Island whisky wins top accolade

Ardbeg has been named as World Whisky of the Year

A toast has been raised to a distillery in Islay as its tipple is honoured in a distinguished guide.

Ardbeg has been awarded the title of World Whisky of the Year in the Whisky Bible 2008.

The 10-year-old dram received another accolade after the bible also named it as the best Scotch Single Malt.

Aficionados say that Ardbeg has an overtly peaty, smokey flavour. It is also said to be surprisingly smooth on the palate with a warm finish.

Jim Murray, Whisky Bible 2008 author, who awarded the honour to the 10-year-old single malt, praised the drink as a unique product.

He said in his guide: "To me Ardbeg is - and always has been - the most complex malt on earth."

He added: "I have been visiting the distillery for nearly 30 years - long before anybody had heard of Ardbeg.

"And because I have long regarded this as the finest distillery in the world, I actually try to handicap the sample to iron out any natural bias."