Ardbeg
Encyclopedia
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. The distillery claims to produce the peatiest Islay whisky
and uses malted barley sourced from the maltings in Port Ellen
. It is one of the fastest growing Islay distilleries.
The Ardbeg distillery was founded in 1815. For most of its history, Ardbeg's whisky
was produced for use in blends, rather than as a single malt. Production was halted in 1981, but resumed on a limited basis in 1989 and continued at a low level through late 1996, during the period when Ardbeg was owned by Hiram Walker. The distillery was bought and reopened in 1997 by Glenmorangie
plc (owned by the French company LVMH
) with production resuming on June 25, 1997 and full production resuming 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 Jura who had worked at Ardbeg years earlier, took over on March 12, 2007.
Ardbeg whisky is considered to be amongst the peatiest in the world, with the core expression, Ardbeg 10 Year Old, having a phenol content of 24ppm.
There are several official bottlings. Major ones include:
Independent bottlings are also available but are considerably rarer than similar bottlings from other distilleries.
Ardbeg often bottles its whisky at a higher alcohol by volume (abv) than the minimum 40%, and many bottlings are not chill filtered. Both of these measures are thought to yield a more full-flavoured whisky. The process of lowering the alcohol content at bottling can dilute the flavour, and while chill filtration
gives the whisky a clearer appearance at lower temperatures by removing fatty acids, proteins and esters that can cluster together, the loss of these compounds can also result in a loss of flavour; in particular the esters can contribute a fruit-like fragrance.
competitions. For example:
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. An audio recording of this piece will be made on 28 April 2011, and will be offered for sale at some later date.
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
).
In the BBC series Spooks
, the character Harry Pearce
is seen on a number of occasions to be drinking Ardbeg.
Scotch whisky
Scotch whisky is whisky made in Scotland.Scotch whisky is divided into five distinct categories: Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Single Grain Scotch Whisky, Blended Malt Scotch Whisky , Blended Grain Scotch Whisky, and Blended Scotch Whisky.All Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three...
distillery on the south coast of the isle of Islay
Islay
-Prehistory:The earliest settlers on Islay were nomadic hunter-gatherers who arrived during the Mesolithic period after the retreat of the Pleistocene ice caps. In 1993 a flint arrowhead was found in a field near Bridgend dating from 10,800 BC, the earliest evidence of a human presence found so far...
, Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute is both one of 32 unitary council areas; and a Lieutenancy area in Scotland. The administrative centre for the council area is located in Lochgilphead.Argyll and Bute covers the second largest administrative area of any Scottish council...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, in the Inner Hebrides
Inner Hebrides
The Inner Hebrides is an archipelago off the west coast of Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which enjoy a mild oceanic climate. There are 36 inhabited islands and a further 43 uninhabited Inner Hebrides with an area greater than...
group of islands. The distillery claims to produce the peatiest Islay whisky
Islay whisky
Islay whisky is Scotch whisky made on Islay or Ìle in Gaelic, the southernmost of the Inner Hebridean Islands located off the west coast of Scotland. There are eight active distilleries on the island, as of early 2008, with a ninth being made ready for production...
and uses malted barley sourced from the maltings in Port Ellen
Port Ellen
Port Ellen is a small town on the island of Islay, in Argyll, Scotland.Port Ellen is named after the wife of the founder, Frederick Campbell of Islay. Its previous name, Leòdamas, is derived from old Norse meaning "Leòd's Harbour"....
. It is one of the fastest growing Islay distilleries.
History
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
was produced for use in blends, rather than as a single malt. Production was halted in 1981, but resumed on a limited basis in 1989 and continued at a low level through late 1996, during the period when Ardbeg was owned by Hiram Walker. The distillery was bought and reopened in 1997 by Glenmorangie
Glenmorangie
Glenmorangie is a distillery in Tain, Ross-shire, Scotland that produces single malt Scotch whisky. The distillery is owned by The Glenmorangie Company Ltd, whose main product is the range of Glenmorangie single malt whisky. Glenmorangie is categorised as a Highland distillery and boasts the...
plc (owned by the French company LVMH
LVMH
LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton S.A., better known as LVMH, is a French multinational luxury goods conglomerate headquartered in Paris, Île-de-France, France. The company was formed after the 1987 merger of fashion house Louis Vuitton with Moët Hennessy, a company formed after the 1971 merger...
) with production resuming on June 25, 1997 and full production resuming 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 Jura who had worked at Ardbeg years earlier, took over on March 12, 2007.
Committee
The Ardbeg Committee was established in 1999 to "promote the advancement of general knowledge and enjoyment of Ardbeg". Ardbeg-aficionados can join the Committee on Ardbeg's website. Special bottlings can sometimes be obtained by members of the committee. It is not possible to have these special bottlings shipped to the US or Canada.Bottlings
There are several official bottlings. Major ones include:
- 10 Year Old, 46% ABV, the main whisky in the range.
- Airigh Nam Beist, 46% ABV, distilled in 1990, the name means "shelter of the beast".
