Ardbeg Uigeadail

Named after the distillery’s water source, Ardbeg Uigeadail is a masterful blend of sweetness, spice, and profound smokiness. The peat-rich waters of Loch Uigeadail contribute to its signature smoky character, while maturation in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks imparts layers of rich, warming flavour—ideal for savouring on a dramatic, stormy evening. At the heart of Uigeadail’s distinct profile lies a unique vatting technique that harmoniously unites the deep, smoky intensity of American oak ex-bourbon casks with the opulent, raisin-like richness derived from ex-Oloroso sherry casks. This careful balance is key to the whisky’s celebrated complexity and depth.

Ardbeg Distillery

Ardbeg distillery is located in Islay's south coast and produces a world-famous heavily peated single malt. It was built in 1815 and had facilities for its workers and their families. It operated without incidents until the 1920's. During that decade, most distilleries in Scotland were having a difficult time keeping operational and profitable.

In 1959 the distillery was acquired by the mighty DCL and Hiram Walker from Canada. Up until then it was, like many other distilleries, self-sufficient. The distillery experienced a boom in production in the 1960's and early 1970's as blenders and the general public demanded more and more peated whisky.

Eventually, the distillery had to source barley from the nearby Port Ellen maltings. Hard core fans of Ardbeg saw this as the end of an era. The days of Ardbeg's self-sufficiency were gone. In the early eighties, the distillery decomissioned its maltings for good.

While blends were declining in popularity in the late 1970's, the distillery produced an unpeated whisky: Kidalton. The distillery closed down in 1981 and remained closed until 1989. After a brief period of operations, the distillery closed down again and there were talks about demolishing it in 1996. Luckily, the Glenmorangie distillery stepped in and paid £7 million for the facilities and what was left of the stock.

The distillery released a 17 year old for a few years and then a ten year old was added to the portfolio. These days the distillery has various releases without an age statement, some of them consist of only old stocks while others are blends of old and young stocks.