There is a dark place on Islay, high above the Ardbeg Distillery, called Airigh Nam Beist (pronounced Arry-nam-bayst), meaning shelter of the beast. No more fitting name could have been bestowed on such an eerie place, where legend has it, something other-worldly lurks, lying in wait. So what measures can be taken to protect local and visitor alike? If you find yourself straying this way, then pray equip yourself with that traditionally reliable antidote to sheer terror, the stiff drink. For it`s truly a wee beastie of a dram waiting to be released!.
A travelling man could ask for no better protection than a hip flask full of the strong stuff, namely Ardbeg`s Airigh Nam Beist. Pour a dram and drink to the MacDougall's - those visionary local farmers who established the Ardbeg Distillery in its present form. As Ardbeg's popularity grew, so did the community of workers and their families. The distillery became the focus of their vibrant social life, with a choir, billiards, drama, cricket and dancing. On warm evenings, folk would gather to sing on the hillside beside the harbour, accompanied by mouth organs, pipes and a few drams. We feel it's fair to say that not a lot has changed since then, except for the odd skinny dipper spied off the end of the pier
