Ardbeg Distillery
Ardbeg Distillery
4.5
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- edinmike82Edinburgh, United Kingdom135 contributionsFantastic tourGreat experience on the standard tour. Our tour guide, Rebecca, was knowledgable, friendly and did a great job of managing quite a rowdy group. The tour came with 3 drams which were all delicious and generously poured. Afterwards had a great lunch in the cafe, delicious ciabatta and coffee, reasonably priced. Thanks for a great experience!Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 16 October 2023
- DavidofLasVegasLas Vegas, Nevada53 contributionsGreat tour, food, and guide. A+!Great tour and great guide! I came during off season and hung out at the Cafe. Waited for the tour and really enjoyed it. Guide, I think her name was Rebecca, was attentive and engaged during the tour.Visited January 2024Travelled soloWritten 24 January 2024
- Bill ScurryAmsterdam, The Netherlands391 contributionsSeminal Islay whiskyRebecca led our group through a comprehensive look at one of the finest whiskies on earth, and every step of the process was exhibited to get the best view of how this spirit gets to the bottle. The production floor is state of the art, and the expertise with how they design new expressions is stunning. If you're fortunate the tour will end on the back pier, with a stunning view of Port Ellen harbor.Visited March 2024Travelled soloWritten 17 March 2024
- Cooper O63 contributionsA magical destinationWe had a wonderful time at Ardbeg, where we took a distillery tour, and ate lunch twice in three days. Ron, our tour guide, was exceptional and engaging. The food in the cafe was very good, and the staff all around could not have been nicer. I haven’t even mentioned the whisky yet; perhaps you’re already a fan of Ardbeg if you’re stopping by to visit, but if not you’ll be in for some a treat!Visited March 2024Travelled with familyWritten 19 April 2024
- annetteNewton Le Willows, United Kingdom140 contributionsAn afternoon’s delight!We had a wonderful afternoon at the distillery. Our guide, Emma, was engaging, informative and knowledgeable. We booked the “a timely tasteful tasting” a great experience. It was a delight to be in her company and fun to go into the new ‘smoking pod’ . Food in the Kiln cafe was as enjoyable as ever and the whisky cocktails went down a treat (as well as the tasting drams) We will return. Special thanks too for the member of staff who put my handbag behind the counter having left it there, whoops 😬!! Excellent staff and serviceVisited May 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 3 May 2024
- George P137 contributionsGreat tour. Taste while you tour!Great tour experience. While this was day two on our tour of islay and we had seen a few distilleries by now, they all do things a little different. So seeing the slight variations is good. Being given drama as we walked around rather than all right at the end I think is a great way to taste and tour!Visited May 2024Travelled with friendsWritten 23 May 2024
- HelpfulAngelAtlanta, Georgia1,447 contributionsMy favorite distillery tour - so artistic and quirkyThis was one of my favorite distillery tours. The tour guide was funny and very informative. The tour was interesting, and they gave you a glass to wear around your neck so you could do tastings in between the tour guide's explanations. The whiskies were very tasty and different. The place was very artsy, we found out that Louis Vuitton owns it. It was filled with quirky art and outdoor furniture. Even the bathroom was artsy and quirky! Loved it! I would definitely recommend this distillery.Visited May 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 20 June 2024
- Kristin S8 contributionsCool experience!We had signed up for an hour tasting experience and were suprised it was just the two of us! It was so incredible - the gentleman who led it was so personable and knowledgeable. We were in a private room and the fur covered chairs made me feel like I was in Game of Thrones! The entire place has a very edgy, cool, unique vibe - like its whiskey! We stayed and enjoyed luch outside in the courtyard which was relaxing and the food was excellent!Visited June 2024Travelled with friendsWritten 23 June 2024
- Kiana ELondon, United Kingdom11 contributionsStarting the 3 distillery walk IslayWe booked the Ardberg distillery tour and 3 distillery walk for my Husbands 40th birthday. He is a whisky fan especially the more peaty / smokey ones. We arrived early for our tour and had coffee and breakfast sandwiches from the ardsteam before starting our tour at 10am. Apologises I can't remember the name of our tour guide, however I will say she was brilliant, honest and if she didn't know the answer to a question, she said so and found the answer later. Unlike other distillery tour we have done. Ardberg do the tasting during the tour, which was brilliant. We had our 1st dram on the little jetty that runs parallel to the famous Ardberg sign. It wa such a special way to start the tour. It was interesting to see the old and new stills that Ardberg have on site. We had planned originally to have lunch in the onsite cafe, however this was closed before our visit. This wasn't too much of a inconvenience as food was available from the Ardstream and there was a range of food to choice from. Unfortunately the Scottish weather meant that we had to eat inside. It is worth noting if you are planning to the three distillery (Ardberg, Laphroaig and lagavulin) this is the only one that offers food.Visited August 2024Travelled with friendsWritten 24 August 2024
- Paula4 contributionsAwesome visit.We loved every minute of or tour and warehouse tasting, you guys made my husbands 50th birthday really special. Your staff are all really friendly and helpful. the mural in the restroom is awesome. We can’t wait to come back. Thanks.Visited August 2024Travelled with familyWritten 28 August 2024
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Brucestewart
Livingston, UK10,155 contributions
Jul 2022
I have wanted to visit Islay for many years and in July 2022 it came about. We were on a Harmony Coach Holidays tour to a few distilleries staying at a hotel in Ardrishaig.
