Ardbeg House awarded The Times and The Sunday Times Best Places to Stay 2026 winner in the UK and Scotland 

Ardbeg House, the recently opened world-class whisky and hospitality experience on Islay, has been named the best place to stay in the UK and Scotland by The Times and The Sunday Times.

Nestled on the shores of the picturesque village of Port Ellen, just a stone’s throw from Ardbeg Distillery, the boutique hotel has been awarded overall winner of the prestigious list only six months after opening, topping the definitive guide to the 50 Best Places to Stay from across the UK and Scotland

The judges praised the hotel as “a whisky wonderland, with playful, maximalist interiors; and a convivial, well-stocked bar that’s priced for locals.”

They also applauded the rooms and suites, as well as the food and drink, receiving an impressive 9/10 score, praising the “eye-popping interiors” and “playful, personality-packed” hotel rooms.

Ardbeg House opened its doors to the public in September 2025, and was designed in collaboration with interior storymakers Russell Sage Studio to celebrate the best of Islay. The boutique hotel, which offers 12 unique rooms, is complemented by handcrafted pieces from more than 20 Scottish and Islay artisans to blend Ardbeg’s signature smoky character with the island’s warmth, creativity and community.

Ellie Goss, Comms and Hospitality Director at Ardbeg, said: “We’re incredibly honoured to top such a prestigious list, especially so quickly after the opening of Ardbeg House.

“Every element of the luxury hotel has been crafted to immerse visitors to the island and its community in local stories and Ardbeggian rituals, while also offering the chance to experience some very exclusive whiskies.

“This recognition marks a major milestone for Ardbeg House, cementing its place as one of the most exciting new destinations in the UK.”

For more information on Ardbeg House, please visit: www.ardbeghouse.com

The Times and The Sunday Times, Best Places to Stay

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Ardbeg House

Ardbeg House is a world-class whisky and hospitality experience on Islay, which offers the island’s visitors an extraordinary opportunity to eat, sleep and drink Ardbeg. Situated in the bustling town of Port Ellen, this 12-bedroom boutique hotel blends the ultimate in Scottish hospitality with the flavours and legends of Ardbeg’s island world. Visitors and locals are welcomed to enjoy the best of Scottish food and drink at the House’s Signature restaurant and the Islay Bar, including exclusive Ardbeg drams.

To book, go to www.ardbeghouse.com

Russell Sage Studio

Russell Sage Studio, established in 2005, comprises a thriving team of dedicated interior designers, FF&E designers, planners, restorers and art and antiques experts. Since inception, the studio has built a reputation for creating unique interior stories for five-star hotels, exclusive members’ clubs, premium restaurants, luxury bars and private residences around the world.

About Ardbeg

Ardbeg prides itself on being The Ultimate Islay Malt Whisky. Established in 1815, Ardbeg is revered by connoisseurs around the world as the peatiest, smokiest and most complex of all the Islay malts. Despite its smokiness, Ardbeg is renowned for its delicious sweetness, a phenomenon that has affectionately become known as ‘the peaty paradox’. During the 1980s and 1990s, Ardbeg suffered from an uncertain future, and it was not until the brand was purchased by The Glenmorangie Company in 1997 that the Distillery was saved from extinction. Since then, the Distillery has risen like a phoenix and today Ardbeg is well-established as a niche, cult malt, with a passionate following. Today, Ardbeg is one of the world’s most highly awarded smoky single malt whiskies.

The Wait is Over

Two highly sought-after releases from Chichibu have just landed back in stock – and as always, availability is extremely limited.

Chichibu 10 Year Old

The highly sought-after Chichibu 10 Year Old is a landmark age statement from one of Japan’s most celebrated distilleries. Matured for a full decade, it offers a beautifully layered profile of orchard fruit, honey, gentle spice, and a long, refined finish.​

SHOP NOW

Chichibu London Edition 2025

The latest in this coveted series. Crafted from a vatting of 10 casks and limited to just 1,920 bottles, it delivers vibrant citrus, rich chocolate, warming spice, and a subtle touch of smoke.

