In the summer of 2025, iconic Islay brand Ardbeg are due to open a hotel on the island called Ardbeg House.
Ardbeg’s owners LVMH purchased The Islay Hotel in Port Ellen in 2022, which they will close for renovations this summer. The new hotel promises to be “an epic establishment celebrating the best of Islay and Ardbeg”.
Plans currently include eleven bedrooms and suites, each with their own unique decor designed to celebrate the history of Ardbeg and the legends of Islay itself. Expect the interiors to be as quirky and eye-catching as their annual special releases (though we don’t know yet if Room 10 will be a classic, understated favourite, much like Ardbeg’s legendary Ten Year Old).
Additionally there will be a ground floor restaurant that showcases the finest Islay cuisine. There are also plans to reopen The Islay Bar, the original hotel’s beloved but closed whisky bar. Both the bar and restaurant are expected to be open to non-residents.
Most intriguing of all is the news of a subterranean whisky cave. Exclusive to guests and members of the Ardbeg Committee, the cave will offer “Ardbeggian artefacts and all manner of phenolic phenomena”. It’s all teasingly vague but it will no doubt prove popular with Ardbeg’s hardcore fans.
Unsurprisingly, there are also plans to release a special edition whisky exclusive to the hotel.
Ardbeg aren’t the only brand to expand into the hotel business. Last year Chivas opened their Victorian guesthouse, Linn House, to the public for the first time in a bid to capitalise on the demand for whisky tourist. Beyond Scotch, Brewdog - everyone’s favourite (?) beer punks (???) - have opened several hotels throughout the UK.
Those wishing to be kept up to date with news regarding Ardbeg House can subscribe to Ardbeg’s newsletter, and anyone already keen to visit can register their interest online.