The single malt whisky brand will be investing millions of pounds into the Islay Hotel in Port Ellen, just a few miles from its distillery on Islay's south coast. Already a popular spot for whisky tourists, the hotel boasts 13 bedrooms and a popular restaurant and bar.
Ardbeg aims to complete the sale and take ownership of the hotel on 31 October 2022. It has stated its plan to re-develop the hotel into a "whisky and hospitality experience", but has not yet divulged details of what this will entail.
It is the latest in a series of investments Ardbeg has made on its island home, including the construction of a new still house, the enhancement of its own visitor experience, with additions such as a new tasting lab, the Ardstream trailer offering refreshments to visitors, and a super-sized mural of its canine mascot Shorty. It is also supporting an ongoing project to build a new community hub in Port Ellen, and has pledged to donate £1 million to Islay causes from the sale of its oldest-ever whisky, the 1975 Cask No. 3, which broke records at auction earlier this year.
Ardbeg's president and CEO, Thomas Moradpour, said: “Ardbeg has been rooted on Islay for over 200 years. And since we plan to be distilling on the island for at least 200 more, we are excited to invest even further in our homeland, by purchasing the Islay Hotel and creating a world-class whisky and hospitality experience. We look forward to welcoming whisky fans from Islay and around the globe.”
The hotel purchase was announced on the same day that Ardbeg unveiled its newest committee-exclusive whisky release, Hypernova, an evolution of the popular Supernova series.
With phenol levels in excess of 170ppm, Ardbeg's director of distilling and whisky creation Dr Bill Lumsden called Hypernova "without a doubt the smokiest Ardbeg ever". Ardbeg Hypernova (RRP GB£190) will be available on the Ardbeg website and in Embassies from October 2022.
Find out more about the Ardbeg Committee at www.ardbeg.com/committee-page.