About Ardbeg
(AHRD-beg) Located on the South East of Islay, Ardbeg has been producing powerful, complex, heavily peated whiskies since 1815. The site was previously favoured by smugglers during the eighteenth century.
Ardbeg single malt is rich, powerful and oily, with masses of smoke and a characteristic sweetness. The combination of rich sooty/tarry smoke and a sweet, citric core, gives the whisky a unique balance of flavour. These pungent, intensely flavoured whiskies are admired by lovers of smoky whisky the world over.
Ardbeg has been called “as close to perfection as makes no difference,” by whisky connoisseurs. Proof then, that Ardbeg truly deserves its incredible reputation. It’s a whisky that’s worshipped around the world. Six different Ardbeg expressions have won prestigious titles including World Whisky of the Year, Scotch Whisky of the Year and World’s Best Single Malt.
Ardbeg uses the most phenolic malt in the business (i.e. the smokiest). The malt is peated to a level of 50ppm. There have been no floor maltings at Ardbeg since 1981 so all the malt that is used in production hails from the maltings in the village of Port Ellen.
- The name "Ardbeg" comes from the Gaelic Àrd Beag, meaning "Little Height."
- The distillery was mothballed in the 1980s and revived in 1997.
