Ardnahoe

Ardnahoe Distillery is the youngest and ninth operating distillery on the legendary Scottish island of Islay, which is world-renowned for its peaty single malt whiskies.

Ardnahoe Distillery was founded by the Hunter Laing & Co. family, an independent bottler and whisky merchant from Glasgow. The idea to build their own distillery on Islay came from Stewart Laing, a long-standing figure in the Scottish whisky industry, together with his sons Andrew and Scott. They began preparing the project in 2015, and after an investment of approximately £12 million, the distillery opened in 2019.

The name Ardnahoe comes from Gaelic and means ‘height by the hollow’ or, more loosely translated, ‘place above the hollow lake’ – the name refers to the location above the lake from which the distillery draws clean water for its production.

Ardnahoe is unique in that it uses worm tubs, traditional copper spiral cooling pipes immersed in water vats. This ancient method of condensing vapour gives the distillate a more robust, oily character, which is very attractive to fans of Islay whisky as it emphasises the peaty profile.

The distillery uses two large pot stills (copper, over 12,000 litres in volume) and produces peaty malt whisky that combines the typical smoke and sea of Islay with a smoothness and oily body. Production capacity is approximately 1 million litres of pure alcohol per year.

Ardnahoe was designed not only as a production distillery but also as a tourist destination. The modern visitor centre has panoramic glazing, offering stunning views of the Isle of Jura and its iconic mountains, the Paps of Jura. In addition to tours and tastings, there is also a café and shop.

Ardnahoe is important not only because it has increased the number of distilleries on Islay, but also because it has brought a family with a long whisky tradition to the region. Hunter Laing is one of the most respected independent bottlers, and the opening of its own distillery on the iconic island is a symbol of Islay's continued ability to innovate while remaining true to tradition.