Ardnahoe

The inaugural release of the Ardnahoe Islay Single Malt Whisky, which is strictly limited, was launched in the first bottling in May 2024. After five years of maturation in a combination of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks, the Ardnahoe Whisky was bottled with an alcohol content of 50% vol.

To produce Ardnahoe Whisky, the distillery uses soft peated water from the loch of the same name, Loch Ardnahoe. In addition, two traditional worm tubs are used to cool the freshly distilled Whisky, which is unique on Islay. The rapid cooling of the alcoholic vapours, which are channelled through the pipes of the worm tubs, gives the malt more depth of flavour and complexity.

Distillery Manager Fraser Hughes is responsible for Ardnahoe's first Whisky. Distillation takes place in two copper pot stills, which were manufactured by Speyside Copperworks. The wash still holds 13,000 litres, the spirit still 11,000 litres. The lantern-shaped stills with their long swan necks have a lot of copper contact. Together with slow distillation, the result is a distillery character with fruity and peaty flavours.

The peated malt is milled at the Ardnahoe distillery in a 100-year-old Vickers boby mill.

The milled grist is fed into the mash tun together with heated water from Loch Arndahoe. The resulting wort goes on to fermentation, while the residue from the malt, also known as draff, is used by local farmers as cattle feed.

Ardnahoe has four traditional Oregon Pine washbacks. The wort is mixed with yeast and fermented for 65 to 70 hours.

Ardnahoe Whisky is matured in American white oak Bourbon casks from the USA and in European oak Oloroso Sherry casks from Jerez in Spain. Some of the casks are stored at the distillery on Islay.

With the Ardnahoe distillery, the Laing family has fulfilled a lifelong dream. Stewart Laing, Managing Director of independent bottler Hunter Laing & Co, began his Whisky career in 1966 at the Bruichladdich distillery on Islay. Together with his sons Andrew and Scott, he opened his own distillery in October 2018.

The Laing family found the perfect piece of land for this in 2015 with the four-hectare plot on Loch Ardnahoe in the north-east of Islay. Construction of Islay's ninth distillery began at the end of 2016 and production finally started in 2018.

The Ardnahoe distillery has a visitor centre and offers guided tours with tastings, which can be booked online.