BizarreBQ was the Ardbeg Day Committee Release for 2024, bottled at a healthy 50.9% ABV. As the name suggests, the inspiration was American barbecue culture, and Bill Lumsden assembled a vatting from an unusually varied parcel of casks: bespoke 'BBQ casks' charred to a heavy specification, double-charred oak, Pedro Ximenez sherry butts and the inevitable ex-bourbon barrels that form the spine of most Ardbeg releases.
The result is one of the more overtly sweet and food-friendly Ardbegs of recent years. The PX contributes raisin and treacle, while the heavy char layer gives a smoked, almost meaty quality that genuinely does evoke a low-and-slow smoker. Ardbeg's house peat — heavy, phenolic, distinctly maritime — sits underneath all of this rather than dominating, which makes the whole thing feel more composed than its theatrical packaging suggests.
Like most Ardbeg Committee releases, BizarreBQ was launched at the distillery's annual Feis Ile celebration before a wider release through the Committee and select retailers. It is unmistakably a marketing exercise, but also a genuinely interesting experiment in cask layering. Drinkers who enjoyed Drum or Wee Beastie's punchier profile will find much to like here.
Best with food — ideally something off a grill — though it holds up perfectly well neat.
