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The first distillery at Ardbeg on the island of Islay was built by the McDougall brothers at Ardbeg farm in 1798 and run as a commercial business from 1815. However the Ardbeg area was much favoured by smugglers and illicit distillers and distilling had probably been going on in the neighbourhood for some time previously. The excise men discovered a large cache of illicit whisky at the end of the 18th century. During the 18th century many small illicit distilleries were set up by farmers as a way of using up their excess barley.
The water used in the distillery comes from loch Uigidale, which incidentally has lent its name to Ardbeg's latest bottling. The loch water is very soft and peaty and contributes to the distinctive flavour of Ardbeg whisky, said to be the most peat smoked of all Scotland's whiskies.
The distillery grew quickly and by the 1880's it employed 60 local people compared to the 10 employed today. It was successfully managed by two McDougal sisters and by the end of the 19th century its annual production exceeded 1 million litres of whisky.
Ardbeg is known for its sea salt and iodine flavours. This comes from its position by the sea shore where many years of salt laden winds have impregnated the very buildings themselves. Today the two small piers that used to bring supplies into the distillery are still used by local fisherman and tourists. The nearby Distillery Farm was run in tandem with the distillery for many years with the distillery workers required to take a turn at cutting the peat used in the malting.
The McDougal family finally gave up control of the distillery in 1959 and it was eventually taken over by Allied Distillers. Allied closed the distillery in 1981 to concentrate production at the nearby Laphroaig distillery. To the horror of the ardent Ardbeg aficionado Allied believed that Laphroaig was sufficiently similar to Ardbeg to satisfy demand.
At one time Ardbeg produced its own malt. The malting was unusual in that they had no fans in the pagodas on the roof, causing the peat smoke to permeate the malt for longer than at most distilleries. These days the malt comes from the maltings at Port Ellen although the high level of peatiness is still a requirement.
When Allied Distillers decided to put Ardbeg up for sale in 1996 there was considerable interest from many quarters and the distillery was finally bought by Glenmorangie PLC. Glenmorangie have been committed to investing in Ardbeg and have built the business up into the thriving distilling complex on the site today, a fascinating mixture of the traditional and the modern.
In 1999 Ardbeg produced 550,000 litres of whisky. This had almost doubled to 1 million litres by 2003. Today Ardbeg produces 160 barrels a week. Each barrel contains 250 bottles. This adds up to a staggering 40,000 bottles of Ardbeg whisky each week.
The water used in the distillery comes from loch Uigidale, which incidentally has lent its name to Ardbeg's latest bottling. The loch water is very soft and peaty and contributes to the distinctive flavour of Ardbeg whisky, said to be the most peat smoked of all Scotland's whiskies.
The distillery grew quickly and by the 1880's it employed 60 local people compared to the 10 employed today. It was successfully managed by two McDougal sisters and by the end of the 19th century its annual production exceeded 1 million litres of whisky.
Ardbeg is known for its sea salt and iodine flavours. This comes from its position by the sea shore where many years of salt laden winds have impregnated the very buildings themselves. Today the two small piers that used to bring supplies into the distillery are still used by local fisherman and tourists. The nearby Distillery Farm was run in tandem with the distillery for many years with the distillery workers required to take a turn at cutting the peat used in the malting.
The McDougal family finally gave up control of the distillery in 1959 and it was eventually taken over by Allied Distillers. Allied closed the distillery in 1981 to concentrate production at the nearby Laphroaig distillery. To the horror of the ardent Ardbeg aficionado Allied believed that Laphroaig was sufficiently similar to Ardbeg to satisfy demand.
At one time Ardbeg produced its own malt. The malting was unusual in that they had no fans in the pagodas on the roof, causing the peat smoke to permeate the malt for longer than at most distilleries. These days the malt comes from the maltings at Port Ellen although the high level of peatiness is still a requirement.
When Allied Distillers decided to put Ardbeg up for sale in 1996 there was considerable interest from many quarters and the distillery was finally bought by Glenmorangie PLC. Glenmorangie have been committed to investing in Ardbeg and have built the business up into the thriving distilling complex on the site today, a fascinating mixture of the traditional and the modern.
In 1999 Ardbeg produced 550,000 litres of whisky. This had almost doubled to 1 million litres by 2003. Today Ardbeg produces 160 barrels a week. Each barrel contains 250 bottles. This adds up to a staggering 40,000 bottles of Ardbeg whisky each week.
About the Author:
Travel writer, whisky connoisseur and historian Rachel Wilson has written many guides and articles on the production of single malts like Ardbeg. Brought up in the Scottish Highlands and the daughter of a distillery worker, it was inevitable she would develop a passion for scotch whisky.
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