Ardbeg Smoketrails Is the Best Duty-Free Single Malt Whisky You Need to Try
Flying out of the country these days is not easy. Between long security lines, flight delays, and being stuck in the middle seat next to the snoring guy, you deserve a reward for surviving an overseas journey. That’s why every time I travel internationally, I make sure to buy a bottle of Ardbeg Smoketrails.
Most Scotch drinkers are familiar with Ardbeg Single Malt Scotch, but few have heard of Ardbeg Smoketrails because it's practically only found at duty-free shops in remote places. That’s right, you have to travel out of the country and browse through bottles at the airport to get your hands on this elusive and exclusive bottle of whiskey.
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I nabbed mine in one of the largest duty-free shops in the world—at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. The whiskey and Scotch options were endless. With limited carry-on options for the 18-hour flight, I restricted myself to one bottle.
Smoketrails is my go-to, as it marries classic Ardbeg with American oak casks and Manzanilla sherry casks from the Sanlúcar de Barrameda bodega, located on the Spanish Atlantic coast. It’s worth an overseas trip alone just to pick up a bottle or two. Here's a quick review of the best airport whisky you may be missing out on.
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Following Trails of Smoke
Ardbeg is a distillery located on the remote Scottish island of Islay, famous for producing some amazing Scotches for over 200 years. Some of my other Ardbeg favorites include Wee Beastie, a fantastic whiskey for being just 5 years old with an equally good price point. The brand's standard 10-year Scotch is also stellar. But if I could just choose one Ardbeg bottle, I'd gravitate to Smoketrails. Straying from heavily peated Scotches, it's full-bodied yet uniquely influenced by Manzanilla sherry casks.
The combination of classic Ardbeg ex-bourbon casks with Ardbeg matured in the Manzanilla sherry casks results in a lively dram. It's vibrant on the palate with hints of dark berry, pepper, ashy smoke, and walnut. The Scotch opens up to a peppery smoky flavor with hints of peat and fruity oak. The finish is clean and has little to no heat to it.
Ardbeg Master Blender and Head of Whisky Creation Gillian Macdonald sees the exclusive release as a journey of flavors from around the world.
“Our Ardbeg Smoketrails Travel Retail Exclusive series offers whisky lovers the chance to embark on a global flavor journey, with each single malt highlighting how casks from around the world influence Ardbeg’s signature character,” says Gillian Macdonald, Ardbeg Master Blender and Head of Whisky Creation. “The first release marries malt aged in classic Ardbeg American oak with Manzanilla sherry casks from Sanlúcar de Barrameda on Spain’s Atlantic coast, creating a salty, maritime flavor combined with our signature smoky intensity.
"For the second release, we explored Côte Rôtie red wine casks from France’s Rhône region, which imparts a distinctive mix of minerality, earthy aromas, and spicy complexity on Ardbeg's classic style," Macdonald adds. "With each release, we try to offer Ardbeg fans new horizons of smoky flavor to explore.”
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Adventure Awaits
Ardbeg’s known for peat—and, while more subtly present, the sherry casks add a subtle char-smoked sweetness to Smoketrails. It’s a wholly unique bottle not only for Ardbeg but also for the entire island and region. Hence, the reason it's so hard to get ahold of.
This is the first edition of the Smoketrails lineup of duty-free exclusive bottles. In 2023, Ardbeg released an Ardbeg Smoketrails Côte Rôtie Edition—matured in highly sought-after Côte Rôtie wine casks from the Rhône region in Southern France.
Bottom Line
Ardbeg Smoketrails is a unique expression that differs from other Scotches from the fabled distillery. The influence of the Manzanilla sherry casks has a softening effect on the whisky—and the relative rarity of the whisky makes it that much more crave-worthy.
While a duty-free international airport is the primary place to pick up a bottle of Ardbeg Smoketrails, there are a couple of other distant hiding spots. The first is the Ardbeg distillery itself, where Smoketrails is available for sale in the distillery’s shop. The other option is trying to track down a secondhand bottle, which will sometimes pop up for sale at retailers and online—with an average price of about $250 per bottle, which ranges pretty wildly. Otherwise, it's a true duty-free gem at an airport probably far away—and worth every mile traveled.
Bottle Specifics
- Distiller: Ardbeg
- Bottle: Ardbeg Smoketrails Manzanilla Edition
- Country: Scotland
- Region: Islay
- Type: Single malt
- Proof: 92%
- Bottled: 2022
- Size: 1 liter
- Availability: Duty-free Shops/Arberg Distillery