Ardbeg Distillery was founded in 1815, by John MacDougall, before being bought by a Glasgow spirits merchant, Thomas Buchanan, in 1838, for a mere £1,800 - MacDougall's son Alexander continued to manage operations at the distillery however.
In 1853, with the passing of Alexander, Ardbeg Distillery was co-run by Colin Hay and MacDougall's sisters, Margaret and Flora, whom many claim to be
Scotland's first female distillers. Under their stewardship, output from the distillery surpassed 1.1million litres per year in 1887, making it the most productive distillery on Islay.
In 1981 the distillery closed, until it was aquired by Allied Lyons in 1987, satisfying demand for Ardbeg from blenders. The distillery closed again in 1991, but was again re-opened in 1997 as it was purchased by the Glenmorangie Company (today owned by Louis Vutton Möet Hennessy).
Success followed again for Ardbeg in 1998, with the opening of a visitor centre and Old Kiln Cafe, attracting 3,500 visitors at the time. Since then numerous accolades have been awarded to the distillery and in 2015 Ardbeg toasted its bicentenary.Show more