Scotland, Isle of Islay. Distillery operational. Owner: LVMH - Diageo

Founded in 1815 by McDougall & Co. in the south-east of Islay, near the Kildalton Cross, Ardbeg's malt was for a long time overshadowed by its neighbours and competitors Lagavulin and Laphroaig.It was under the patronage of the McDonald family (Glenmorangie Plc), who bought the distillery in 1997, that it was able to develop its potential and introduce the public to the treasures sleeping in its vaults. Between September and November 1997, no less than three bottlings - two of which would become great classics - were released on the market, the Ardbeg 17 Year Old, Ardbeg 1978 and Ardbeg Provenance 1974. The following decade was rich in single cask, cask strength bottlings matured in sherry and bourbon casks, each more impressive than the next. And it was dressed in a new green bottle with confident Celtic-Gothic aesthetics that Ardbeg flooded the market for fans of malts dominated by aromas of smoke, peat and tiger balm.

An Ardbeg distilled in 1977 and bottled between 2001 and 2004. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ardbeg bottled many vintages as single casks (from 1999) and small batches. These 1970s vintages reflect a crucial period in Ardbeg’’s evolution, from the start of the modernization begun in the 1960s to its completion in the late 1970s. As the distillery spent most of the 1980s closed, when Glenmorangie bought Ardbeg in 1997, there was not enough young stock to release a 10 year old, leading to the release of a 17 year old and these old vintages.