Ardbeg, Islay

Ardbeg
Ardbeg and the distillery
Ardbeg
Location within Argyll and Bute
OS grid referenceNR415464
Civil parish
  • Kildalton and Oa
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townISLE OF ISLAY
Postcode districtPA42
Dialling code01496
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

Ardbeg (Scottish Gaelic: An Àird Bheag, lit.'the little promontory'[1]) is a small settlement on southern coast of the island of Islay, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, off the west coast of Scotland. It is around 3 miles (5 kilometres) east of Port Ellen and 1 mile (1.5 kilometres) northeast of Lagavulin at the eastern terminus of the A846 road.

Ardbeg is the site of the Ardbeg distillery (Scottish Gaelic: Taigh-staile na h-Àirde Bige) which was established in 1815 and produces malt whisky. The village grew up around the distillery[2] and by 1900 was home to over 40 distillery workers[3][4] and had a village school with over 100 pupils.[3] By the end of the 1920s the decline in the village was "noticeable".[5]

The name Ardbeg is an anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic An Àird Bheag, meaning The Small Promontory.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Ardbeg". www.ainmean-aite.scot. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  2. ^ Wilson.N (2003) Ardbeg in The Island Whisky Trail pp.32-43, Colour Books Ltd. (available online), retrieved 2015-10-20.
  3. ^ a b Wilson.N op. cit. p.34
  4. ^ History, Ardbeg project. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  5. ^ Wilson.N op. cit. p.38