Ardnahoe

Ardnahoe is the ninth distillery on Islay and the first purpose-built site for Hunter Laing & Co. Stewart Laing, who began his whisky career at Bruichladdich, long dreamed of creating a family-owned distillery on the island. In 2016, Hunter Laing acquired a site on the northeast coast, with production beginning in 2018 and official opening to visitors in 2019 . The distillery was designed with tourism in mind, offering guided tours that flow naturally through the production areas, ending in a sensory room and visitor bar, making it a popular stop for whisky enthusiasts .

Ardnahoe stands out for its technical choices: the only worm tub condensers on Islay and Scotland’s longest lyne arms at 24.5 feet, delivering a creamy, oily texture with bold fruity depth . Using 40ppm peated malt, the wash undergoes long fermentations of 60–70 hours, followed by slow distillations for greater copper contact. Spirit is mainly matured in first-fill ex-Bourbon casks, with trials in Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez Sherry butts . The result is a heavily peated single malt with rich fruitiness and a smooth, creamy body.