A few historic Ardbeg Cheques have appeared on the open market over the years, with some individual cheques fetching as much as £110 each at auction. It’s not surprising when you consider the Islay distillery has cult status amongst whisky fans. The newly released Ardbeg Cheque Archive available on The Whiskey Wash is the first time that a collection of them has been put together for the public to explore. From more obvious purchases, like yeast and wages to a mystery quarter million pound payout, here are eight cheques issued by the Ardbeg distillery back in the day.
Key Ingredients From Brewers Foods Supply Co
The Brewers Food Supply Co was only dissolved as a company in 2010. Impressive considering it was established in 1918. They supplied things like grain and yeast; pretty important supplies for a whisky maker considering that’s two of the three ingredients required to make scotch. In 1924 Ardbeg paid Brewers Food Supply Co £112, which today would be just over $10,000 (£8,000).
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Paying “Ourselves” $120,000!
The Ardbeg distillery was established on Islay in 1815 and today is one of the best known distilleries in Scotland. Back in 1924 the license for the distillery was held by Colin Hay, who had inherited the license from his father of the same name. In 1924 Colin Hay signed a cheque for £2,000 with the Payee described as “Ourselves.”
That’s a fairly unusual payee description by today’s standards, and whatsmore the total of £2,000 would be around $120,000 (£100,000) in today’s economy!
The Mystery Beneficiary of $320,000
This next cheque was issued 12th May 1924 for £5,000. Today that would be around $320,000 (£250,000). This cheque was from the Glasgow branch of The Royal Bank Of Scotland and was signed by Colin Hay. The recipients however are something of a mystery.
We can make out Messir, which is the plural of Mr and used on other cheques to precede company names. Then there is McNeill, which is a fairly common surname unfortunately. The second part is obscured: possibly “Simel & Co” Or “Limel & Co”? Many of the other cheques are stamped on the back with company names, but sadly this one is hand-signed in even more illegible writing!
If you can make out the name, or find any information on who these mystery beneficiaries could be, then jump in the comments below.
Ardbeg Wages in 1926
An interesting insight from the cheques are the wages paid by Ardbeg in 1926, which were just £200. While that is around $12,000 (£10,000) today, the sum seems especially modest when you consider the £2,000 payment to “Ourselves” from 1924.
This cheque was issued from the Port Ellen Branch of The Royal Bank of Scotland, which has the green design compared to the bronze used for the Glasgow issued cheques. It was signed by aH MacDougall Secretary.
The Scottish Oil Agency in 1926
The Scottish Oil Agency was established during the First World War. Formed by the government in 1918 it combined what was left of Scottish oil companies and by 1926 it was responsible for domestic and imported oils.
The cheque from March 1926 totaled £13 6 shillings and 8 pence, and is quite likely a heating/fuel bill. That is around $850 (£662) in today’s money so hopefully that wasn’t a monthly bill!
White Horse Distillers Ltd
The cheque to White Horse Distillers in 1926 for £9.50 (around $650/£500 today) is one of those enticing mysteries we’d love to know more about. White Horse Distillers had been formed just two years previously on the death of Peter Mackie, who was the charismatic man behind the White Horse blend and the Lagavulin distillery. Sadly we can only guess what the cheque was for; perhaps it was for whisky as part of a blend, perhaps it was to purchase some screw cap bottles—which White Horse introduced that year. Feel free to add your own guesses into the comments below.
Mr JA McEachern, Port Ellen 29th Oct 1923
Issued by the Port Ellen Branch of The Royal Bank of Scotland, “Mr JA McEachern, Port Ellen” was paid “the sum of forty four pounds four shillings, threepence.” A John Alexander McEachern was born in Port Ellen and alive around this time, although the McEachern line is connected with another closed distillery called Daill. The name Port Ellen was used for the town, distillery and malt mill at the time, and so the destination of this payment is another enigma. It could have been for someone in the town, from the distillery, or even for malted barley.
You Are Cordially Invited To Celebrate
While our final curiosity may have initially been written in December 1924 to pay £61 to PP Hamlyn & Co., 74 years later it was repurposed by Ardbeg as a party invitation. On the original copy you can still make out the layers of Correction fluid (Tipex) and ghost of names where they’ve photocopied it to make cool invitations, presumably to the 1998 Ardbeg Christmas party.
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Following a difficult period in the 1990s, Ardbeg had plenty to celebrate in 1998. Its new visitor center opened marking a new beginning as the brand we know today following its purchase the previous year by Glenmorangie.
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