“Subtle” expression next up for Ardbeg

Dr Bill Lumsden has revealed he has “a number of things up my sleeve” as he prepares for new whisky releases from Ardbeg.

The head of distilling and whisky creation at the Islay distillery told the drinks business his next release will be a “much more subtle expression of Ardbeg” compared to the latest release, Alligator.

Lumsden is famed for his penchant for experimentation, both at Ardbeg and at his other brand Glenmorangie.

“I try very hard to keep the innovation juggernaut under control,” he said. “It is more difficult to innovate with Ardbeg than it is with Glenmorangie because the whisky is much more difficult to flex into different flavour patterns.

“We did Rollercoaster last year, we have just done Alligator which has its full launch in September, but it’s highly unlikely that we will continue to do limited annual to 18-month releases of Ardbeg.”

Lumsden told db: “There are going to be a number of new product releases from Ardbeg over the next five-to-seven years.”

Speaking of whether purist fans of the smoky, peaty Ardbeg might fear a departure from the whisky’s original character, Lumsden said: “I will never take it too far from its roots.

“I fully appreciate that people like Ardbeg for a reason and the next one I’m working on is going to be a much more subtle expression of Ardbeg compared to Alligator.

“It won’t be along the lines of Blasda – it won’t be as subtle as that. A lot of the whiskies in the recipe will come from our classic stock.”