Ardbeg

Quietly laid on the southern tip of Islay is this charming sight of a distillery. While approaching from Port Ellen, look out for one of the most beautiful sights on the shoreline of the island and there lies one of the most loved whisky distilleries in all of Scotland.

The distillery was established far back in 1815 by John McDougall and a handful of local farmers. McDougall was a distiller and believed strongly in traditional methods of whiskey making, a process the distillery still favours to this day.

Ardbeg Distillery is one of the most decorated in terms of awards on international spirits drinks and also having several positive mentions by Jim Murray in his ‘Whisky Bible’ records.

Ardbeg Distillery had gone through terrible periods in the past which saw it mothballed in the early 1980s (it stopped operation in 1981 and was irregular till 1996). However, Glenmorangie PLC deserves the accolades for bringing back our beloved distillery to the light. Visitors are welcomed to the ‘Old Kiln Café’ where they can enjoy a dram and also ‘Old Kiln Shop’ where they can purchase bottles of the company’s whisky.

Travelling to Ardbeg Distillery

If you’re coming by car ferry, you will have to travel Kennacraig all the way to Port Ellen or Port Askaig that opens up to Islay. The car ferry service is run by the Caledonian MacBrayne and the time between these destinations is about 2 hours.  The ferry runs three trips all day. If you want coach services, you can get one from Glasgow and stop at Kennacraig.

If you’re coming by air, you can use Flybe. It is a 30-minute flight from Glasgow to the Islay and covers two trips daily. The journey means you’d fly above the ‘Mull of Kintyre’ and Kildalton Distillery before your plane lands just by the side of the beach.