- Blasda, 40% ABV, a "lightly peated" expression of Ardbeg that only has 8ppm phenol count.
- Corryvreckan, 57.1% ABV, previously a Committee-only bottling, it is intended as a replacement for Airigh Nam Beist in the core range.
- Supernova, 58.9% ABV, pretty much the exact opposite of the Blasda in that it is "heavily peated" to over 100 ppm phenol count.
- Uigeadail, 54.2% ABV, named after the lochLochLoch is the Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for a lake or a sea inlet. It has been anglicised as lough, although this is pronounced the same way as loch. Some lochs could also be called a firth, fjord, estuary, strait or bay...
that provides the distillery with water, pronounced oog-a-dal. - Rollercoaster, 57.3% ABV, a vatting of the first ten production years (1997–2006) of Ardbeg under Glenmorangie's ownership. The name comes from the shape of the bar chart plotting the amounts of whisky from each of those years, which resembles a rollercoaster. Rollercoaster commemorates the 10th anniversary of the Ardbeg Committee's formation.
- Alligator, 51.2% ABV, non chill-filtered single malt is aged in new, severely charred American white oak barrels.
Independent bottlings are also available but are considerably rarer than similar bottlings from other distilleries.
Ardbeg often bottles its whisky at a higher alcohol by volume (abv) than the minimum 40%, and many bottlings are not chill filtered. Both of these measures are thought to yield a more full-flavoured whisky. The process of lowering the alcohol content at bottling can dilute the flavour, and while chill filtration
Chill filtering
Chill filtering is a method in whisky making for removing residue. In chill filtering, whisky is cooled to between -10 and 4 degrees Celsius and passed through a fine adsorption filter...
gives the whisky a clearer appearance at lower temperatures by removing fatty acids, proteins and esters that can cluster together, the loss of these compounds can also result in a loss of flavour; in particular the esters can contribute a fruit-like fragrance.
Awards
Ardbeg's offerings have garnered an array of awards at international spirit ratingsSpirit ratings
With a growing number of microdistilleries and an expanding number of offerings from large corporate entities, a number of institutions have arisen to provide professional evaluations of individual spirits...
competitions. For example:
- Jim Murray'sJim Murray (writer)Jim Murray is an English writer and journalist. He is best known for his observations on whisky and his annually updated book on the subject, Jim Murray's Whisky Bible.-Life:Murray was born in Merstham, Surrey...
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. The 10-year also won a series of medals at the 2006-2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, winning two gold and three silver medals over that five-year stretch.
- Jim Murray'sJim Murray (writer)Jim Murray is an English writer and journalist. He is best known for his observations on whisky and his annually updated book on the subject, Jim Murray's Whisky Bible.-Life:Murray was born in Merstham, Surrey...
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 a double gold, two gold, and two silver medals between 2006 and 2010.
Miscellaneous
Ardbeg inspired the FinnishFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
composer of contemporary music, Osmo Tapio Räihälä
Osmo Tapio Räihälä
Osmo Tapio Everton Räihälä is a Finnish composer of contemporary music. He has mainly written instrumental music for various chamber music line-ups, fourconcertos as well as for symphony orchestra...
, to write the symphonic poem
Symphonic poem
A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music in a single continuous section in which the content of a poem, a story or novel, a painting, a landscape or another source is illustrated or evoked. The term was first applied by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt to his 13 works in this vein...
Ardbeg—The Ultimate Piece For Orchestra (2003). The piece was awarded in the 1st International Uuno Klami
Uuno Klami
Uuno Klami was a Finnish composer. He was born in Virolahti. Many of his works are related to the Kalevala. He was also influenced by French music, in particularly by Maurice Ravel and the group Les Six...
composition competition in 2004. An audio recording of this piece will be made on 28 April 2011, and will be offered for sale at some later date.
In the 2005 film Constantine
Constantine (film)
Constantine is a 2005 American action horror film directed by Francis Lawrence as his directorial debut, starring Keanu Reeves as John Constantine, with Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton, and Djimon Hounsou...
starring Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix...
, the title character John Constantine
John Constantine
John Constantine is a fictional character, an occult detective anti-hero in comic books published by DC Comics, mostly under the Vertigo imprint. The character first appeared in Swamp Thing #37 , and was created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, John Totleben and Rick Veitch...
(Reeves) is seen drinking Ardbeg in his apartment while talking to Detective Dodson (Rachel Weisz
Rachel Weisz
Rachel Hannah Weisz born 7 March 1970)is an English-American film and theatre actress and former fashion model. She started her acting career at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where she co-founded the theatrical group Cambridge Talking Tongues...
).
In the BBC series Spooks
Spooks
Spooks is a British television drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 – 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a...
, the character Harry Pearce
Harry Pearce
Sir Henry James "Harry" Pearce KBE is the fictional head of the Counter-Terrorism department of MI5, featured in the British television series, Spooks...
is seen on a number of occasions to be drinking Ardbeg.