Editing Ardbeg distillery

{{Short description|Scotch whisky distillery on Islay, Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox Scottish Distillery
| Name        = Ardbeg distillery
| Type        = Islay
| Image       = Ardbeg across bay - Canthusus.JPG
| Image size  = 250
| Caption     = 
| Location    = 
| Owner       = [[LVMH]] 
| Founded     = 1815
| Status      = Operational
| Source      = Loch Uigeadail
| Mothballed  = 
| Stills      = 1 wash (18,000 L)<br />1 spirit (17,000 L)<ref name="whisky1">{{cite web|url=http://www.whisky.com/whisky-database/distilleries/details/fdb/Distilleries/Details//ardbeg.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129040928/http://www.whisky.com/whisky-database/distilleries/details/fdb/Distilleries/Details//ardbeg.html|archive-date=2014-11-29|title=Ardbeg|date=29 November 2014|access-date=17 May 2018}}</ref>
| Capacity    = 1,250,000 litres
| Brand 1     = Ardbeg
| Type 1      = [[Single malt Scotch|Single Malt]] [[Scotch Whisky]]
| Age 1       = 10 Years
| Cask 1      = [[Bourbon whiskey|Bourbon]], [[Sherry]]
| ABV 1       = 
|image=Ardbeg Distillery, Islay - geograph.org.uk - 4150964.jpg}}'''Ardbeg distillery''' ([[Scottish Gaelic]]: ''Taigh-staile na h-Àirde Bige'') is an [[Islay single malts|Islay single malt]] [[Scotch whisky]] distillery in [[Ardbeg, Islay|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 [[LVMH|Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy]], and produces a heavily [[Peat#Scotland|peated]] [[Islay whisky]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ardbeg.com/home|title=Ardbeg web site|access-date=2008-06-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090830092823/http://www.ardbeg.com/home|archive-date=2009-08-30|url-status = dead}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Arthur">{{cite book|isbn=978-9057642364|title=The single malt companion|first=Helen |last=Arthur |publisher=Libero|year=2002|orig-year=1997|translator=Lisbeth Machielsen|language=nl|page=58}}</ref> Like most Scottish distilleries, for most of its history its whisky was produced for use in [[blended whisky]], rather than as a [[Single malt Scotch|single malt]]. By 1886 the distillery was producing 300,000 gallons of whisky per year, and employed 60 workers.<ref name="Arthur" />

Hiram Walker took full control of Ardbeg distillery in 1979. Production was halted in 1981, but resumed on a limited basis in 1989 and continued at a low level until late 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.masterofmalt.com/distilleries/ardbeg-whisky-distillery/|title=Hiram Walker era (under Historical Facts)|website=www.masterofmalt.com|language=en-GB|access-date=27 April 2018}}</ref> 

In 1997, the distillery was bought and reopened by [[Glenmorangie]] plc (which was subsequently acquired by the French company [[LVMH]] on 28 December 2004).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theglenmorangiecompany.com/about-us/history/|title=History — The Glenmorangie Company|website=www.theglenmorangiecompany.com|access-date=17 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714225913/http://www.theglenmorangiecompany.com/about-us/history/|archive-date=14 July 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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 [[Isle of Jura whisky|Jura]] who had worked at Ardbeg years earlier, took over on 12 March 2007. Colin Gordon has followed in his footsteps in August 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ardbeg - Colin Gordon tritt Nachfolge von Mickey Heads an {{!}} Der Whisky-Botschafter - Passion und Tradition |url=https://www.whiskybotschafter.com/news/details/ardbeg-colin-gordon-tritt-nachfolge-von-mickey-heads-an |access-date=10 July 2022 |website=www.whiskybotschafter.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=22 August 2020 |title=Colin Gordon wird neuer Distillery Manager von Ardbeg • CaptainScotch.de |url=https://captainscotch.de/news/colin-gordon-ardbeg-distillery-manager/ |access-date=10 July 2022 |website=CaptainScotch.de |language=de-DE}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Tom |last=Ambrose |date=9 July 2022 |title=Cask of scotch whisky bought for record £16m in private sale |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jul/09/cask-scotch-whisky-world-record-sale-ardbeg-distillery |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=25 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=8 July 2022 |title=Cask of rare Scotch whisky smashes world record with £16mn sale |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/10ff54be-e215-409e-ae4b-71e885ec03a8 |url-access=limited |access-date=10 July 2022}}</ref>

==Production==
The distillery output is quite large for a distillery with only two [[pot still]]s. The wash still has a capacity of about 18,000 litres, and the spirit still a capacity of about 17,000 litres.<ref name="whisky1" /> This produces approximately 10,000 barrels (1.4 million liters) of spirit per year.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Amanda|title=Ardbeg Distillery {{!}} The Untamed Spirit {{!}} Wandering Spirits Global|url=https://www.wanderingspiritsglobal.com/ardbeg-distillery/|access-date=2021-03-08|website=www.wanderingspiritsglobal.com/|date=10 March 2019 |language=en-GB}}</ref> The distillery employs about sixty people and also provides them with accommodation on site.<ref name="Barnard2013">{{cite book|first=Alfred |last=Barnard |title=The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7XB0AQAAQBAJ&pg=PT207|date=14 July 2013|publisher=Aaron Barker Publishing|isbn=978-0-615-85028-3|page=207}}</ref> Since 2018, a new still house is under construction, which will double Ardbeg's distilling capacity.<ref name="Gallagher2018">
{{cite news
| last         = Gallagher
| first        = Rosemary
| date         = 19 February 2018
| title        = New still house for Ardbeg as it seals multi-million pound investment to fund big expansion
| url          = https://www.insider.co.uk/news/ardbeg-glenmorangie-company-islay-expansion-12050572
| work         = insider.co.uk
| access-date  = 19 February 2018
}}
</ref>

