Ardbeg Distillery, old post office.

This group comprises ancillary buildings within the large coastal Ardbeg Distillery complex, constructed between 1878 and 1897. They are located to the west and north of the principal early core of distillery buildings (see separate listing LB52611). The group consists of a single-storey former post office, a single-storey pair of semi-detached former workers' cottages, the single-storey warehouse number two, a two-storey mixed-use building known as the old warehouse, and a pair of semi-detached two-storey houses known as Sea View and Excise House.

Construction and Materials

The late 19th-century distillery buildings are primarily built in harled pointed rubble with some tooled ashlar dressings, and most exterior walls are painted white. The roofs are mostly pitched and slated, though some have modern sheet metal coverings. Only warehouse number two has walls of exposed rubble.

Former Post Office

At the north of the distillery site, on the east side of the access road into the main distillery complex, stands the former post office building. Dating to the late 19th century, it is a single-storey structure, rectangular on plan, with a lean-to projection to the rear under a modern sheet metal roof. The walls are of rubble or brick construction, harled or rendered and painted white, with tooled ashlar door and window margins featuring decorative chamfered edges. Windows and door are wood-framed. The front elevation is asymmetrical, with two rectangular windows on the left half and a door with rectangular window on the right half. The interior was not seen at time of visit.

Former Workers' Cottages

Immediately south-southeast of the former post office is a pair of single-storey semi-detached former workers' cottages. Dating to the late 19th century, both cottages follow a mirrored rectangular plan with projecting front porches to centre and rear projections at the gable ends. The walls are of rubble or brick construction, covered by smooth render and painted white under pitched slated roofs. There is a chimney stack on each gable end and a shared stack rising from the dividing wall between the cottages. The front elevations are symmetrical, with round-arched windows to the front porches and mullioned windows to either side. The windows and doors are modern replacements. The interiors, as seen from outside, have been stripped and cleared.

Warehouse Number Two

At the south end of the distillery access road stands warehouse number two. Dating to the late 19th century, it is a single-storey building with exposed rubble walls featuring some metal wall ties below the wallhead, under a pitched slated roof. It has very roughly dressed stone quoins and door and window margins. Timber windows are present on every elevation, most behind metal bars. The main elevation is asymmetrical, facing onto the east access road, with a doorway at the western end. The interior (seen in 2022) is an open-plan warehouse storage space with exposed timber roof structure. A modern metal frame structure has been installed within the building.

The Old Warehouse

Directly opposite warehouse number two, on the south side of the east access road, is the building known as the old warehouse. Dating to the late 19th century, it is rectangular on plan with walls of rubble construction and whitewashed finish. It has a mixture of roughly dressed stone and simply tooled ashlar door and window openings and a pitched slated roof. The upper-storey windows on the western half of the building are formed by pitched gablets, with a brick chimney stack at centre. The eastern half shows evidence of blocked and removed upper-storey window gablets, since replaced with modern skylights on a pitched roof. The front elevation has a wide cart-door to centre and a standard doorway to the right of centre. Timber windows and doors are present on all elevations. The interior (partly seen in 2022) contains a mixture of storage space and rooms for staff and office use.

Sea View and Excise House

At the east of the distillery site, on the south side of the east access road, is a pair of semi-detached two-storey houses known as Sea View and Excise House. They are rectangular on plan with projecting porches to the front and projecting gable-end extensions. The walls are of rubble construction with whitewashed finish. The gable-end projections are harled and also whitewashed. They have pitched slated roofs with brick chimney stacks on each gable end and on the shared dividing wall. There is a mixture of roughly dressed stone with tooled ashlar door and window margins. Window frames and doors are predominantly timber. The rear elevation has projecting two-storey bays on the end of each house with a first-floor modern balcony between. The interiors (partly seen in 2022) are entirely modernised with few period features remaining, such as plain cornicing and some wooden doors and skirtings.

Historical Development

Ardbeg Distillery was formally registered by John MacDougall as a legal commercial distillery in 1815, though it was known to be in production from the late 18th century. The commercial venture led by John MacDougall received backing from Thomas Buchanan Junior, a Glasgow whisky merchant. However, early historical whisky records indicate spirit was being illicitly produced at Ardbeg from 1798. Islay Rentals record that Duncan McDougall, father of John and Alexander, rented the farms of Ardbeg, Airigh nam Beist and Ardenistiel, as well as half of the farm of Lagavulin. By 1818, Ardbeg was officially producing whisky with its first recorded listing of operation.

The site was probably chosen due to the plentiful supply of fresh water immediately north of the distillery, the surrounding fertile land ideal for a distillery farm, the relatively flat land for building development and potential expansion, and the waterside location allowing ease of access for imports and exports by sea.

The 19th century was a long period of development as the distillery was established and expanded. In 1835, output for the distillery was recorded at up to 500 gallons (2,273 litres) per week.

In 1853, after the death of Alexander MacDougall, Ardbeg was co-run by Colin Hay and MacDougall's sisters, Margaret and Flora, who may rightfully be Scotland's first female distillers. In 1855, John Ramsay became owner and landlord of Laphroaig, Ardenistiel, Lagavulin and Ardbeg distilleries and their villages, pastures and associated farms. Ramsay ensured the current distillery owners had long leases and properly secured water rights—important factors providing stability for future business planning and potential expansion.

The 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map (surveyed 1878) depicts a smaller site at Ardbeg, showing the footprint of some buildings surviving today, such as the east malt barn and kilns, the old filling store and mash house, and some of the west kiln building, as well as the pier. This early map also shows formally laid-out gardens to the west for workers to enjoy in their spare time.

Until 1887, records indicate the MacDougall family either owned or ran the distillery, representing almost 100 years of whisky production (some illicit) by the family at Ardbeg. The distillery reached a historic peak of production in 1887, with records showing 1,100,000 litres distilled that year.

The 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey map (surveyed 1897) reflects this peak activity at Ardbeg, showing the footprint of an expansive site with many buildings surviving today and some since demolished. The gardens to the west were replaced by massive warehouses, and the west kiln was extended north to provide a second malt barn to aid increased production. The old post office, workers' cottages, excise house and warehouse number two had also been constructed relatively recently by this map date.

The 20th century initially saw a continuation of good fortunes. A landmark date for the branding of Ardbeg came in 1911 when it was registered as a trademark and the famous letter "A" logo was established. However, the mid to late part of this century saw a downturn for the whisky industry and Ardbeg Distillery. The distillery closed during the Depression of 1932–35. Changes in registered business details, owners and shareholders took place over the next several decades. A period of development occurred on the site with a series of modern warehouses constructed around the 1950s–60s at the eastern side of the site.

The major whisky slump of the 1980s affected many Scottish distilleries. The malt barn floors at Ardbeg were used for what would become their last time in 1980. On 25 March 1981, Ardbeg Distillery closed and did not reopen until 1989. Production restarted on a part-time basis until 1996.

In 1997, Glenmorangie PLC purchased the distillery, with the Old Kiln visitor centre and café opening the following year. In 2004, Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy Group purchased Ardbeg Distillery. This modern era has witnessed further development with the construction of a new boiler house and still house, and the ongoing maintenance, adaptation and upgrading of some buildings for the running of a 21st-century distillery and visitor attraction.