Six decades after Stewart Laing first learned how to make whisky on Islay, he has realised a lifelong dream with the launch of ‘Inaugural Release’ – the first whisky from Ardnahoe, the distillery he and his sons Andrew and Scott opened on Islay in 2018.
Hitting the market on 10th May, Ardnahoe Inaugural Release is a limited edition 5-year-old Islay single malt Scotch whisky, shaped by the experience of three generations of the Glasgow-based Laing family since the 1940s, when Stewart’s father began working in the industry.
Stewart travelled to Islay in the 1960s to learn the ropes of whisky-making, an experience that sowed the seeds of his dream of building the family’s own distillery on the Hebridean island.
That dream came to fruition in 2018 as Ardnahoe started distilling and became the ninth distillery on the island, just a few years after Stewart and his sons founded Hunter Laing & Co as an independent whisky blender and bottler.
The launch of Ardnahoe’s Inaugural Release is a significant moment for fans of Islay whisky, as this is the first bottling from a new distillery on the island since 2009.
The Inaugural Release is described as a ‘classic sophisticated Islay single malt’, said to have Islay peat smoke on the nose, custard, ginger, lemon zest and baked apples on the palate and a long, smoky finish.
Matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-oloroso sherry casks, and bottled at 50% ABV, the signature Islay characteristics of peat and smoke are said to be balanced with a ‘sweet fruitiness and real depth of flavour’.
Ardnahoe’s debut whisky was created using traditional methods under the watch of distillery manager Fraser Hughes. Islay loch water was drawn from nearby Loch Ardnahoe, while the distillery uniquely uses two traditional worm-tub condensers – the only ones on Islay – chosen to bring added depth of flavour and complexity to the spirit.
The distillery’s malted barley is sourced from Port Ellen Maltings on Islay’s south coast, and has a phenol content of 40ppm. No artificial colouring or chill filtration was used in the production process to preserve a fuller, richer flavour for the whisky.
Stewart Laing 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.”
Hunter Laing & Co business development director Scott Laing said: “This is a very proud moment for us. The Laing family’s passion and knowledge about Scotch whisky has endured for three generations and it’s a momentous milestone to be releasing our very own, traditionally crafted single malt from our own distillery.
“Watch this space for more exciting releases in the months and years ahead from Ardnahoe.”
The company’s export director Andrew Laing added: “Ardnahoe Distillery has welcomed many thousands of visitors from all over the globe since we opened in 2019 and there’s been great anticipation at the prospect of the first ever Ardnahoe whisky being released in the UK and internationally.
“With the Inaugural Release, Ardnahoe has released a whisky that shows signs of one day being regarded as an Islay classic.”
