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.
Kilchoman Casado
Kilchoman was founded in 2005 by Anthony Wills in the northwest corner of Islay, near Machir Bay. It sources its barley from Rockside Farm along with Port Ellen maltings. Interestingly, the Port Ellen maltings are peated to 50ppm, whereas the maltings done at the distillery are closer to 20ppm. From 2005 to 2023, the distillery sourced its barrels from Buffalo Trace but since 2023, the barrels come from Breckenridge Distillery in Colorado. The distillery frequently uses sherry and other ex-wine casks to finishing or full maturation, both in their core and more limited offerings. The Kilchoman Casado is a limited edition offering that debuted in 2022. The name Casado is Portuguese for marriage and the whisky is matured in first fill-bourbon barrels for 6 years before 38 casks were blended for 2 years in two 6,000 liter Portuguese red wine vats.
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.