Ardbeg distillery explained

Ardbeg distillery
Type:Islay
Image Size:250
Founded:1815
Status:Operational
Source:Loch Uigeadail
Stills:1 wash (18,000 L)
1 spirit (17,000 L)[1]
Capacity:1,250,000 litres
Brand 1:Ardbeg
Type 1:Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age 1:10 Years
Cask 1:Bourbon, Sherry

Ardbeg distillery (Scottish Gaelic: Taigh-staile na h-Àirde Bige) is Islay single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Ardbeg on the South coast of the isle of Islay, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, in the Inner Hebrides group of islands.

The distillery is owned by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, and produces a heavily peated Islay whisky.[2] The distillery uses malted barley sourced from the maltings in Port Ellen.

The name Ardbeg is an anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic An Àird Bheag, meaning The Small Promontory.

History

The Ardbeg distillery has been producing whisky since 1798, and began commercial production in 1815.[3] Like most Scottish distilleries, for most of its history its whisky was produced for use in blended whisky, rather than as a single malt. By 1886 the distillery was producing 300,000 gallons of whisky per year, and employed 60 workers.

Production was halted in 1981, but resumed on a limited basis in 1989 and continued at a low level until late 1996; during the period Ardbeg was owned by Hiram Walker.[4] In 1997 the distillery was bought and reopened by Glenmorangie plc (which was subsequently acquired by the French company LVMH on 28 December 2004).[5]

Production resumed 25 June 1997, and full production resumed in 1998. The distillery was reopened by Ed Dodson in 1997 and handed over to Stuart Thomson, who managed it from 1997 to 2006. Michael "Mickey" Heads, an Islay native and former manager at Jura who had worked at Ardbeg years earlier, took over on 12 March 2007. Colin Gordon has followed in his footsteps in August 2020.[6] [7]

In July 2022, the distillery sold a 1975 cask to a private collector for £16 million, beating Macallan's record for the highest cask selling price.[8] [9]

Production

The distillery output is quite large for a distillery with only two pot stills. The wash still has a capacity of about 18,000 litres, and the spirit still a capacity of about 17,000 litres. This produces approximately 10,000 barrels (1.4 million liters) of spirit per year.[10] The distillery employs about sixty people and also provides them with accommodation on site.[11] Since 2018, a new still house is under construction, which will double Ardbeg's distilling capacity.[12]

In 2011, 20 vials of Ardbeg spirit and wood particles were sent to the International Space Station to investigate their interaction.[13] They returned on 12 September 2014.[14]

Products

The whiskies of Ardbeg are mostly heavily peated malts. Compared to other Islay malts, Ardbeg does not focus on the sea and salt tastes, but rather on aromas of spices, malt or sweet tones like vanilla and chocolate. The core range of Ardbeg consists of the Ardbeg TEN, Uigeadail and Corryvreckan. The TEN is named after its age. Uigeadail was named after Loch Uigeadail, a loch in the hills about 4 km north of Ardbeg which is a source of water for the distillery. The Corryvreckan bottle takes its name from a famous sea vortex between the Isle of Jura and the Isle of Scarba. In June 2024, the distillery released a new edition of the Corryvreckan from 2008. The special bottling was created in collaboration with the comic artist Tradd Moore and is limited to 400 bottles.[15]

Awards

Ardbeg has won various awards at international spirit ratings competitions. For example:

Cultural references

Ardbeg inspired the Finnish composer of contemporary music, Osmo Tapio Räihälä, to write the symphonic poem Ardbeg—The Ultimate Piece For Orchestra (2003); it was recorded by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra on 28 April 2011.[20]

See also

References

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ardbeg. https://web.archive.org/web/20141129040928/http://www.whisky.com/whisky-database/distilleries/details/fdb/Distilleries/Details//ardbeg.html. 2014-11-29. 29 November 2014. 17 May 2018.
  2. Web site: Ardbeg web site. 2008-06-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20090830092823/http://www.ardbeg.com/home. 2009-08-30. dead.
  3. Book: Arthur, Helen . 978-9057642364. The single malt companion. Libero. 2002. 1997. Lisbeth Machielsen. nl. 58.
  4. Web site: Hiram Walker era (under Historical Facts). www.masterofmalt.com. en-GB. 27 April 2018.
  5. Web site: History — The Glenmorangie Company. www.theglenmorangiecompany.com. 17 May 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180714225913/http://www.theglenmorangiecompany.com/about-us/history/. 14 July 2018. dead.
  6. Web site: Ardbeg - Colin Gordon tritt Nachfolge von Mickey Heads an Der Whisky-Botschafter - Passion und Tradition . 10 July 2022 . www.whiskybotschafter.com.
  7. Web site: 22 August 2020 . Colin Gordon wird neuer Distillery Manager von Ardbeg • CaptainScotch.de . 10 July 2022 . CaptainScotch.de . de-DE.
  8. News: Tom . Ambrose . 9 July 2022 . Cask of scotch whisky bought for record £16m in private sale . . 25 May 2024.
  9. News: 8 July 2022 . Cask of rare Scotch whisky smashes world record with £16mn sale . Financial Times . limited . 10 July 2022.
  10. Web site: Amanda. Ardbeg Distillery The Untamed Spirit Wandering Spirits Global. 2021-03-08. www.wanderingspiritsglobal.com/. 10 March 2019 . en-GB.
  11. Book: Barnard, Alfred . The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom . 14 July 2013. Aaron Barker Publishing. 978-0-615-85028-3. 207.
  12. News: Gallagher. Rosemary. 19 February 2018. New still house for Ardbeg as it seals multi-million pound investment to fund big expansion. insider.co.uk. 19 February 2018.
  13. Web site: Ardbeg Terpene Extraction - Commercial ISS Research - NanoRacks. nanoracks.com. 17 May 2018. 18 May 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180518055714/http://nanoracks.com/nr009-ardbeg-terpene-extraction/. dead.
  14. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-29174389 Ardbeg 'space whisky' back on Earth after flavour experiment
  15. Web site: patrick_buettgen . 2024-06-06 . Ardbeg The Abyss hebt Ur-Corryvreckan aus der Tiefe . 2024-06-06 . CaptainScotch.de . de-DE.
  16. News: November 18, 2007 . Island whisky wins top accolade . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20071120142642/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7100733.stm . 20 November 2007 . 2007-11-18 . BBC News.
  17. Web site: Proof66.com Summary of Ardbeg 10-Year Awards . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20191213201620/https://www.proof66.com/whiskey/ardbeg-10yr-scotch.html . 13 December 2019 . 2012-10-19.
  18. Web site: Proof66.com Summary of Ardbeg Uigeadail Awards . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20191213201613/https://www.proof66.com/whiskey/ardbeg-uigeadail-scotch.html . 13 December 2019 . 2012-10-19.
  19. Web site: Ardbeg Galileo win World's Best Single Malt Whisky Award . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130512011249/http://www.whiskymag.com/awards/wwa/2013/ . 2013-05-12 . 2013-05-10.
  20. Web site: ABCD 367 Osmo Tapio Raihala: Peat, Smoke & Seaweed Storm . alba.fi . 17 May 2018 .

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