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Ardbeg
distillery reveals plans to double
production with the addition of two more
stiills.
Ardbeg distillery on Islay has
unveiled plans to double
production of their popular peaty single
malt whisky. Ardbeg owners, The
Glenmorangie Company, who bought the
distillery back in 1997 and brought it
back into production have submitted
plans to the local council for a multi
million pound project which will involve
the construction of a new still house
which will allow them to double the
number of stills from two to four, hence
doubling the production capacity of the
iconic peaty Islay single malt.
Subject to planning approval from the
Argyll & Bute Council, the distillery
aims to start work this year, for
completion in 2019. They plan to
construct the new still house which will
be constructed on the site which was
once occupied by several warehouses
which were demolished around 1980. The
current still house will be transformed
to house the increase in the number of
washbacks which will be required to meet
the increase in distillation capacity.
Preparation work for the expansion is
already steaming ahead with the
construction of a new Boiler Room, which
will see it moving away from the
distillery but Ardbeg fans needn't worry
the iconic white distillery buildings
which sit so close to the waters edge
are going nowhere.
Even with this planned expansion, Ardbeg
will still remain one of the smallest
distilleries on its remote Scottish
island home of Islay. But hopefully with
more whisky being laid down to mature in
the Ardbeg warehouses in the future
there will be enough stock to let a
significant amount of Ardbeg mature
longer and perhaps we could see the
addition of an older age statement
whisky to the core range, perhaps even
the return of the Ardbeg 17 year old,
here's hoping.
Marc Hoellinger, President and CEO of
The Glenmorangie Company, commented on
the news, saying: "We are delighted by
Ardbeg’s success since 1997 – and by the
growing passion for our whisky from fans
around the world. Ardbeg has been
distilled on Islay since 1815 and, with
a new still house, we will pave the way
for future generations of smoky malt
whisky lovers to discover The Ultimate
Islay Malt."
 The distillery will be welcoming
visitors as usual during the
construction period and if you can't make
it over to Islay don't worry you can
find the current Ardbeg whisky range available
from specialist whisky retailers such as
Master of Malt
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