Ardbeg (Ардбег)

Single malt Ardbeg is an elite scotch, only a small part of the product ends up on store shelves. The rest is sorted into collections or offered only to members of The Ardbeg Committee organized in 1999. But viewers could see Keanu Reeves’ character in Constantine drinking Ardbeg while talking to the detective. Yes, and the hero of Peter Firth in the movie “Ghosts” now and then flashes in the frame with a bottle of Ardbeg.

Features. You don’t have to be an expert to recognize Ardbeg, it’s a very “smoked” scotch. A rich peaty aroma is typical for all drinks from the Isle of Islay, but Ardbeg is the undisputed leader – intensive fumigation of malt with peat has led to a record concentration of phenolic compounds. The level of phenols is 50 ppm (from the English parts per million – 50 parts per million), which is twice as high as other island drinks.

Historical information

The history of Ardbeg is closely intertwined with the history of Islay, an island in the southwest of Scotland with a rich smuggling past and a special role in the tax war between the British and the Scots in the late 20th and early XNUMXth centuries. Then on the island with three thousand inhabitants there were more than XNUMX distilleries, the products were usually exported under the cover of night – they were supplied to lovers of strong drinks illegally.

So, on the site of the modern Ardbeg distillery, there was once an illegal factory hidden among the coastal rocks. History has not preserved the name of the first owner, it is only known that the English tax authorities closed it with a scandal, but 15 years later, in 1815, the dilapidated areas were bought out.

John McDougall, who appreciated the convenient location of the distillery, acquired a license and rebuilt the building. Despite the proximity of two powerful distilleries Lagavulin and Laphroaig, John MacDougal’s small enterprise quickly got on its feet and settled in its niche. The owners did not intend to expand the range, they did not sell spirits for blends and did not recognize blends at all. Only single malt and only Ardbeg. (By that time, the distillery already had a name, having borrowed it from a village nearby).

Over the course of a century and a half, McDougly’s possessions stopped the production of scotch tape several times for 5,10, 20 and even 23 years. The reasons were different – wars, the global crisis, internal Scottish-English conflicts. During this time, out of 4 distilleries on Islay, only XNUMX remained, the rest were abandoned, destroyed or reformatted into auxiliary enterprises.

In 1996, the owners of Ardbeg decided to leave the island for good. The distillery was sold to Glenmorangie, which already owned several distilleries on the island and well-known brands of single malt and blended scotch far beyond Britain.

The new owners immediately updated the equipment, increased the staff and launched an active Ardbeg PR campaign, thanks to which this adhesive tape was known to the world. And not only did they find out – since then, not a year has passed that one of the Ardbeg drinks has not been awarded or noted at numerous exhibitions, competitions and whiskey festivals.

Interesting Facts

1. For the production of Ardbeg whiskey, soft water from the Uigeadail source is used, and malt is purchased from one of the so-called “lost” distilleries of the island – Port Ellen, which no longer produces its own drinks, but offers raw materials for manufacturing.
2. The strength of the alcohol obtained after double distillation is 70,5%, but before bottling the alcohol is diluted, lowering the strength to 63.5%.
3. The Ardbeg distillery produces about a million liters of alcohol a year, and 24 barrels are stored in the company’s five stocked warehouses.
4. Ardbeg Scotch is matured in bourbon barrels, and 98% of the time it’s Jack Daniels. Only a small part of the spirits is aged in Spanish sherry casks.
5. The combination of colors in the design of the label is symbolic: dark brown denotes the same “smoky” flavor of the drink, and cream – the creamy flavor of most Ardbeg varieties.
6. The golden nodal ornamentation of the letter “A” in the brand name on the label is taken from the richly illustrated manuscript of the Book of Kells, created by Irish monks. In turn, the monks redrawn the ornament from the Kildaton cross installed in the XNUMXth century near the Ardbeg distillery.

Space Adventure Ardbeg

In October 2011, the company joined the NanoRacks LLC experiment to study the effect of gravity on organic compounds. Ardbeg representatives had to establish how the lack of gravity affects the process of interaction of whiskey with wood and the maturation of the drink. On October 30, the Progress spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome with 0,5 liters of alcohol on board. In the container, in addition to alcohol, there were particles of burnt oak. After 3 days, alcohol was delivered to the International Space Station.

