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Ardbeg Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, Scotland PA42 7EB
Tel: +44 (0)1496 302244 / Fax: +44 (0)1496 302040
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Reputedly once the hideout of a gang of smugglers, there was a family of MacDougalls at Ardbeg since 1798, one of whom started a legal distillery in 1815. The family retained its interest in the distillery until 1977, when it was sold to Hiram Walker. Allied Distillers bought it in 1989 and sold to the present owners, Glenmorangie, in 1997.

Ardbeg Distillery's white-washed walls can be found nestling in a rocky cove on Islay's southern tip. In 2004, the Distillery was voted Visitor Attraction of the Year by readers of Whisky Magazine.

Remember to join the Ardbeg Committee, formed by thousands of Scotch whisky lovers worldwide to ensure the doors of Ardbeg never close again!

Ardbeg 10 Year Old
Single Malt Scotch

Ardbeg Uigeadail Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Color: Amber with pale gold highlights.

Nose: Big-bodied, dark and pungent, good, solid peat character and an underlay of rich lemon zest citrus, dry, but with a hint of sweetness, round with a delicate note of iodine.

Flavor: Full-bodied, earthily, smokily peaty and rich with touches of coffee/chocolate and tarry rope/creosote.

Finish:- Long, tangy and quite pungent, the citrus notes reprise, together with dark chocolate and a little seaweed.

Ardbeg Uigeadail
Single Malt Scotch

Ardbeg Uigeadail Single Malt Scotch Whisky

A fine drop of Ardbeg bottled at cask strength. A marriage of Ardbeg from bourbon barrel and sherry butt which gives a sweet and smoky finish to this malt. Uigeadail is the loch from which all Ardbeg water flows.

Nose: Sweet yet pungently smoky: lime marmalade and peat fires on the beach, malt, cocoa powder, salted herring.

Palate: Rich, concentrated and powerful. Sooty with light tarry/liquorice touches. The lime returns. Great presence but subtle in its own way.

Finish: Long. Biscuity malt.

 

Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist
Single Malt Scotch 

Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist

There is a dark place on Islay, high above the Ardbeg Distillery, called Airigh Nam Beist (pronounced `arry-nam-bayst`) which in Gaelic means `shelter of the beast`. No more fitting name could have been bestowed on such an eerie place; this is where - legend has it - something other-worldly lurks, lying in wait. So what measures can be taken to protect local and visitor alike? If you find yourself straying this way, then pray equip yourself with that traditionally reliable antidote to sheer terror - the stiff drink. A travelling man could ask for no better protection than a hip flask full of the strong stuff, namely Ardbeg`s Airigh Nam Beist. For it`s truly a wee beastie of a dram - waiting to be released!

Ardbeg 1994 Connoisseurs Choice Single Malt Scotch

Buy Ardbeg 1994 Connoisseurs Choice Single Malt Scotch Whisky Here!  Photo Courtesy of Gordon & MacPhail

Appearance: Amber gold with ruby highlights.

Taste: Good sherried body with fruity aromas.

Nose: Very soft and rounded with fruity notes (red apple).

Finish: Warming, powerful with some smoky notes and a gentle pepperiness.

 

Ardbeg 1990 Connoisseurs Choice Single Malt Scotch

Buy Ardbeg 1990 Connoisseurs Choice Here!  Photo Courtesy of Gordon & MacPhail

Colour: Straw Yellow

Undiluted / Nose: Creamy with medicinal notes and some malt aromas.

Palate: Peaty - birch wood and earthy flavours, some salty (driftwood) elements, turning ashy.

With water / Nose: Medicinal notes followed by sweet toffee and a bonfire smokiness.

Palate: Salty (sea tangle and driftwood), medicinal notes with some peaty flavours and hints of spices.

Body: Full.

Finish: Slightly medicinal with peaty notes.

Cask Type: First Fill and Refill Sherry Casks.

Whisky Style: A powerful whisky - full of smoke, spices and a distinct salty edge.

~Tasting Notes by Gordon & MacPhail

Ardbeg 1976 Connoisseurs Choice Single Malt Scotch  

Buy Ardbeg 1976 Connoiseurs Choice Single Malt Scotch Whisky Here!

Colour: Rich gold.

Nose: Wood smoke with a sweet medicinal note. Sherry hint in the background.

Body: Full uncompromising but beautifully balanced.

Palate: Smokiness again, smoked ham/bacon. Spicy elements - mustard seeds. Sherry wood starts to emerge.

Finish: Ash, with subtle medicinal hint.

Cask Type: First Fill and Refill Sherry Casks.

Whisky Style: One of the most powerful whiskies available - full of smoke and rich spices. An after dinner malt to be savoured.

~Tasting Notes by Gordon & MacPhail

 

 

Ardbeg 1979 Connoisseurs Choice Single Malt Scotch

Ardbeg 1979 Connoiseurs Choice

Colour: Pale straw.

Without water: Nose: Sweet vanilla, with a smoky edge. Medicinal but very subtle.

Palate: TCP/medicinal notes develop, smooth smokiness,
coating, oily

With water: Nose: Burnt oak, morning after smouldering bonfire smoke,
vanilla (custard) and some fruity notes.

Palate: Coating, honey, sweet toffee, smoked ham.

Body: Complex and challenging.

Finish: Long and very, very smooth.

Cask Type: Refill Bourbon Barrels. Whisky Style: Strong Islay character, mellowed by the years in the cask.

~Tasting Notes by Gordon & MacPhail

 

Ardbeg Awards 2008

Ardbeg Ten Year Old was awarded World Whisky of 2008 and Single Malt Scotch of 2008 ~ Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2008

Both Ardbeg Uigeadail and the Beist achieved Double Gold awards at the San Fran World Spirits Competition 2008.

Ardbeg Distillery Tours

Established: 1815

Visitor Opening Times

September - May
Open Monday to Friday, 10am - 4pm.

June - August
Open 7 days a week, 10am - 5pm.

Pre-booking for tours is advisable. Please note that the Distillery closes during the Christmas holiday period.

Getting There
From Port Ellen take the Ardbeg road, past Laphroaig and Lagavulin and turn down when you see Ardbeg's silhouette below you to the right.

Parking / Reception: Plenty of parking opposite reception. Follow the signs and once inside make your way to the Old Kiln Cafe and shop, where the tour starts. The welcome is warm and friendly and you can pass the time before your tour with tea (or coffee) and scones.

Maximium Group Size: 15

Cost: £2.00. Redeemable in the shop on any purchase over £15.

Group Bookings: Pre-booking advisable for large groups - it is possible to arrange tours outside of set times.

Enquiries: Tel: 01496 302244

Photography in Distillery: Yes

Disabled Access: No facilities - not recommended for the disabled.

Foreign Visitors: Ardbeg - The Jewel of Islay, a history of Ardbeg is available in French, German, Spanish and Italian at £5.


Comments on this Whisky                                                      page 1 of 1
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Romano De Bertolli
Posted 3 days ago
Four seasons in one dram. The most challenging and changeable islay peat treat, this malt rewards repeatedly and robustly, moving through a spectrum of unpredictable moments.
Joanne Bergstrom, Editor
Posted 225 days ago
Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist - lots of smoke, robust, has a spicy, long finish.
sfwriter777
Posted 230 days ago
The 10 year is classic smokey peet.
Michael
Posted 230 days ago
Ardbeg has to be one of my favorite whiskies. Goes well with a fine Cuban.