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The long whitewashed Ardbeg warehouse, its name in black letters, above the rocks of the shore.
Isle of Islay

Ardbeg Distillery

The peated malt distillery at the end of the road from Port Ellen on Islay's south coast, making whisky since 1815.

Welcome

Ardbeg has made whisky on Islay's south coast since 1815, at the end of the road from Port Ellen, which winds past Laphroaig and Lagavulin.

Stand on the distillery pier and you take in the sea breeze and the peaty aroma together.

The visitor centre has a shop, drams, DIY tastings and cocktails, and it opens Monday to Friday through the winter and every day from May to September. The Classic Distillery Tour with three core range drams starts from £22.50 and takes an hour and a quarter. Tours and guided tastings are booked ahead, though the drop-in tasting flights, from £20, need no booking. Dogs on a short lead are welcome in the shop, but not on tours, in the tasting areas or in the Old Kiln Café. You can eat at the Old Kiln Café or at the Ardstream trailer.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
Not farCaol Ila DistilleryThe distillery on the Sound of Islay near Port Askaig, the Islay Home of Johnnie Walker, with tours from £21 and views to Jura.15 milesSee itCaol Ila Distillery
Before you go

The visitor centre is open every day in summer and Monday to Friday in winter, and tours are booked ahead.

Where
Ardbeg Distillery, Port Ellen, Isle of Islay PA42 7EA.
Open
Visitor centre 9.30am to 5pm: seven days a week from May to September, Monday to Friday from October to April (the 2026 dates; the summer 2027 hours are due in early 2027). Closed from 22 December 2026 to 4 January 2027, reopening on 5 January.
Price
The Classic Distillery Tour with drams from £22.50 and the Warehouse 3 Tasting from £65 (ardbeg.com, read 21 October 2026). Drop-in tasting flights start from £20, with no booking needed.
Booking
Tours and guided tastings are booked online in advance, and the tour pages say booking is essential. The drop-in tasting flights need no booking. The last tour before Christmas runs on 18 December 2026, with tours restarting on 11 January 2027.
Dogs
Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the shop on a short lead. They are not allowed on tours, in the tasting areas or in the Old Kiln Café.
Access
The visitor centre is fully accessible. Some tours and tastings may be trickier to get around because of the old distillery buildings, so contact the distillery to check details.
Food
The Old Kiln Café and the Ardstream trailer serve meals, snacks and hot and cold drinks.
Getting there
The 450/451 bus runs between Port Askaig, Port Ellen and Ardbeg, Monday to Saturday. CalMac sails from Kennacraig to Port Askaig while Port Ellen is closed for upgrades (from 2 June 2026, expected to reopen in 2029), and Loganair flies from Glasgow to Islay Airport.

Opening hours

Monday
9.30am–5pm
Tuesday
9.30am–5pm
Wednesday
9.30am–5pm
Thursday
9.30am–5pm
Friday
9.30am–5pm
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed

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Where it is

Ardbeg Distillery, Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, PA42 7EA, at the end of the road east from Port Ellen on the south coast.

Close byEast of Port Ellen.
  1. The white front of Lagavulin with its name on the wall and the red chimney behind.Lagavulin DistilleryThe distillery of 1816 on Lagavulin Bay, near the ruins of Dunyvaig Castle, making deeply peated malt.Under a mile 2 min by road
  2. The broken tower of Dunyvaig Castle on its rocky point, the sea grey beyond.Dunyvaig CastleThe ruined sea fortress of the Lords of the Isles on a rocky point in Lagavulin Bay.Under a mile 2 min by road
  3. Laphroaig's white warehouses with the name in black across the bay, waves on the stony shore.Laphroaig DistilleryA distillery on Islay's south coast near Port Ellen, founded in 1815, with its own malting floors and peat kilns.2 miles 4 min by road
  4. Port EllenPort EllenA village of white and pastel cottages on Islay's south coast, founded in 1821, with three famous distilleries along the road east.4 miles 6 min by road
  5. Isle of Islay (pronounced Eye-la)Isle of Islay (pronounced Eye-la)The most southerly of the Hebrides, known for its whisky, its beaches and Finlaggan, seat of the Lords of the Isles.4 miles 6 min by road
  6. Kildalton CrossKildalton CrossA ring-headed high cross of the 700s, still standing where it was raised, in a chapel yard in south-east Islay.4 miles 11 min by road
Directions
Carraig Fhada lighthouse on its rocky point under a dark sky.AttractionsCarraig Fhada Lighthouse5.9 miles
The Singing Sands, a curve of pale sand below a brown headland, waves washing in.AttractionsThe Singing Sands5.9 miles
The crown and the words THE SHOP on the red telephone box.ShoppingShop in the Box6.8 miles
Surf breaking on dark rocks at Laggan Bay, the dunes and white farmhouses beyond.AttractionsLaggan Bay7.3 miles
Soldier's Rock rising from white surf below the dark cliffs of the Oa.AttractionsSoldier's Rock7.3 miles
A dark headland and a rocky cove at the Mull of Oa, the sea bright beyond.AttractionsMull of Oa10 miles
The American Monument on its cliff top at the Mull of Oa, the sea breaking on the rocks below.AttractionsAmerican Monument10 miles

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