In 2021, Ardbeg Distillery installed a second pair of stills, doubling its distillation capacity to 2.4 million litres of distillate per year. A year earlier, Ardbeg recorded sales of 1.8 million bottles, and overtook Lagavulin to third place among the most popular Islay single malts. It is hard to believe today that a quarter of a century ago, Ardbeg Distillery was fighting for survival using a fraction of its modest production capacity and if it had not been taken over by Glenmorangie plc in 1997, it might have become history. Ardbeg Smoketrials is a new series of limited editions intended for distribution in the Travel Retail network and at the distillery. The first edition presented here will hit the market in autumn 2022, and its composition uses bourbon casks and dry Manzanilla sherry casks. Nose: peat smoke, tarred ropes, pine resin, forest floor, dark chocolate, roasted nuts, sesame seeds, vanilla, fresh herbs, lemons and salty breeze. Palate: roasted nuts and almonds, dark chocolate, vanilla pudding, eucalyptus drops, grapefruit, bitter oranges, lemon pepper, sea salt, smoke and a bit of ash. Finish: medium long, with notes of peat smoke and ash, sea breeze, dark chocolate, roasted nuts, anise, leather and oak.