Ardbeg

Ardbeg is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery on the south coast of Islay, founded in 1815 and one of the island's oldest working distilleries. Production stopped for over a decade after the site changed hands in the early 1980s, and it was not until Glenmorangie took over in 1997 that the stills started running again in earnest. The distillery has been part of French luxury group LVMH since 2004, though it still runs as a dedicated single site.

Ardbeg draws its water from Loch Uigeadail and uses heavily peated barley, producing a whisky known for its intensity, built around smoke balanced with sweeter notes of vanilla and dark chocolate rather than the maritime, brine forward character found at some neighbouring Islay distilleries. It sits firmly at the peaty end of the single malt spectrum, a style that rewards patient sipping and tends to win over committed whisky drinkers.