The inaugural release from the Ardnahoe Distillery is a quintessential Islay whisky.
Nine years ago a dream for a new Islay distillery was born. In October 2018 the dream finally became a reality as the first spirit ran from the stills of the Ardnahoe distillery. However the beauty of single malt scotch whisky is crafted with time, and that is one thing you cannot rush.
Patience was required, but now Ardnahoe have finally released their inaugural single malt whisky into the world. Earlier this month I was invited to Islay to celebrate the cumulation of those years of effort. In honor of their hard work, here are five things you might not know about the Ardnahoe distillery
It’s The Newest Distillery On Islay
The Ardnahoe Distillery, with the beautiful Loch Ardnahoe in the background, also serves as the ... [+]
Founded in 2018 by Hunter Laing & Co. Ardnahoe is the latest distillery to join the elite ranks of Islay distilleries that are globally renowned and respected. The global popularity of the region stretches back to the prohibition era, when the location made it a convenient location for exporting abroad. The distinctive smoky and heavy style of Islay whisky also leant itself to being described as “medicinal,” which helped get the bottles into prohibition America.
In the modern market the classic Islay style has remained hugely popular and the team behind Ardnahoe are keen to introduce their take on the classic to the world. “Coming from our background as blenders and independent bottlers, we have over the decades acquired an understanding of what we feel makes the best Islay single malt whisky,” Andrew Laing, Ardnahoe Export Director explained to me over email. “It was our founder Stewart’s dream to produce his preferred style of spirit, which would mature well in both bourbon and sherry – particularly oloroso – casks.”
The Laing’s, who are the founders of the distillery, have family connections to Islay that stretch back to the 1700s, and so the location just felt right when they were looking for a location. “Islay’s whiskies and distilleries are rightly held in very high regard so we were eager to take our place amongst them.”
Ardnahoe Is The Only Distillery On Islay To Use Worm Tubs
A rarely seen view down into the wormtubs at the Ardnahoe distillery
High strength alcohol is created by distillation; a process where lower strength alcohol is heated releasing alcohol as a gas, the alcohol vapors are then condensed back into a liquid where the strength is now higher. The process of returning vapors to liquid form can be achieved in several ways, and the chosen technique has a significant impact on the eventual flavor of the spirit produced.
Worm tubs are long copper tubes that are submerged in cooled water to condense the spirit. They are one of the lesser used options across the industry because they are large and notoriously difficult to master, as well as being expensive to run and maintain.
Despite this the Laing’s knew they wanted to become the first distillery on Islay to use them. “We believe they bring added depth of flavor and complexity to the spirit and that this is evident in our inaugural release,” said Andrew Laing.
The extra depth is a result of worm tubs condensing the spirits slowly. In turn that gives more contact with the copper and imparts stronger, meatier flavors to the whisky. This slower process also allows the whisky to retain sulfur compounds. Don’t worry though, sulfur has a bad reputation but the good sulfur compounds created by worm tubs can help create great whisky. That’s because during maturation they interact with the wood of the cask to create sweeter notes of butterscotch and toffee, all adding to the depth of flavor.
Ardnahoe’s Lyne Arms Are The Longest In Scotland
The lynnes arms at Ardnahoe are the longest in Scotland
The lyne arm, or lye pipe, is the copper tube that connects the still to the condenser - in Ardnahoe’s case their worm tubs. The angle of the lyne arm is known to have a significant impact on the spirit produced, by increasing or decreasing the “reflux.” Upward angled lyne arms encourage more “reflux” which is where the condensed spirit trickles back into the still creating a lighter spirit, whereas downward angled ones encourage “carryover” where a higher proportion goes straight to the condenser.
Ardnahoe uses a descending system but their lyne arms are also the longest in Scotland. “We opted for long lyne arms to give us more copper contact in vapor form, which has the added benefit of different flavor profiles depending on how you run the stills.”
Ardnahoe Distillery Was Founded By Independent Bottlers
The Ardnahoe distillery has been founded by Stewart Laing, of Hunter Laing & Co., who are Glasgow based independent bottlers. The family can trace its industry roots to 1949 when Stewart’s father founded a whisky blending company. Stewart joined in 1964 following tenure at the Bruichladdich distillery, where the young Stewart fell in love with the classic Islay whisky style. They turned their hand to independent bottling in the late 1990s with the classic “Old Malt Cask” series.
Stewart Laing spent the intervening 60 years building a wealth of experience as an independent bottler. “Stewart has dreamed of opening a distillery since he worked at Bruichladdich as a teenager in the 1960s,” explained the Andrew Laing when I asked about the decision to add a distillery to the company. “This inaugural release from Ardnahoe Distillery brings that lifelong dream to fruition.”
The still room at the Ardnahoe Distillery has one of the most incredible views on Islay and shares a ... [+]
Ardnahoe’s Inaugural Release Is Finally Available
The site for the Ardnahoe distillery was bought in 2016 with work beginning in 2017 and spirit finally running from the stills in late 2018. Patience has been necessary but the independent bottler experience appears to be at play in their inaugural release: a five year old age statement is pretty unusual for a distillery’s core release but the team were determined that rather than aiming for an arbitrary age, they wanted to create the best whisky they could.
“We always agreed that we would never rush the release of our first Ardnahoe whisky and that the whisky would tell us when it was ready,” Andrew explained when I asked about the choice of age for their first release. “In recent months it became apparent that the maturity of the whisky had developed to the point that the peaty and fruity characteristics of the distillate were in good balance with the influence from the bourbon and sherry casks in which it has been matured. We finally knew we could create an inaugural release to be proud of.”
In the bottle design you can see elements of the independent bottler roots as well. The distinctive shape is also still roughly classical, as is the commitment to extensive details on the label and the adherence to an age statement. I’ve noticed a shift away from age statements across a number of distilleries; Macallan is an obvious one, but also the likes of the award winning Glenglassaugh Sandend. So I’m curious to see what comes next from this new distillery on old shoulders.
I was lucky enough to receive a sample bottle of Ardnahoes new whisky and while I don’t do tasting notes, I can honestly say it was a great dram. Arguably the second release is even more important than the first for a budding brand as they build a following, and so I look forward to seeing their next releases.