The day before we had visited the Glen Scotia distillery in Cambeltown where our guide proved to be the distillery manager who provided our group with a very technical presentation on the way in which whisky is distilled and matured. The presentation at Ardbeg was completely different in that our guide was a young woman who was clearly enthusiastic about the output from her place of employment. After a short tour of some of the distillery she mentioned that she was born in Islay and grew up there. When we reached the tasting room she provided us with a very informative account of the history of whisky production on Islay, at one time there were over 20 distilleries although currently there are only eight, in production with another couple going to be joining the number in coming years.
Our tasting covered 4 whiskies. I was particularly interested in the first 3 we sampled as I had an unopened bottle of all 3 at home at the time. These were first of all the Ten Year Old, then An Oa and finally Uigeadail. It was great to taste them at the same and make a comparison. The 4th whisky was a bottle of 19 year old Traigh Bhan. While really liked the first three I must confess that I didn't like either the smell or taste of the 19th year old. When we went to the distillery shop after the tasting I was stunned to see the price of the Traigh Bhan, over £200 which makes it the dearest whisky I've ever tasted and I didn't like! What I did like however was the sample of Wee Beastie 5 year old I was given in the shop which resulted in mr buying a bottle.
After the tasting we went to the catering van in the courtyard and my wife and I bought a bowl of Cullen Skink each. It was lovely. However it was described as smoked fish chowder. When I queried this we were told that the name change was for visitors from beyond Scotland! OK, I think that I can accept the reasoning for this.
Before leaving we made a visit to the very colourful toilets and then it was into the taxis that had brought us from the ferry terminal for our return journey. I must praise 'Jim' the driver of our taxi. He regailed us with hisexcellent knowledge of the Island as he drove us here and there.
All in all a wonderful experience.
The day before we had visited the Glen Scotia distillery in Cambeltown where our guide proved to be the distillery manager who provided our group with a very technical presentation on the way in which whisky is distilled and matured. The presentation at Ardbeg was completely different in that our guide was a young woman who was clearly enthusiastic about the output from her place of employment. After a short tour of some of the distillery she mentioned that she was born in Islay and grew up there. When we reached the tasting room she provided us with a very informative account of the history of whisky production on Islay, at one time there were over 20 distilleries although currently there are only eight, in production with another couple going to be joining the number in coming years.
Our tasting covered 4 whiskies. I was particularly interested in the first 3 we sampled as I had an unopened bottle of all 3 at home at the time. These were first of all the Ten Year Old, then An Oa and finally Uigeadail. It was great to taste them at the same and make a comparison. The 4th whisky was a bottle of 19 year old Traigh Bhan. While really liked the first three I must confess that I didn't like either the smell or taste of the 19th year old. When we went to the distillery shop after the tasting I was stunned to see the price of the Traigh Bhan, over £200 which makes it the dearest whisky I've ever tasted and I didn't like! What I did like however was the sample of Wee Beastie 5 year old I was given in the shop which resulted in mr buying a bottle.
After the tasting we went to the catering van in the courtyard and my wife and I bought a bowl of Cullen Skink each. It was lovely. However it was described as smoked fish chowder. When I queried this we were told that the name change was for visitors from beyond Scotland! OK, I think that I can accept the reasoning for this.