The first anniversary of the experiment is marked by the release of a limited batch of 50 thousand bottles of scotch, named after the “father of astronomy” Galileo Galilei – Ardbeg Galileo. This is a drink of rich golden color, with a twelve-year aging in bourbon barrels and Marsala Sicilian dessert wine and a strength of 49%. The taste of Scotch tape is multifaceted, with a predominance of shades of apricot and peat smoke, a long aftertaste with a smoky aftertaste. The aroma is thick, smoky, with notes of espresso and fruit.

But despite the awards that the scotch received in 2013 – according to the World Whiskeys Awards, it became the best whiskey of the year and the best scotch of Islay Island, this variety was received coolly by fans of the brand. And Jim Murray in his Whiskey Bible gave it only 86 points.

The spacecraft landed on September 12, 2014. The alcohol, which had been in space for 1045 days, was handed over for comparison with alcohols in the terrestrial warehouse to the head of research, Dr. Bill Lumsden. And in honor of the successful completion of the trip, the company released a special release for club members – Ardbeg Supernova 2014 scotch tape with a strength of 55%, which went on sale on the day the ship landed.

Types of whiskey Ardbeg

Ardbeg TEN

The basic scotch tape of the brand, reflecting the main character traits of Ardbeg. The strength of the drink is 46%, aged in Jack Daniels barrels for 10 years. The aroma is complex, smoky, with notes of lime and chocolate. If you add a little water, fresh “marine” notes appear. The taste is rich, peaty, with hints of bananas, currants and coffee. Long aftertaste with hints of coffee and roasted almonds.

Awards:

• 2008 Whiskey of the Year by Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible.
• year 2013. Silver medal from International Wine & Spirit Competition and San-Francisco World Spirits Competition, gold medal from The Spirits Business.
• year 2014. Silver medal from International Wine & Spirit Competition and World Whiskeys Awards, gold medal from Jim Murray Whiskey Bible.

Ardbeg Uigeadail

The scotch is made from a mixture of spirits of different ages, so the label does not indicate the aging period, the strength is 54,2%. The color of the drink is rich, amber, with golden reflections. The aroma is thick, the main accents are smoldering coals and leather, there are notes of chocolate, raisins, and currants. If you add a little water, you can smell notes of iris and walnut. The taste is bright, multifaceted, with hints of spices, honey and smoke. Long aftertaste with a hint of raisins and nuts.

Awards:

• year 2009. Whiskey of the Year by Jim Murray.
• year 2013. Silver medal from International Wine & Spirit Competition, gold from The Spirits Business and San-Francisco World Spirits Competition.
• year 2014. Silver medal from the World Whiskeys Awards, gold medal from the International Wine & Spirit Competition.

Ardbeg Corryvreckan

Named after the whirlpool in northern Islay, the whiskey is a blend of spirits of different ages aged in bourbon casks. The strength of the drink is 57%. This is a rich amber-colored tape with a heady aroma of resins, pine needles, chocolate and currants. When adding a small amount of water, notes of vanilla and cloves are felt. The taste is bright, intense, with hints of coffee, blackcurrant and roasted almonds. Long aftertaste with hints of coffee and chocolate.

Awards:

• year 2013. The title of “Master” from The Scotch Whiskey Masters, a silver medal from the International Wine & Spirit Competition, a gold medal from the San-Francisco World Spirits Competition.
• year 2014. Silver medal from International Wine & Spirit Competition, gold medal from Whiskey Bible.

For members only

The number of varieties offered to club members varies annually. Most Popular:

• Ardbeg Dark Cove. Limited edition 2016 released for the annual Ardbeg Day celebration. “Dark Bay” (as the name is translated) – a symbol of smuggling times, but at the same time a characteristic of color, this is the darkest whiskey of all Ardbeg varieties. Fortress – 55%.
• Ardbeg Perpetuum. Scotch with the name “Eternal Flame” was released for the 200th anniversary of the distillery and is a mixture of spirits of different ages. The strength of the drink is 47,4%.
• Ardbeg Auriverdes. Scotch tape from a limited edition, produced for the football championship, which was held in Brazil, the name reflects the colors of the Brazilian flag – gold and green. Fortress – 49, 9%.

Among the Scotches there is Ardbeg Kildalton, named after the ancient Kildathon Cross installed near the Ardbeg distillery, and the original, light, virtually devoid of the powerful phenolic character of Ardbeg Blasda.