In 2011, 20 vials of Ardbeg spirit and wood particles were sent to the [[International Space Station]] to investigate their interaction.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nanoracks.com/nr009-ardbeg-terpene-extraction/|title=Ardbeg Terpene Extraction - Commercial ISS Research - NanoRacks|website=nanoracks.com|access-date=17 May 2018|archive-date=18 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518055714/http://nanoracks.com/nr009-ardbeg-terpene-extraction/|url-status=dead}}</ref> They returned on 12 September 2014.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-29174389 Ardbeg 'space whisky' back on Earth after flavour experiment] ''BBC', 12 September 2014.''</ref>

==Products==
[[File:Ardbeg Corryvreckan.jpg|thumb|right|Ardbeg Corryvreckan, named after a [[Gulf of Corryvreckan|whirlpool]] situated to the South of Islay, has a particularly peated flavour.<ref>[https://www.ardbeg.com/en-gb/whisky/ultimate-range/corryvreckan Ardbeg Corryvreckan], Ardbeg.com official site. Accessed on 21 April 2020.</ref>]]
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. {{cn|date=October 2023}}The core range of Ardbeg consists of the Ardbeg TEN, Wee Beastie, An Oa, 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.{{cn|date=October 2023}} 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 250 bottles.<ref>{{Cite web |last=patrick_buettgen |date=2024-06-06 |title=Ardbeg The Abyss hebt Ur-Corryvreckan aus der Tiefe |url=https://captainscotch.de/news/ardbeg-abyss-tradd-moore-launch/ |access-date=2024-06-06 |website=CaptainScotch.de |language=de-DE}}</ref>

==Awards==
Ardbeg has won various awards at international [[spirit ratings]] competitions. For example:
*The Connor from Love on the Spectrum for the finest whisky in the world*
*[[Jim Murray (whisky writer)|Jim Murray's]] ''Whisky Bible 2008'' awarded the Ten Years Old expression the title of 2008 World Whisky of the Year and Scotch [[Single malt Scotch|Single Malt]] of the Year.<ref>{{cite news |date=November 18, 2007 |title=Island whisky wins top accolade |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7100733.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071120142642/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7100733.stm |archive-date=20 November 2007 <!--DASHBot--> |access-date=2007-11-18 |work=BBC News}}</ref>  The Ten Years Old also won a series of medals at the 2006-2012 [[San Francisco World Spirits Competition]], winning two gold and six silver medals over that stretch.<ref>{{cite web |title=Proof66.com Summary of Ardbeg 10-Year Awards |url=http://www.proof66.com/whiskey/ardbeg-10yr-scotch.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213201620/https://www.proof66.com/whiskey/ardbeg-10yr-scotch.html |archive-date=13 December 2019 |access-date=2012-10-19}}</ref>
*[[Jim Murray (whisky writer)|Jim Murray's]] ''Whisky Bible 2009'' and ''Whisky Bible 2010''  awarded the Uigeadail expression the title of 2009 and 2010 World Whisky of the Year and Scotch Single Malt of the Year.  The San Francisco World Spirits Competition awarded the Uigeadail two double gold, three gold, and two silver medals between 2006 and 2012.<ref>{{cite web |title=Proof66.com Summary of Ardbeg Uigeadail Awards |url=http://www.proof66.com/whiskey/ardbeg-uigeadail-scotch.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213201613/https://www.proof66.com/whiskey/ardbeg-uigeadail-scotch.html |archive-date=13 December 2019 |access-date=2012-10-19}}</ref>
*Ardbeg Galileo won the World's Best Single Malt Whisky in the 2013 [[World Whiskies Awards]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Ardbeg Galileo win World's Best Single Malt Whisky Award |url=http://www.whiskymag.com/awards/wwa/2013/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512011249/http://www.whiskymag.com/awards/wwa/2013/ |archive-date=2013-05-12 |access-date=2013-05-10}}</ref>

==Cultural references==
Ardbeg inspired the [[Finland|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alba.fi/en/shop/products/5109 |title=ABCD 367 Osmo Tapio Raihala: Peat, Smoke & Seaweed Storm |publisher=alba.fi |access-date=17 May 2018 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of whisky distilleries in Scotland]]
* [[List of historic whisky distilleries]]

==References==

===Notes===
{{reflist|2}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book|last=Jefford|first=Andrew|title=Peat Smoke and Spirit: A Portrait of Islay and its Whiskies|year=2004|publisher=Headline|location=London|isbn=978-0747227359 }}
*{{cite news|last=Lacey|first=Stephen|title=What type of whisky fan are you?|url=http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/top-drop/what-type-of-whisky-fan-are-you-20140529-3975x.html|access-date=31 May 2014|newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=29 May 2014}}
*{{cite book|last1=Smith|first1=Gavin D.|last2=Wallace|first2=Graeme|title=Ardbeg: A Peaty Provenance|year=2008|publisher=GW Publishing|location=Thatcham|isbn=978-0955414565}}
*{{cite book|last=Wilson|first=Neil|title=Ardbeg: The Jewel of Islay|year=2000|publisher=Angels' Share|location=Glasgow|isbn=978-1903238080}} 
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ardbeg distillery}}
* [http://www.ardbeg.com/ Ardbeg official website]

{{Scottish whisky distilleries}}
{{Islay}}
{{LVMH}}
{{Coord|55|38|26|N|06|06|31|W|dim:50_scale:500_region:GB-SCT_type:landmark|display=title}}
{{Portal bar|Scotland}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Distilleries in Scotland]]
[[Category:Whisky distilleries in Islay]]
[[Category:Scottish malt whisky]]
[[Category:1815 establishments in Scotland]]
[[Category:LVMH brands]]