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Case on Point

The Ardbeg Double Barrel


Aggressive diplomacy. What better balm for today’s geo-political discord? Especially if it comes in the form of a double barrel gun case filled with Ardbeg Single Malt Scotch Whiskey. Who wouldn’t want to show up to a dicey negotiation with a hand-made bespoke leather gun case? Only to have your adversaries find themselves on the business end of two bottles of the world’s best Scotch. Now, that’s how you cloak the best of intentions in the most austere packages. And this diplomatic sleight of hand is likely to turn opponents into allies before the Ardbeg runs dry.

Despite the other images it may evoke, the Ardbeg Double Barrel set was designed as a salute to the hunting parties of British lore.  No doubt, the two single cask bottles of Ardbeg 1974—the company’s oldest and rarest—can make for a festive occasion. But because only 250 of these sets are being released, at a cost of $20,000 each, odds are you won’t be sipping this Scotch in the great outdoors. If the price doesn’t cause you to handle with care, bear in mind that Ardbeg produces some of the strongest Scotches on the planet. And they’ve been perfecting the perfect mix of peat, oak and spice notes since 1815. To call it smooth would be a criminal understatement. 

From its distillery on the coast of the Scottish Island, Islay, Ardbeg continues its long tradition of turning malted barley into liquid gold.  It’s known for a complex range of floral flavors and the lingering fireworks it leaves on the palate. But even more notably,  this premier Islay malt has survived waves of political turmoil and even an economic downturn that shuttered its doors from 1981 to 1989. Nothing, it seems, can evaporate the legacy of this time-honored elixir. Perhaps this knowledge of the vicissitudes of time led Ardbeg to fill it’s Double Barrel with eight sterling silver Hamilton & Inches drinking cups, an engraved oak and sterling Omas pen, and two leather-bound books (a sampling register and a light hearted tribute to Scottish shooting traditions).  So as we stand poised on the cusp of a new era of aggressive diplomacy, The Green Magazine offers this toast: May all of your gun cases brim with Scotch.
 

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