SHOP NOW

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 598: Williamson 14 Year Old 2010 The Roots for Buds & Barrels

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries an excellent Islay malt. It’s an open secret that Williamson comes from the Laphroaig Distillery. It’s obviously a reference to Elizabeth ‘Bessie’ Williamson, who managed the distillery from 1954 to 1972. It was Joren from The Roots who managed to get his hands on the cask and Tom from Buds & Barrels who had it bottled for his shop. The number of bottles? No idea. The label jokingly states ‘Bottle one of not many’.

https://youtu.be/2xfw_j1wu_A

The GlenAllachie unveils a marvel of time with 35-year-old single malt

The GlenAllachie Distillers Company Ltd. has proudly announced the release of The GlenAllachie 1990 / 35-year-old Cask Strength, a marvel of time meticulously crafted by legendary Master Blender, Billy Walker.

Three and a half decades in the making, this Speyside Single Malt represents the pinnacle of Walker’s artistry – shaped by more than half a century of expertise in cask selection and blending. It brings together four distinguished cask types in perfect harmony: Mizunara virgin oak, American virgin oak, Oloroso sherry, and Pedro Ximénez sherry.

At the heart of The GlenAllachie 1990 / 35-year-old Cask Strength is Mizunara virgin oak. This elusive Japanese oak, sourced from 200-year-old trees and renowned for its delicate balance and remarkable complexity, imparts distinctive notes of coconut, pineapple, sandalwood, and the subtle fragrance of Japanese incense. Revered yet notoriously challenging to work with due to its porous nature and tendency to leak, Mizunara remains one of the most sought-after and character-defining influences in whisky-making.

By marrying Mizunara with the richness of Oloroso, the opulence of Pedro Ximénez, and the warmth of American oak, Walker has created a symphony of flavour that celebrates time, patience and unparalleled mastery.

On the nose, mocha, crystalised cinnamon and treacle tart evolve into cocoa, toasted hazelnuts, pineapple, ginger and heather honey, whilst the palate is laden with cocoa, baking spices and chocolate-coated raisins, complemented by coconut, brandied orchard fruits, sandalwood, vanilla, dried red fruits and honeycomb.

Commenting on the release, Billy Walker said:

“This 35-year-old embodies everything I have learnt over the last five decades – masterful cask selection and management, patience, and sensory instinct. By uniting these four extraordinary cask types, particularly the Mizunara which requires a superlative level of skill to work with, we’re extremely proud to have created a whisky that is as complex as it is harmonious. It is truly a marvel of time and a project that has challenged us in the very best way.”

Bottled at cask strength (ABV 50.2%), The GlenAllachie 1990 / 35-year-old offers an experience as close as it gets to sampling straight from the cask – pure, uncompromising and extraordinary. Non-chill filtered and free from added colouring, it stands as a testament to The GlenAllachie’s uncompromising quality and craft it is celebrated for.

Developed in-house by Scottish designer, Kayley Barbour, the bottling is presented in a striking Valchromat box, housed within a bespoke wooden case inspired by Kumiko – the traditional Japanese woodworking art of assembling intricate patterns without nails. Each side of the box is adorned with four unique motifs, representing the quartet of casks that shaped the whisky’s remarkable character. The bottle has a broad shoulder that tapers down proudly, finished with foil and no label to showcase the intensely rich mahogany colour of the liquid.

The inner box pays homage to The GlenAllachie namesake – meaning “valley of the rocks” in Scots Gaelic – with stone and slate textures that evoke the rugged Scottish landscape. An enclosed booklet offers insight into the whisky, its inspiration, cask types, and tasting notes, while a foil-stamped signature from Billy Walker serves as a distinguished seal of approval.

With a UK RRSP of £1,512.99, The GlenAllachie 1990 / 35-year-old Cask Strength is available from The GlenAllachie Distillery, online at www.theglenallachie.com and via select retailers within the UK from today. It will become increasingly available globally in the coming weeks.

For more information, visit www.theglenallachie.com.

