As one of the world’s best loved single malt whiskies, Ardbeg is more than familiar with winning award from critics. Now the LVMH-owned brand has earned itself another accolade. Only this time it’s not for their whisky.
Ardbeg’s boutique hotel on Islay opened less than a year ago and has already earned itself a lofty title, having recently been named as the best place to stay in the UK.
Ardbeg House opened in September last year and topped a list of ’50 Best Places to Stay in the UK in 2026’ published by The Times. Overlooking the picturesque Port Ellen harbour, the guest house is a stunningly transformed Victorian inn designed to be the ideal spot for whisky enthusiasts and intrepid travellers exploring the island.
Each of the hotel’s twelve rooms are individually themed and to describe the decor as bold would be something of an understatement. As The Times put it, Ardbeg House is “a sophisticated boutique bolt hole with 12 bedrooms that display such dazzling maximalism, you’ll be drunk on their design even before you’ve even had a wee dram.”
For example, the ‘Monster’ room is named after the “Islay-gator” and is therefore covered in crocodile-like print. Another room called ‘Smoke’ is a homage to peat, with a headboard crafted to represent peat stacks and wispy smoke details in the bathroom.
The Islay Bar at Ardbeg House is a must-visit. With hundreds of whiskies on offer and a dram list that features many highlights from Ardbeg’s incredible archive, it will be the highlight of any whisky fanatic’s trip. The prices are also said to be more reasonable than you might expect, which is a bonus for any traveller!
Unsurprisingly the decor doesn’t hold back in the Islay Bar either, with the deep green marble counter evoking Ardbeg’s legendary green bottles.
Each booking also includes a complementary tour of the distillery, and if you’re still in the mood for a dram and are partial to a game of hide-and-seek there’s a hidden mini bottle of Ardbeg in every room.
In summary, The Times said Ardbeg more than earned it’s place at the top of the list because it is “a bit off-the-wall, nothing like anywhere else we visited for our list”.
Ardbeg House wasn’t the only whisky themed hotel to make the list though.
Over on the Isle of Raasay, the accommodation at the island’s eponymous distillery also earned high marks. Both the main Victorian villa - Borodale House - and the five new cabins at Raasay Distillery scored 9/10 overall, impressing with their stunning location, rustic charm, and excellent food and service.
