Does anyone have an analysis or explanation for these closures? Ardbeg has been touch-and-go for the two decades I've been following Islay whiskies. Surely, single malts and Islay whiskies are more widely known now than they were 20 years ago. Is whisky consumption, as a whole, down? Are the Islay malts less favored now? Or are some of the distilleries no longer competitive? Is this a particular distillery problem, an Islay problem, a single malt problem, a Scotch whisky problem, a hard liquor problem, or what? I'm sure the distillery owners are abreast of the trade developments and could help us here. Why did Laphroaig (and other good malts) go through the roof in price in the late 1980s? One version had it as being due to high demand. Something doesn't seem to add up with high prices and closing distilleries. Who can help me understand what is going on?