FÈIS ÌLE AT ARDBEG - 26th MAY TO 3rd JUNE 2023
PLANET ARDBEG DAY 2023
3RD JUNE 2023 10AM – 5.00PM
RISE OF THE HEAVY VAPOURS
Distilling Ardbeg without the purifier? What a crazy thought…!
This year we’re celebrating the wonderful world of Planet Ardbeg – and we’ll be transporting whisky lovers into a completely new dimension of Ardbeg, inspired by the distillery’s recent delve into the world of graphic novels.
Who doesn’t like a bit of time travel after all?
The story so far… the purifier on the spirit still – responsible for Ardbeg’s exalted balance – is missing. Heavy Vapours are on the rise. This year’s Planet Ardbeg Day pays homage to the graphic novel universe, and we invite you to come as your favourite ARDBEG hero or mythical creature. Think CASKMAN, the PEATY PARADOX, AGENT 46 and the QUANTUM DISTILLER – be inspired by the Planet Ardbeg comics and our Heavy Vapours graphic novella. Or feel free to look in the back of the wardrobe and revive past Ardbeg Day attire.
From puzzles and balancing games, delicious food, great music from our live band - The City of Desires - and a live press conference, to activities inspired by the next instalment in our Planet Ardbeg series and 2023 festival botting, Heavy Vapours, it’s shaping up to be a fantastic day.
Entry £10 on the door – includes two dram tokens, a Smokie token, glass and free time travel*
At 10am it’s time to start the festivities, and an interplanetary time awaits you! We’ll have tours, tastings, games, music, puzzles, great food and, of course, some surprises along the way. Available all day, all over the Ardbeg site:
TOURS: Time to travel through the years at the distillery. Tours available throughout the day.
VISIT: The Heat Exchanger Bar
UNLOCK: The Missing purifier codes/riddles
LEARN HOW: Comic workshops
SNAP: The Planet Ardbeg Photo Booth
SET SAIL: On a fast RIB trip with Gus and his crew from the Ardbeg pier (cash payments only)
TAKE A CHANCE: In the Old Filling Store Lockers
SAVOUR: Scozzese Pizzas, Islay Ales and the ARDstream trailer
GET SMOKY WITH: Iain Spink and his hot smokin’ Arbroath Smokies…
*disclaimer – time travel may not actually be available.
OPERATION SMOKESCREEN – CALLING ARDBEG COMMITTEE MEMBERS!
10am – 11am
FREE
A top-secret and highly scientific experiment is due to take place in a hidden corner of Ardbeg Distillery on Planet Ardbeg Day, and we need the keenest Committee noses to attend.
Strictly on the QT and only for bone fide Committee Members, Operation Smokescreen is a rare chance to try never-before-tasted Ardbeg. This hush-hush mission will be led by TJ and GM. Lab coats, safety goggles and undisclosed whisky samples will be provided. Total secrecy will be expected.
Places for this free event are limited and will be picked at random.
To register your interest in Operation Smokescreen please click HERE.
We’ll let you know by email whether you have been selected. If selected, you must report to the lab at 9:45am ready for a briefing at 10am. Experiment concludes 11am allowing you to enjoy the rest of your day at the Distillery.
Note: This event is being filmed and attending is consenting to be on camera. Content will be used for future marketing material. Warning: this event will have smoke effects.
BUT IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT ARDBEG DAY, WE’VE ALSO GOT LOADS GOING ON THROUGH THE WEEK TOO…
We’ll be open every day of the Festival, from 26 May – 3rd June
We’re taking bookings for our special Feis Ile tours and events from 5pm (UK time) on Wednesday 17th May 2023
On Wednesday please call us on either + 44 (0) 1496 300201 or +44 (0) 1496 300208
(Please don’t call any other number as we won’t be able to take your booking, apologies. We’re also sorry but as we take your payment card details during the call, we can’t accept bookings over email or voicemail for these special Feis Ile events. Lines will be busy at first, but we’ll get to you as soon as we can!)
GEOLOGY, SCALLOPS, TIN WHISTLES AND MATURING WHISKY
TIME: 10am
DAYS: Monday 29th May and Wednesday 31st May
COST: £65 per person / lasts around 3 hours
We do love to set sail, we do love to explore the coastline and we do love to learn.
Drinking drams and listening to music are just a bonus!
Anna is on the tin whistle, the team pouring the drams and Otto Hermelin, our pal and associate professor of Geology at Stockholm University, will be delivering a delve into Islay’s rock formations and geology. Otto has also been conducting a study of the effects of temperature and humidity on the maturation of Scotch whisky in Islay warehouses. He has monitored ten casks in each of 4 Islay distilleries. Samples are drawn twice a year from casks located in different parts of the warehouses, and sensors constantly monitor the atmosphere. This is a chance to hear some of what Otto has discovered in his research while skimming across the Atlantic.