The GlenAllachie 1990 / 35-year-old Cask Strength

ABV: 50.2%
RRP (UK): £1,512.99
Bottled at cask strength
Natural colour and non-chill filtered

Tasting notes:
Colour: Intensely rich mahogany.

Nose: Mocha, crystalised cinnamon and treacle tart, followed by cocoa, toasted hazelnuts and pineapple, with soft notes of ginger and heather honey.

Palate: Cocoa, baking spices and chocolate-coated raisins, followed by coconut, brandied orchard fruits and sandalwood, with vanilla, dried red fruits and honeycomb.

About The GlenAllachie Distillery

One of Scotland’s few independently owned and managed distilleries, The GlenAllachie is led by industry veteran, Billy Walker, who boasts over a half-century’s tenure in whisky. With 16 on-site warehouses holding over 50,000 casks, The GlenAllachie Distillery have complete control of the end-to-end maturation process.

Since re-emerging under independent ownership in 2017, The GlenAllachie has made bold, strategic choices rooted in flavour integrity over volume. By fine-tuning fermentation practices, streamlining production, and investing heavily in cask management, the distillery has cultivated a house style renowned for depth, complexity, and individuality.

Beyond the stillhouse, The GlenAllachie’s influence continues to grow, with high-profile and innovative releases such as The Sinteis Series, and age-stated limited editions earning global acclaim. The distillery’s commitment to transparency – bottling at natural colour, non-chill filtered, and often at cask strength – underscores its dedication to the discerning whisky drinker.

Prioritising the production of quality spirit, the GlenAllachie Distillery chose to reduce its production capacity from four million to around one million litres of alcohol and increase its fermentation period to 160 hours – almost three times the industry standard – for an ester-rich, fruity spirit.

The GlenAllachie also maintains a strong focus on sustainability and provenance, with local sourcing and traditional methods guiding much of its ethos. Supported by the Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (SIETF), a state-of-the-art Mechanical Vapour Recompression (MVR) system was installed at the distillery to capture and recycle waste heat from distillation, using it to reheat the stills. The result is a distillery that not only honours Scotch whisky heritage but actively shapes its future.

About Billy Walker

With a career spanning over 50 years, Billy Walker is a legendary figure in the Scotch whisky industry, renowned for his transformative leadership of distilleries like Benriach, Glendronach, and Glenglassaugh. Celebrated for his innovative use of casks and unwavering commitment to quality, he is now the owner and Master Distiller at The GlenAllachie.

Under his stewardship, the company has achieved widespread acclaim. Among its many accolades, the GlenAllachie 12-year-old was named World’s Best Single Malt at the 2025 World Whiskies Awards.

From this incredible record of success, Billy has cemented his reputation as one of the most prominent whisky figures of his generation.

Murray McDavid

Glen Scotia 33 Years Old Ultra

ABV: 49.7% 70 cL

Private Stock

Ledaig 13 Years Old – Only 284 Bottles globally

It’s been sitting quietly inside our Douglas Laing Family Private Collection – until now.

Every year my family discovers exceptional casks across Scotland. Most are bottled for the world to enjoy, but occasionally we find one that feels too special to release straight away.

This Ledaig 13 Years Old was one of those casks.

I selected it myself and we’ve bottled it exactly as we found it – straight from the barrel at its natural cask strength of 48.6% ABV.

Each bottle has been personally signed by me before leaving our warehouse.

In the glass you’ll discover smouldering peat smoke layered with crisp green apple and vanilla cream, leading into honey’d malt, baked orchard fruit and a gentle coastal salinity.

Only 284 bottles were ever hand-filled.

Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

From My Family To Yours,

Cara Laing

Douglas Laing & Co.

LEARN MORE

Our Signature Range is a pick ‘n’ mix of outstanding whisky with fresh new flavours added every First Friday. Do you choose your go-to flavour profile first? Maybe you start by adding a distillery code you enjoy. Or are you the one who goes for something entirely new every Outturn? However you choose to make your selections, the moment is here as we reveal our April casks. Take a look, make your list and we’ll see you on Friday!

TAKE ME TO THE BOTTLES

EXPLORE THE OUTTURN HUB

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video