The signature restaurant at Ardbeg House.
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On the Scottish Isle of Islay, where there’s smoke, there’s likely a glass of Ardbeg nearby.
“Ardbeg is the smokiest, the most peaty of all the whiskies in the world,” says Casper MacRae, chief executive officer of The Glenmorangie Company, which owns Ardbeg and is part of Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. “But the flavor is also sweet and very delicious. And that combination of surprisingly delicious as well as incredibly smoky, we call that the ‘peaty paradox.’”
This September, the brand is debuting Ardbeg House, a boutique hotel that invites visitors to visit Ardbeg’s home in Scotland and immerse themselves in the whisky’s “peaty-paradox” world. In Gaelic, “Ardbeg” translates to “the little headland.” “It was always the distillery that was at the end of the road,” MacRae says of Ardbeg’s location in the harbor town of Port Ellen. “On a clear day, you can look out and see Ireland from our distillery window.”
The brand is giving fans and curious travelers a new reason to make the journey. In 2022, the town’s longtime local Islay Hotel was put up for sale, and the brand saw an opportunity to further its investment in the local community, while speaking to international thirst for experiential travel. “Because we’ve been around for 200 years — and I hope we’re around for 200 more years — we don’t mind making long-term decisions,” MacRae says. The hotel concept was supported by the popularity of sister property Glenmorangie House in the Highlands, a Michelin Key hotel. “It’s really an opportunity for people to immerse themselves in what is effectively a piece of art, but to do it with warmth, generosity, fun and incredible food — and amazing whisky as well.”
MacRae compares the Ardbeg’s “dramatic” history to a “phoenix rising from ashes.” The distillery began official operations in 1815 — predated by illicit operations — and grew to become one of Scotland’s largest distilleries. But then smokey whiskies fell out of fashion. The Ardbeg distillery closed in 1981, and again in 1991, until the company was purchased and revitalized by Glenmorangie in 1997. Now, the brand has built a dedicated community of fans, a paid membership club known as the Ardbeg Committee.
The announcement of Ardbeg House has been met with “intense curiosity,” MacRae says. “Because Ardbeg itself is a polarizing whisky, there’s no doubt that part of what makes Ardbeg so iconic amongst whisky fans is that there is no other whisky like it.”
While Glenmorangie is a crowd-pleaser, Ardbeg isn’t meant for everybody. “It’s an intense flavor experience,” says MacRae, adding that distinctiveness guided their aesthetic approach to Ardbeg House. The team enlisted interior design firm Russell Sage Studios to create an environment that would mirror the experience of drinking Ardbeg. “ So something that is incredibly rich, bold, totally unique, pushes a little bit in terms of what people’s expectations are,” MacRae says. “Certainly something that’s very different from what they’ve experienced before.” All of the hotel furnishings are bespoke, with artwork and textural decor created by local Scottish artists, including a copper sculpture that was created from an Ardbeg distillation still.
There are 12 guest rooms and suites, each unique and rooted in a specific story inspired by Ardbeg whisky or the hotel’s geographic location. “For example, the ‘Rebel Suite’ is inspired by the great rebellious history of Islay and the Islay communities when it was part of the Lords of the Isles. There’s a great history of piracy and viking blood in these islands,” MacRae says. Other rooms include the “Wee Beastie,” “Fèis” and “Founder,” which pays homage to Islay’s Celtic history.
The “Invention” room at Ardbeg House.
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Smoke is the through-line for the hotel’s onsite food and beverage programs. The Islay Bar marks the continuation of a longtime community haunt, closed for several years, and the hotel’s courtyard will feature a handcrafted smoker and barbecue created by the a distillery engineer. The signature sit-down restaurant will be centered around a “Fire Table,” tapping into Ardbeg’s defining characteristic.
And, of course, the historic Ardbeg distillery is just a short drive away. Each guest stay includes a tour and invitation to be one of the distillery’s 25,000 annual visitors, and an exclusive bottling will be available only at the hotel and visitor center. “We will always have our heartbeat at the distillery,” MacRae says.
As Ardbeg House opens its doors, the property reflects an ongoing shift in consumer spending toward experiences rooted in memory-creation and stories.
“ What people always say to me when they come visit us in Scotland is the thing that lasts longest in their memory is the hospitality, and the generosity of spirit, of the people of Scotland,” MacRae says. “And consequently, what we love about whisky is that it is part of the DNA of that generosity,” he adds. “When we’re offering people whisky, what we also want to offer them is that experience of what it feels like to be part of the Scottish community and the distillery community. And we’re really passionate about creating those experiences for people.”