Isle of Islay

      

Recommended Books

Island Series - Islay Guide

Buy Islay Pevensy Guide from Amazon A small book, loaded with gorgeous colour pictures of this beautiful Island in the Hebrides. Has a useful Information and Places to visit Guide. Includes a map, distillery info and lots more.

Landranger Islay Map

This map is part of the Landranger (Pink) series and is designed for people who really want to get to know an area. This map makes your Islay Discovery a lot easier and is a must for every visitor of Islay.

Walking Islay

A guide to the best walking on Scotland's remote Southern Hebrides - Jura, Islay, Colonsay and Oronsay. Jura, Islay and Colonsay offer some of wildest scenery in the British Isles



Ardbeg Distillery on Islay
Warehouse Bunnahabhain on Islay
 


Ardbeg Distillery

Back to Distillery Map

Ardbeg DistilleryArdbeg Distillery is one of the three "Kildalton Distilleries" and can be found on Islay's south coast. Ardbeg is a close neighbour of Lagavulin which sits in between Ardbed and Laphroaig. The name Ardbeg comes from the local wee village where the distillery is situated. Ardbeg distills one of the peatiest whiskies on the island.

Ardbeg distillery was established in 1815 and operated as a Private Ltd. Co. until january 1977 when it was taken over by Hiram Walker (producers of Ballantine), who sadly demolished the best of the maturing warehouses, and later by Allied Distillers, who 'mothballed' the distillery in 1981. Ardbeg remained silent until 1989. During those years the buildings were allowed to fall into disrepair.

Ardbeg Distillery was bought and reopened in 1997 by Glenmorangie Plc, and is now one of the fastest growing Islay Single Malt Whiskies. Glenmorangie invested heavily in refurbishing the buildings and plant. To maintain Ardbeg's very distinctive character, the specification of malt used in the production of Ardbeg requires to be at a minimum level of 50 p.p.m. phenol.

Glenmorangie Plc. is owned by the French company, LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy). At Ardbeg they produce around 160 barrels a week. With each barrel they fill 250 bottles and so they produce a staggering 40.000 bottles of whisky each week. For that they work continuously, 24 hours a day, 6 1/2 days a week with 6 persons in the distillery and 3 in the warehouse. At the moment of writing the warehouses were completely full. Because of that the maturing takes place in other warehouses in Edinburgh. Ardbeg distillery get their Barley from Port Ellen Maltings. 60 tons of very peaty barley each week. Visitors to Ardbeg will find an added bonus, the very fine "Old Kiln Café", where excellent lunches can be enjoyed including a taste of the end product.

Ardbeg 10The Ardbeg Committee has been established in 2000 to "promote the advancement of general knowledge and enjoyment of Ardbeg". All Ardbeg-aficionados can join this Committee on Ardbeg's website. Special bottlings can sometimes be obtained by members of this committee.

Distillery Info, Tours and visitor centre opening hours

Visitor Centre Opening Hours (all year)
Monday to Friday: 09:30 - 17:00
Easter Weekend to end October: Mon to Sat: 09:30 - 17:00
May, June, July, Aug & Sep: 7 days 09:30 - 17:00

Old Kiln Cafe Opening Hours
As above but 10:00 to 16:30 (last orders 15:45)

Distillery Tours (£5)
Easter Monday to end Sep Mon to Sun: 12:00 and 15:30

Special Tours
Ardbeg offers a number of special tours. For up to date info please download the current Distillery Leaflet

Contact Info
jthomson@glenmorangie.co.uk
www.ardbeg.com
+ 44 (0) 1496 302244
+ 44 (0) 1496 302040
Ardbeg on Google Streetview







Whisky Making | Lost Distilleries | Whisky History | Distilleries in 1880 | Whisky & Distilleries | Ardbeg | Bowmore | bruichladdich | Bunnahabhain | Caol Ila | Kilchoman | Lagavulin | Laphroaig | Port Charlotte | Port Ellen Maltings

 


Laphroaig Distillery Lady of the Isles - Personalised Whisky Tours over the Island

Books from Amazon

Andrew Jefford - Peat Smoke and Spirit

Those who discover malt whisky quickly learn that the malts made on the Isle of Islay are some of the wildest and most characterful in the malt-whisky spectrum.


Neil Wilson - The Island Whisky Trail

Buy The Island Whiskty Trail from Amazon This guide for the whisky enthusiast covers the distilleries of the Hebrides and the west coast of Scotland.