Before leaving we made a visit to the very colourful toilets and then it was into the taxis that had brought us from the ferry terminal for our return journey. I must praise 'Jim' the driver of our taxi. He regailed us with hisexcellent knowledge of the Island as he drove us here and there.
All in all a wonderful experience.
Written 27 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Francois T
Johannesburg, South Africa1,623 contributions
Jun 2023 • Couples
I am a big fan of Ardbeg whiskies and will continue to drink it but was a bit disappointed with the distillery. We did not do a tour, but in the end glad we did not. Ardbeg is the last distillery on the Three Distillery path from Port Ellen and we walked there. The shop area in the visitor centre was so busy you could hardly move and it took time to find someone to help us do some tasting flights. We also found that they were not really interested to give much information and just want you to pay and drink. It is a beautiful distillery with many photo opportunities and some “funky” rest rooms. It is also very easy to get a bus from Ardbeg to Port Ellen. It is worth a visit but we felt with small changes it could be great. What is a bit sad is that Ardbeg seem to venture away from there traditional whiskies and I hope it is not the start of the decline of a great brand.
Written 22 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Swiss-skier
London, UK76 contributions
Apr 2023 • Friends
The distillery tours were booked up well in advance so we had to make do with a tasting in the bar. The lady in charge was very welcoming and invited us into a very grand looking room, at the back of the bar, decorated with sheepskins and some very nice older bottling of Ardbeg. She was impressed that we had tried to walk to Loch Uigeadail - the source of Ardbeg’s water - the day before. She was very friendly and had time to chat. At the end she would accept payment for the tasting flights that we had ordered.
Written 5 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EmRy
6 contributions
May 2020 • Couples
This may be the best distillery on Islay. It’s certainly my favorite. My partner and I were celebrating our 10 year anniversary, she wanted to see Scotland and I wanted to visit this distillery. I love the rich flavors of Ardbeg’s various expressions. The tour was fantastic, the people who work there are both professional and friendly. The distillery itself is absolutely beautiful. I visited Ardbeg just before the new stills were delivered (we were leaving the island just as the new stills arrived), so it was still technically one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland when I was there.
I know most people are more familiar with Lagavulin and Laphroaig, but Ardbeg is the best distillery among the three to visit. If you only have time for one, visit Ardbeg. And if you can afford it, purchase a bottle of the Twenty Something 22 yr, some of the best whisky I ever tasted. Cheers!
I know most people are more familiar with Lagavulin and Laphroaig, but Ardbeg is the best distillery among the three to visit. If you only have time for one, visit Ardbeg. And if you can afford it, purchase a bottle of the Twenty Something 22 yr, some of the best whisky I ever tasted. Cheers!
Written 23 May 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Frank T
Elmshorn, Germany135 contributions
Sept 2021 • Friends
The core range tasting from Ardbeg today was absolute BS rubbish.
There is no reason to travel for days and days and hundreds of kilometers for a tasting that we can do better at home.
As long as we were at the distillery for a tasting, we would have really appreciated some background information about the history of the distillery how the whisky is made and what is special about it.
What we got instead was a very superficial introduction to each whisky expression, which we can read on the bottle.
Good news is that we did have some water on the table for the cask strength whiskys but the bad news is this was tapwater with a very strong chlorine odour. When our tasting leader was asked why they put chlorine tapwater on the table for a whisky tasting his reply was ‘I would not walk 3 miles to the store to get spring water for a tasting’.
We’ve been trying for the last 2 1/2 years to get back to Islay for a whisky tour and we are very disappointed with Ardbegs core range tasting.
Would we book this again? No. Would we recommend this to our family and friends? No. Would we recommend recommend this to anybody else? No.
Other island distilleries are making a special effort by to take care of their client base. Looks like Ardbeg simply doesn’t care.
There is no reason to travel for days and days and hundreds of kilometers for a tasting that we can do better at home.
As long as we were at the distillery for a tasting, we would have really appreciated some background information about the history of the distillery how the whisky is made and what is special about it.
What we got instead was a very superficial introduction to each whisky expression, which we can read on the bottle.
