Story transports whisky fans to La Dolce Vita, Islay-Style  

For Ardbeg Day 2026, we have united elegant Sicilian charm with rugged Islay character with our Dolce Vita-inspired campaign.  

Ardbeg Day is celebrated annually on the final Saturday of Islay’s Festival of Music and Malt, known as Fèis Ìle. Since 2012, Story has taken Ardbeg Day to thousands of fans across the globe, developing a 360 programme from overarching concepts and event theming through to packaging design and comms. 

This year, the event will take place on Saturday 30 May, inviting premium single malt whisky drinkers to indulge in a taste of ‘La Dolce Vita’, Islay-style. 

From the Sicilian Coast to the Atlantic Coast  

We were inspired by the Distillery’s chosen liquid, Ardbeg Dolce – bottled at 47.8% ABV and matured in sweet Marsala ‘dolce’ fortified wine casks from Sicily, alongside Ardbeg’s signature bourbon barrel-aged single malt. 

Both Islay and Sicily share the same slow, soulful pace of life. Taking our cues from the timeless elegance of La Dolce Vita (the sweet life) and the iconic look and feel of Italian 1960s cinema, we’ve transformed Ardbeg Day into a celebration of flavour, style and good company.  

Story delivered the Ardbeg Day concept, event theming, bottle naming, packaging design and key visual assets. 

The art on our packaging is inspired by a collage style, blending Ardbeg and 1960s Italian cinema. This gave us great scope to weave in unique brand elements. We worked with Nazario Graziano, an Italian illustrator who uses mixed media and edited photographic elements. 

A sample of our storytelling:

Picture this: a scooter tearing through cobbled streets, a chic Italian dress fluttering in the breeze as the sun glistens on coastal waters. Now, swap the scooter for a roaring chopper, the dress for a pair of muddy overalls, and that golden sun for a deluge of sideways rain. That’s this whisky. It’s a taste of La Dolce Vita, Islay-style.

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Roll credits

Key Visual

Photography: David Boni 

Production: Sarah Lauder 

Packaging 

Illustrator: Nazario Graziano 

Agent: Agency Rush