997, over 25 years ago, 17 Years Old was a peaty pioneer that paved the way for future Ardbeg. Beloved by the Committee, it was one of the first bottles to leave the Distillery’s doors after reopening. Now, as it leaves once more, this legendary dram traces the old profile note by note. Renewed, 17 Years Old returns home… just as extraordinary as it was before.

Ardbeg 25 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch has majestic aromas of smoked cream and earthy bonfires are masterfully interwoven with layers of pine and fragrant candle wax. Hot pepper twists around sherbet lemon sweetness and hints of carbolic soap and tar, while the aftertaste is characterized by delicate aniseed entwined with lingering cream and fudge.

A TASTE ENTANGLEMENT. Rounded and smoky one the nose, While spices scuttle across the tongue. Intense aniseed, syrupy sweetness and treacle draw you into its web of flavors. The Ultimate Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Yes. We have. Removing the cask heads to expose more wood during toasting, we’ve turned Ardbeg whisky upside down and inside out… Tempering the briny overtones, ramping up hidden chocolaty sweetness, and magnifying sensations of mocha.

The result? A multidimensional dram that morphs between four key elements – SWEET, SMOKY, HERBAL, and SPICY – all seamlessly merging in a mesmerizing taste experience. As enigmas wrapped up in conundrums go, this takes Ardbeg to a whole new level.

Wholly matured in designer-charred bourbon casks, The Beithir’s Tale is a supremely aromatic dram. A splash of water reveals hefty notes of eucalyptus and menthol, followed by sharp tangs of fennel and pine. Astoundingly balanced, earthy coffee grits and peat smoke meld with sweet raisins, subtle vanilla, and smoked butter.

Full-Bellied and Smoky

Aged for 15 years in specially designed, charred bourbon casks, these barrels have been air-seasoned, heavily toasted, and then lightly charred. With a nose that beguiles and charms, a mouthfeel that glides across the palate, and a finish that lingers long after the final sip, The Beithir’s Tale is another rare and enduring spirit in The Ardbeg Anthology Collection.

A marriage of whisky matured in sweet Sauternes wine casks, together with classic Ardbeg aged in ex-bourbon casks. Notes of smoked lemon peel soar alongside balsamic vinegar, before fresh apricots roll and bank into notes of tarry rope. First imagined only as a flight of fantasy, this a spirit that achieves the ultimate equilibrium between sweetness and smoke. A rare beast Ardbeg indeed…

A first for the Distillery and the first in this Anthology Collection, this spirit is the outcome of a battle between smoke and sweet. Ardbeg’s unmistakable character tussles with the richness of the Sauternes casks. Inspired by the seldom-seen Harpy – a winged beast said to inhabit Islay – this bottled in an ode to the rarest and most.

Matured in a marriage of aromatic Madeira casks and classic Ardbeg ex-bourbon casks, powerful smoke and zesty notes of lime canter across the palate. Soft barley and burning cedar wood lurk in the distance, while menthol, clove and camphor come together in a whimsical smoky finish.

The second edition in the legendary Anthology Collection, this rare 14 years old is inspired by the fables Islay Unicorn. Like the myth itself, this spirit may appear sweet in nature, but it hides a smoky twist not to be underestimated.

After 13 years at the helm, our legendary Distillery Manager and Committee Chairman is departing. It’s true, the captain of the good ship Ardbeg is retiring. Mickey’s leaving has been hard to fathom for all of the crew, but to commemorate the skipper and his service, we have created an extra-special bottle of Ardgrog – a treasure fit for even the saltiest of seadogs.

Wholly matured in ex-rye casks, timber smoked banana and pear drift into vanilla and rye on the nose. A spicy mouthfeel hoists up and ignites a blunderbuss of fruity flavors. An armada of aniseed is tailed by smoked toffee and a distant hint of sourdough biscuits. The Long finish lingers, with gentle smoke listing on the palate.

