INAUGURAL WHISKY RELEASE: ARDNAHOE UNVEILS FIRST BOTTLING

Sixty years ago Stewart Lain started to learn to make whisky. This led him to form Hunter Laing & Co with his two sons, an independent bottler who for the fiscal year ending April 2023 recorded a record operating profit of £11 million. 

This year, on May 10th, Stewart and his sons will realise a lifelong dream of releasing their inaugural whisky from Ardnahoe Distillery, a 5 year old whisky that has matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon and ex-Oloroso casks. 

Ardnahoe Distillery laid its roots down in 2015 and lies on the North East coast of Islay, they are the only Islay distillery to use worm tubs (a type of condenser) and their water source from Loch Ardnahoe is supposedly the deepest on Islay. 

The Inaugural Release has been bottled at a preferred strength of 50%, without artificial colouring or chill-filtration. On the nose, shortbread, baked apples and the classic Islay peat smoke greet you, before custard, ginger, lemon zest and baked apples embrace the palette. 

Stewart Laing, Managing Director at Hunter Laing & Co, said, “Building our own distillery was a hugely important and long dreamed of step and it’s been a personal ambition of mine ever since I was posted to work on Islay at Bruichladdich back in the 1960s. From finding the perfect piece of land on Islay for the distillery back in 2015 to now seeing our first whisky released, it’s truly the culmination of a lifelong dream for the Laing family.”

The inaugural release will be available on 10th May at a RRP of £70.