Ardbeg Whisky: From Peat to Perfection

The smoky spirit of Scotland has a long and proud history, and the whisky produced at Ardbeg is no exception. The distillery sits on the shore of the island’s second-largest lagoon, Loch Uigeadail, where it draws water for its operations. Ardbeg’s history goes back to 1815 when it was built by Alexander Edward as part of his estate on the southern end of Islay. It wasn’t until more than 100 years later that John P Mackenzie began working with Ardbeg after purchasing it from Edward’s great grandson in 1934 — though he didn’t begin producing whisky until 1946! Since then, Ardbeg has been producing some of the world’s most unique single malt whiskies — but what makes them so special?

The smoky spirit of Scotland

Smoky whisky is unique to Scotland, and it’s made in the same way as other whisky, but with a higher proportion of malted barley smoked over peat fires. The peat smoke gives smoky whiskies their distinct flavor and aroma.

Peat is a type of vegetation that grows in bogs. It’s been used for thousands of years as fuel for fires–and because it burns hot and slow with little flame, it can produce great heat without burning out quickly like wood does.

Where is Ardbeg Whisky?

Ardbeg is located on the Isle of Islay, off the west coast of Scotland. It’s part of the Inner Hebrides archipelago, which is part of the Argyll and Bute council area. The distillery sits in Ardbeg Bay and is surrounded by rolling hills and lush greenery; its location makes it one of only two distilleries (the other being Laphroaig) that can claim to be “land-locked.”

Ardbeg Whisky has been making waves over recent years with its wildly successful releases such as Corryvreckan (which won Whisky Magazine’s Best Single Malt Scotch under 10 Years Old award in 2010), Uigeadail (which was named Best Single Malt Scotch for 2013/2014 by Jim Murray)

The first batches at Ardbeg

Ardbeg was founded in 1815, but it wasn’t until 1846 that distilling began at this Islay whisky distillery. The first batch of whisky was produced in 1849 and sold as “Ardbeg” for the first time in 1850. The name comes from the Gaelic word for sandy bay or beach: “ard” means high and “beg” means little or small–so you can see how they got their name!

The distillery sits on Islay’s south shoreline near Port Ellen, where it benefits from natural cooling caused by Atlantic winds blowing over land towards the sea. There are no rivers nearby; instead, Ardbeg draws its water supply from artesian wells drilled deep into bedrock beneath the island’s surface (which also provides an excellent source of peat).

Why is the whisky so smoky?

One of the most common questions asked by new Ardbeg drinkers is “why is it so smoky?” The answer lies in the peat used to dry the barley. In order to create a distinctive flavor, Ardbeg uses only Scottish peat and burns it at low temperatures to release its natural oils. This process creates a unique product that can’t be replicated anywhere else in the world.

Other distilleries use peat as well; however, they use different kinds of fuel or different methods for drying their barley (or both). For example, many producers choose coal over wood for heat generation purposes because coal produces less smoke than wood does–and therefore produces less smoky flavors in their whiskies as well.

Is there a difference between the different ages of malt whisky?

As with everything in life, there are a lot of factors that play into what makes a whisky taste like it does. The age of the whisky is not the only factor that determines its flavour; there are many other things to consider when trying to determine whether or not you’ll enjoy a particular dram. For example:

• The cask in which your whisky was matured has an enormous impact on how it will taste. In fact, some distilleries only use one type of cask for all their whiskies!
• The type and condition of wood used for each cask also affects how much flavor gets infused into each batch before bottling. Some barrels might be used over and over again for decades at a time (and therefore impart more “woody” characteristics), while others may be charred differently depending on whether they were made from American oak or European oak trees (which have slightly different chemical makeup). This means that even if both bottles contain exactly same amount of liquid inside them at purchase time–and even though both were bottled during same year–they could still end up tasting quite different once opened because each one would have had very different experiences during aging process due to these factors alone!

Drifting away from the norm

Ardbeg is an island distillery, located on the southern coast of Islay. Its history dates back to 1815 when John McDougall founded it with help from his son Charles. The name “Ardbeg” comes from the nearby village where it is located: Ardbeg translates as “high slope” in Gaelic; it’s believed that this refers to how close this area was to sea level compared with other parts of the island.

Ardbeg’s story can be told in many ways, but one thing is certain — they make some of the world’s most unique and exciting single malt whiskies.

The story of Ardbeg can be told in many ways, but one thing is certain — they make some of the world’s most unique and exciting single malt whiskies.

Ardbeg started out as a farm distillery in 1815, making whisky from barley grown on its land. When John Campbell took over ownership in 1846, he expanded production by building a second distillery next door and expanding both sites into their current layouts. Today, Ardbeg produces about 1 million liters (264,000 gallons) annually — roughly half as much as Glenmorangie or Laphroaig — but still has plenty of room for growth if demand increases further.

Conclusion

Ardbeg Whisky online available is a unique and special whisky. It’s smoky, spicy and full of flavor, but it’s also something that you can drink even if you’re not normally a fan of single malt Scotch. If you have never tried an Ardbeg before then now is the time to do so!