Our whiskey creators have rounded up the finest Pinot Noir wine casks from New Zealand to mature a celebratory dram that knits together velvety summer fruit pudding and bitter cherry, with a deeper edge of soot and Ardbeg’s hallmark smoke. Truly a whisky apart.

For a quarter of a century, it has been the Ardbeg Committee’s raison d’être to debate, discuss, and disagree in any way it sees fit about the ultimate Islay malt. As indeed a select group was summoned to do in a hidden corner of the Distillery one Ardbeg Day. This whisky is the result of those top-secret deliberations, after months of experimentation in pursuit of the ultimate Committee bottling. Our whisky creation team has pulled off the impossible. Slàinte mhath to 25 years of Ardbeg Committee!

Designed by Committee (Sort Of)

Is it possible to capture the multifarious taste preferences of thousands of fans in a single dram? If this bottling is anything to go by, the answer is a roasted malt spirit matured in bourbon casks, Ardbeg’s whisky creators have masterminded this exuberant and complex dram. Notes of salted crispy seaweed and sweet cinnamon jostle with dark chocolate coasted raisins and burning embers. A paradoxical whisky truly befitting the hotchpotch nature of the Committee, united by a love of all things smoky. Eureka!

Ardbeg Fermutation Invasion Of The Washbacks! – A broken boiler! .. Six washbacks fermenting out of control! .. Could anything save this liquid from certain destruction?

The year was 2007. The Ardbeg Distillery was about to face one of its greatest challenges. A broken boiler threatened by the very existence of six washbacks full of precious liquid. Nothing could stop them fermenting past the point of no return! The Distillery folk threw off the washback lids hoping for a miracle, and a miracle they received! An invasion was taking place. Millions of tiny beings were descending from the skies and landing in the washbacks… The longest “FERMUTATION” in Ardbeg’s history had begun, transforming the liquid into the SHARPEST, ZINGIEST and WILDEST Ardbeg ever! UNBELIEVABLE BUT TRUE!

t is said that the merest whiff of classic Ardbeg transports you to another time and place. However, the aroma of this formidable smoky malt takes you to another dimension altogether. For it answers the improbable question: how would Ardbeg be without the pivotal influence of its legendary purifier?  You’re about to find out. For this dram is the most full-blown Ardbeg ever. Take a deep breath, then a sip. And follow Agent 46 into the ARDverse.

TASTING NOTES

PUNGENT. Earthiness fills the lungs. AROMATIC clouds of DARKEST CHOCOLATE and SHARP PEPPERMINT ascend. ANISEED and POWDERY CINNAMON billow, while the tang of MENTHOL lingers. With the PURIFIER gone, WHO will RESTORE the BALANCE?

Possibly the smokiest dram in the world (this one at least), Hypernova possesses a malty magnitude never before experienced. This is a brutally smoky dram that radiates flavour in every direction. Undoubtedly Ardbeg’s smokiest spirit, HN22 is a cataclysmic event for the Distillery. It’s big, it’s intense, and it’s pulling palates into a whole new dimension.

Explore notes of pungent smoke, aniseed, and toasted lavender, while bitter almonds and dark chocolate fuse with curious hints of plasticine and burnt rubber. Descend into a finish that collapses in on itself, before returning to earthy notes of roasted coffee and smoky heather.

42 Years Old | 47.3% ABV | Burnt Orange Colour

At Ardbeg Distillery, on the Isle of Islay, a few final casks were laid down to mature in eerie silence. Two weeks later, the Ardbeg stills fell silent and the Distillery closed, potentially forever.

Cask 1/1981 is from those historic reserves – the last of that era.

Presented as The Rollercoaster’s first whisky, this exceptionally rare liquid is from the very last cask remaining from the stock of 1981. First distilled 11th March 1981, this bottling is very lightly peated in character – some of the last ever made in Ardbeg’s own maltings, creating a very lightly peated “Kildalton-style” Ardbeg.

Aged in bourbon casks, then transferred into a single Oloroso sherry cask for rich, spicy notes, it is an unrepeatable taste of Ardbeg’s past.

TASTING NOTES