Good news is that we did have some water on the table for the cask strength whiskys but the bad news is this was tapwater with a very strong chlorine odour. When our tasting leader was asked why they put chlorine tapwater on the table for a whisky tasting his reply was ‘I would not walk 3 miles to the store to get spring water for a tasting’.
We’ve been trying for the last 2 1/2 years to get back to Islay for a whisky tour and we are very disappointed with Ardbegs core range tasting.
Would we book this again? No. Would we recommend this to our family and friends? No. Would we recommend recommend this to anybody else? No.
Other island distilleries are making a special effort by to take care of their client base. Looks like Ardbeg simply doesn’t care.
Written 24 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WinnaDing
Scotland, UK50 contributions
Oct 2021 • Couples
This isn’t an Ardbeg Distillery tour review. We only had food. The Kiln Cafe is being changed or renovated, however they have an Airstream / ARDStream in the courtyard. Good selection of pizzas, salad, hot rolls, soup, paninis and more. Not the same experience as the Kiln Cafe but the food quality was excellent. Friendly service. Highly recommended.
Beautiful setting, even if you don’t take the tour or go to the gift shop.
Beautiful setting, even if you don’t take the tour or go to the gift shop.
Written 16 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Diane J
Fife, UK64 contributions
Jun 2021 • Couples
We walked from Port Ellen and we were really warmly welcomed even though we were only stopping for a drink. They have an outside cafe serving lunch, cakes, coffees and drinks. We enjoyed the local Islay beer sitting in the sunshine. The staff in the shop were really friendly.
We when back for coffee on the Sunday before catching the ferry and they were shut! Such a shame, I am glad they weren’t shut after we walked all that way so worth checking if you are walking
We when back for coffee on the Sunday before catching the ferry and they were shut! Such a shame, I am glad they weren’t shut after we walked all that way so worth checking if you are walking
Written 1 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Geoffmount
Driffield, UK189 contributions
Jun 2022
We were unable to book a tour but decided to try their “weird and wonderful” tasting. We are both Ardbeg fans so we had high expectations. Sadly, only one of the drams was worth drinking. The others were very disappointing, not at all in the mould of Ardbeg.
The outside cafe was the highlight. The food was very good. This made the long walk worthwhile. This was the only distillery that we visited that we chose not to purchase anything at all. Some distilleries offer discounted products. This is one that chose not to.
The outside cafe was the highlight. The food was very good. This made the long walk worthwhile. This was the only distillery that we visited that we chose not to purchase anything at all. Some distilleries offer discounted products. This is one that chose not to.
Written 27 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alex R
12 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
Had a lovely tour with Eva who shared a lot about island life and the history of Ardbeg. The shop is great but dissappointed there weren't any distillery exclusive bottles. Also we had specifically planned to eat at the Old Kiln cafe with out family as we'd heard such great things but when we arrived we were told the cafe didn't have a chef at the moment so there was only pre-made sandiches and soup from the trailer outside. Really disappointing as there wasn't any mention of this from Ardbeg knowing I had booked a tour and I didn't see anything on their website eaither. If we'd known we could have made other arragements but there are very few places to eat in the area so we settled for some sandwiches and roast corn as several of the other hot things were already sold out from the trailer.
Written 18 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
annette
Newton Le Willows, UK140 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
We had a wonderful afternoon at the distillery. Our guide, Emma, was engaging, informative and knowledgeable. We booked the “a timely tasteful tasting” a great experience.
It was a delight to be in her company and fun to go into the new ‘smoking pod’ .
Food in the Kiln cafe was as enjoyable as ever and the whisky cocktails went down a treat (as well as the tasting drams)
We will return. Special thanks too for the member of staff who put my handbag behind the counter having left it there, whoops 😬!! Excellent staff and service
It was a delight to be in her company and fun to go into the new ‘smoking pod’ .
Food in the Kiln cafe was as enjoyable as ever and the whisky cocktails went down a treat (as well as the tasting drams)
We will return. Special thanks too for the member of staff who put my handbag behind the counter having left it there, whoops 😬!! Excellent staff and service
Written 3 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Guide09896793246
Simbach am Inn, Germany
Hello. Can children take part in the tour? Age 11 and 14
Written 23 May 2023
What are the prices like for bottles in the shop compared to online or on the high street?
Are samples available to try (or buy)?
Thanks in advance!
Written 3 September 2018
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