Ardbeg

Infobox Scottish Distillery
Name = Ardbeg
Type = Islay


Image size = 250
Caption =
Location =
Owner = Glenmorangie plc
Founded = 1815
Status = Operational
Source = Loch Uigeadail
Mothballed =
Stills = 1 wash
1 spirit
Capacity = 950,000 litres
Brand 1 = Ardbeg
Type 1 =
Age 1 = 10-year-old
17-year-old
Uigeadail (cask strength)
Airigh Nam Beist
Lord of the Isles (25-year-old)
Cask 1 = Bourbon
ABV 1 =

Ardbeg Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery on the south coast of the isle of Islay, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, in the Inner Hebrides group of islands.

Other distilleries on the south coast include Laphroaig and Lagavulin. Ardbeg claims to be the peatiest Islay whisky [cite web| url=http://www.ardbeg.com/home.asp | title=Ardbeg web site | accessdate=2008-06-09] , and uses malted barley sourced from the (Diageo owned) maltings in Port Ellen. Distillery manager was Mr. Stuart Thomson from 1997 to 2006. On March 12th 2007, Michael "Mickey" Heads, the former manager at Jura took over the reins from Stuart Thomson. Ardbeg is renowned for its peaty, smoky style. Despite a pungent nose, formidable flavors, and high alcohol content, Ardbeg is surprisingly smooth on the palate, with a warm lingering finish.

History

. The Ardbeg Committee was established in 1945 to "promote the advancement of general knowledge and enjoyment of Ardbeg" (Quote: Rules and Regulations, page 4). All Ardbeg-aficionados can join this Committee on Ardbeg's website (see below). Special bottlings can sometimes be obtained by members of this committee. It is not possible to have these special bottlings shipped to the US or Canada.

Bottlings

Ardbeg often bottles its whiskies at a higher alcohol by volume (abv) than the minimum 40%. Many bottlings are also non-chill filtered. Both measures contribute to produce a full-flavoured whisky.Fact|date=April 2008

There are several official bottlings, major ones are:
*Very Young Ardbeg - Committee Approved, 58.3% ABV. First sold in 2003 as a 6-year-old, to give Ardbeg-lovers the chance to taste the first whisky produced since the reopening in 1997.
*Still Young Ardbeg - 58.3% ABV, bottled as an 8 year old and released in 2006.
*Almost There Ardbeg - 54.1% ABV, the third release in the series. Released in 2007 as a 9-year-old.
*Ardbeg Renaissance - 55.9% ABV, a limited release of the final 10 year old Ardbeg. Distilled in 1998, released to the public in June 2008.
*Ardbeg 10 Year Old, 46% ABV
*Ardbeg 17 Year Old, 40% ABV
*Ardbeg Uigeadail, 54.2% ABV (cask strength), named after the loch that provides the distillery with water. Pronounced "oog-a-dal".
*Ardbeg 25 Year Old, "Lord of the Isles", 46% ABV
*Serendipity, 40% ABV, an unintentional vatting of old Ardbeg with 12-year-old Glen Moray.
*Airigh Nam Beist, 46% ABV, 16 years old, based entirely on 1990 stock. It means "shelter of the beast".

Independent bottlings are also available.

Awards

Jim Murray's "Whisky Bible 2008" awarded the 10 year old expression the title of 2008 World Whisky of the Year and Scotch Single Malt of the Year. [cite web| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7100733.stm | title=Island whisky wins top accolade | accessdate=2007-11-18]

Miscellaneous

Ardbeg inspired the Finnish composer of contemporary music, Osmo Tapio Räihälä to write the symphonic poem "Ardbeg - The Ultimate Piece For Orchestra" (2003). The piece was awarded in the 1st International Uuno Klami composition competition in 2004.

In the 2005 film "Constantine" starring Keanu Reeves, the title character John Constantine (Reeves) is seen drinking Ardbeg in his apartment while talking to Detective Dodson (Rachel Weisz).

ee also

* Whisky
* Islay whisky
* Scotch whisky
* List of distilleries in Scotland

References

External links

* [http://www.ardbeg.com/ Ardbeg official website]
* [http://www.ardbegwhisky.co.uk/ Informative Ardbeg whisky distillery web site]