Ardbeg

Ardbeg lies on the south coast of Islay, near Port Ellen, alongside Laphroaig and Lagavulin. It dates its licensed history to 1815. The distillery went through hard times in the late twentieth century, with long closures and only limited production, until it was bought by Glenmorangie in 1997. It is now part of LVMH through The Glenmorangie Company.

Ardbeg uses heavily peated malt, and its spirit is among the smokiest on Islay. A purifier on the spirit still sends heavier vapours back for redistillation, which helps give the spirit its oily, fruity side beneath the peat.

The core range is Ardbeg Ten, Wee Beastie, An Oa, Uigeadail and Corryvreckan, with older expressions such as the 17 Year Old and Traigh Bhan appearing over the years. Each year brings a Limited Edition, and past releases like Blasda, a lightly peated bottling, and Dolce are sought after by collectors.

Independent bottlings exist but are less common than for many distilleries, and they are often sold without the distillery name, under labels such as "Islay" or a disguised name. Bottlers in our catalogue include Gordon & MacPhail, Douglas Laing, Hunter Laing, Ian Macleod, That Boutique-y Whisky Company and North Star Spirits.