GUARDIANS OF THE WAREHOUSE
TIME: 11am
DAYS: Tuesday 30th May, Thursday 1st June, Friday 2nd June
COST: £50 per person/ lasts around 1 hour 30 minutes
Dunnage or racked? First fill or second? Butt or barrel? High or low? Charred or toasted? American or European? Follow Colin’s size 13 boots through the warehouses and around the site to learn more about what makes Ardbeg tick.
BBYOBBIZZAREBQ with BAND
TIME: 7pm – 11pm
DAY: Thursday 1st June
COST: £55 per person / lasts around four hours
This Thursday night event just gets better and better. The Ardbeg team love it, all our visitors love it and sometimes a celebrity comes to visit 😊
Bring a bottle you love back to Islay and share it in the courtyard next to the sizzling barbe – queue.
It’s an informal, laid-back evening - and for the first time our live band, Delta Smoak, will play some country, blues and folk classics under the stars so we can boogie and BBQ and banter.
IF THAT’S NOT ENOUGH THEN, OF COURSE, WE’LL HAVE OUR REGULAR SCHEDULE AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT FESTIVAL WEEK AS WELL
To book one of the below tours just email distillery@ardbeg.com
CLASSIC PRODUCTION TOUR
TIME: Twice a day - 10.30am and 12noon
DAYS: Every day during the festival (except Ardbeg Day)
£20 per person / lasts around 1 hour 15 mins
A detailed tour looking at the distillation process at the Distillery, including a peek at the step that makes Ardbeg unique on Islay. En route you’ll taste three drams from our Core Range (Ardbeg Ten Years Old plus two others chosen by your guide on the day.) Informative, fun and engaging.
DRAMS AT THE DAM
TIME: 11am
DAYS: Wednesday
£65 per person/lasts 2 hours 30 mins
Pull on your walking shoes, grab a picnic (and some drams, of course) and head to the hills - a small perambulation to Loch Airigh nam Beist awaits! Visit our water source and listen to the guide as they tell tall (and short) stories of Ardbeg and our lovely island. An outdoor experience not to be missed.
NOTE: Picnic and drams provided - please mention any dietary requirements when booking. You will need sturdy footwear and weather appropriate clothing, and the walk may be cancelled at short notice in the event of bad weather. Under 18’s allowed at parent/guardian’s discretion.
CASK SAMPLES IN WAREHOUSE 3 (AND A RARE DRAM TOO)
TIME: 2pm
DAYS: Every day during the festival (except Ardbeg Day)
£50 per person/lasts 1 hr 15 mins – no under 18s
Take the padlock off the dunnage warehouse and grab a valinch – we’re taking you into the famous Warehouse 3. Surrounded by barrels, butts and barriques you’ll sample some incredible whiskies straight from the cask. Taste and compare how aging in different casks affect maturation. An intimate and atmospheric tasting, visits to Warehouse 3 always fill up in advance. (This is a tasting only, it does not include a tour of the Distillery.)
NOTE: This is a guided tasting, to be enjoyed in the Warehouse along with your guide. As such Driver’s Drams are not offered, but drivers can join for a reduced fee and can take away miniature of Ardbeg Ten Years Old.
SNEAK PEEK AND DRAM IN THE NEW STILLHOUSE
TIME: 4pm
DAYS: Every day during the festival (except Ardbeg Day)
£10 per person / lasts around 30 minutes – no under 18s
Exactly two years and 144 days in the making, we completed our new stillhouse in March 2021 – doubling capacity from two stills to four (watch the timelapse video on YouTube). Stand at the panoramic window and drink in the spectacular view - while drinking an equally spectacular dram. The perfect end to the afternoon.
DIY TASTINGS IN A BOX
TIME: 10am to 4.30pm
DAYS: Every day
The Visitor Centre is open Sundays to Fridays in April so come in and pick from one of our three tasting flights – we’ll fleetingly talk you through the whiskies then leave you to enjoy them at your leisure. Great if you are on the move, wish an introduction to Ardbeg’s whiskies or if you want to try something a bit special! No booking required.
£20 A dram from each of our Core Range expressions - Ardbeg 5yo Wee Beastie, Ardbeg Ten Years Old, Ardbeg An Oa, Ardbeg Uigeadail and Ardbeg Corryvreckan.
£45 Four drams from our past Limited-Edition expressions – the range varies from day to day.
£130 The Peaty Path to Maturity showcases how aging affects Ardbeg – includes Ardbeg Very Young, Ardbeg Still Young, Ardbeg Almost There, Ardbeg Renaissance (aka We’ve Arrived), and Ardbeg Ten Years Old.
ROCKTAILS
TIME: 10am to 4.30pm
DAYS: Every day
Did you know Ardbeg is delicious in cocktails? Visit the cocktail corner in the Visitor Centre and enjoy a classic cocktail, or one with a subtle Ardbeggian twist! Try something new…