Lagg Kilmory Edition
Lagg distillery opened in 2019 on the Isle of Arran, at the site of a former distillery near the village of Lagg that had closed in 1837. Located on the southern tip of the Isle due east of Campbeltown, Lagg is owned by Isle of Arran Distillers Ltd, the same company that owns Lochranza Distillery, situated on the northern tip. The distillery’s purpose was to produce more peated whisky using peat from Aberdeenshire, as the Arran brand is generally unpeated. The first whiskies were released in 2022 and reached the US market in 2024. The Lagg Kilmory Edition is one of these first two releases, matured in ex-bourbon casks.
Ardbeg Spectacular
The Ardbeg Committee was founded in 2000, born from a fan club of sorts started in 19999. Ardbeg was officially founded in 1815, though it had been producing whisky there for over almost twenty years there previously. It shuttered in the early 1990s and was purchased by Glenmorangie in 1997 and reopened, with the Ardbeg Committee soon following to foster love of the brand and make sure the distillery never closed again. While the Committee offers communications and solidarity for the affecionados, there has also been yearly whisky releases under the Committee banner. The 2024 Committee offering is the Ardbeg Spectacular, which was matured in a blend of ex-bourbon and ex-port casks. This is different than past releases that made use of cask finishing. The circus connection is unknown.
Glenmorangie 18 Year
Glenmorangie was founded in 1843 after William Matheson purchased the Morangie farm at the site, which had been brewing beer and spirits there for over a century, according to legend. Boasting the tallest stills in Scotland, it is often named one of the best selling whiskies in Scotland. While the distillery produced whiskies for use in blends, they ceased in 2009 to focus on single malts. Their offerings feature an array of age and no-age statements, often finished in a variety of ex-wine casks. The distillery and its current Director of Distilling, Dr Bill Lumsden, have helped pioneer cask finishing in the modern era. The Glenmorangie 18 is aged for 15 years and then 30% of the cut is finished in Spanish Oloroso sherry casks for three years before being blended back in.