Ardnahoe 5 Year Inaugural Release

Tasting Notes

Evan’s Tasting Note

Nose: The coastal notes are strong in this one – like you have just been transported to a rocky beach on the Islay. Pan seared scallops, tuna sashimi dipped in soy sauce, white grapefruit juice, pear slices, cucumbers in a salty brine, and laundry fresh from the dryer with the barest hint of lavender.

Palate: Salt water taffy, crunchy tempura shrimp, more grilled scallops, pear, lycée, white chocolate, shortbread cookies, chamomile tea, and a touch of rice wine vinegar.

Finish: Not a lengthy finish, but very clean with just a hint of sweet and salty smoke notes lingering on the fade.

Comment: Is using the term crisp to describe an Islay single malt strange? I would call this a crisp, coastal and well put together first official release. I am looking forward to seeing what the future has in store for Ardnahoe, because this is a very well put together malt.

89pts Whisky Fun

"The first one! Ex-bourbon and ex-oloroso sherry casks. To keep us waiting since the first distillation at Ardnahoe (they're situated between Bunnahabhain and Caol Ila) in 2018, Hunter Laing have been deliciously bombarding us maltheads with old Caol Ila, Laphroaig, Bunnahabhain, Bowmore, and even some very high-quality Port Ellen under their 'The Kinship' label. So frankly, we could have waited a few more years. Hey, just kidding. Colour: gold. Nose: it's very much pure Islay, perhaps leaning more towards the south shore than the east shore in style. But if I remember correctly, there's also a magnificent Celtic cross up there not too far from the east coast. Here the smoke is pronounced, slightly acrid (like a back-drafting fireplace), but there's a rather specific fruity combination right behind it. I'm not sure if it will be found in future bottlings, but I detect blood orange mixed with apricots and a few tomato notes. I love it when a bit of tomato comes through in a malt whisky. Even tomato bush. Brilliant. With water: not much development, maybe a bit more brininess, olives, pickles… Mouth (neat): very pure, crystalline, less oily and broad than the nose might suggest, hence a bit closer to its southern neighbour. Langoustines, oysters, granny smith apples, sea bream ceviche with lime and mint (why not?) plus green pepper and a touch of mint tea. A slight Jamaican rum aspect too, which is amusing. It's a 'good mood' whisky. With water: really, really good. In fact we're still a bit in the territory of an Islay distillery that starts with the same first three letters. Finish: same, although this time there's a more medicinal aspect coming through. Comments: it seems they really sought the DNA of Islay, rather than a more unique but perhaps more 'pretentious' and 'deviant' style. I find that clever. It's very, very, very good. And I like it that it's not NAS. I think we'll have more Ardnahoe soon. SGP:467 - 89 points."

Independent Bottler

Yes, these are two separate companies, but it is difficult to talk about one without talking about the other. So, let's kill two birds with one stone, shall we? - Evan

The Hatfields & McCoys. The Montagues and Capulets. The Laings and... The Laings?

History is full of family feuds. It is also full of long-running game shows promoting the vicious rivalry. Sometimes, though, a family doesn't need to have an outside influence to struggle against because the issue lies within.

The History

Douglas Laing is an independent bottler that was founded in 1948 by Fred Douglas Laing after he acquired the rights to the King Of Scots Blend. Fred Sr. and his wife had two sons. Stewart Hunter Laing was born in 1946. Fred Hamilton Laing (Fred Jr.) was born in 1950. Both brothers eventually joined Fred Sr. working at Douglas Laing. Before that though, they both had apprenticeships at other Scotch Whisky companies; something that seems to be a hallmark of families who make Scotch Whisky their trade.

Stewart Laing joined his father Fred Sr. at Douglas Laing in 1967. He had previously apprenticed at Bruichladdich Distillery and other places within the industry. Stewart and his wife had their first son, Scott, in 1979. A few years later in 1982, their second son Andrew was born.

Fred Laing Jr's first apprenticeship was at Whyte and Mackay starting in 1968, where he learned all parts of whisky production and business, including the art of blending. From there he moved to White Horse Distillers in 1969 to further enhance his blending knowledge. In 1972, he officially joined his Father, Fred Sr., at the family business of Douglas Laing. In 1982, Fred Jr's daughter Cara was born.

Fred Sr., AKA Fred Douglas Laing; the founder of Douglas Laing & Co, passed away in 1984. It was then up to his sons to run the company on their own.

Splitting The Family Company

Brothers' Stewart and Fred Jr. quietly – or not so quietly – didn’t really get along. This eventually led the two to go their separate ways in 2013. Stewart Laing took with him some brands created at his former company such as Old Malt Cask and Old & Rare. Fred Laing Jr. kept the Douglas Laing and brands such as Big Peat, Old Particular, and of course, the exclusive rights to his fabulous moustache.

Fred Laing Jr. & daughter Cara Laing - the new Douglas Laing

Douglas Laing continued on, operating under Fred Jr's stewardship to this day. They have created some new labels since, focusing more on the Blends and Blended Malt side of things than Hunter Laing typically does. Fred Laing was joined by his daughter Cara at about the same time as the split.

Douglas Laing does bottle single casks of whisky under the Provenance, Old Particular and XOP labels. However, with Fred Jr's knowledge in blending and the brand King of Scots still in hand, the company has kept a big focus on blending, introducing an entire line of regional blended malts over the late 2010s. The company has dubbed this lineup The Remarkable Regional Malts of Scotland. These include:

• Big Peat - a blended malt made entirely of single malts from Islay
• Scallywag - representing the Speyside region
• Rock Island (originally named Rock Oyster) - made from malts from the Inner Hebridean Isles of Skye, Mull, Jura, Islay, with the Orkneys and Arran thrown in just for kicks
• Timorous Beastie - name taken from a Robert Burns poem with malt selected from Highland distilleries
• The Gauldrons - featuring a blend of Campbeltown malts
• The Epicurean - representing the dapper Lowland malts

The Douglas Laing company announced the acquisition of its first distillery in October 2019. The Strathearn Distillery, founded in 2013, is located near Methven in Perthshire. Technically located in the Southern Highlands, it is near the lowlands region and about an hour and a half drive from Douglas Laing's headquarters in Glasgow. 

Stewart Laing & sons Scott and Andrew Laing form Hunter Laing

Hunter Laing was founded in 2013 by chairman Stewart Hunter Laing and his sons Andrew and Scott. Hunter Laing came to being from a dividing of assets owned by the company Douglas Laing & Co, which Stewart and his brother Fred Laing Jr. had operated together since Fred Laing Sr. – their father passed away in 1984.

The new company has more of a focus on Single Malt Whisky and often single casks than Douglas Laing, with new releases under Old Malt Cask, Old & Rare, Sovereign, The First Editions, and Hepburn's Choice hitting store shelves periodically. Regular releases as well as the mystery peated Islay Single Malt under the name Scarabus are also consistently available. Oh, and Hunter Laing also bottles rum under the wonderfully silly moniker Kill Devil.

Three years after the split, in 2016, Hunter Laing announced plans to build a distillery on Islay. The company’s Ardnahoe Distillery officially opened in 2019. The first Single Malt whisky releases from Ardnahoe hit shelves in 2024.

It is now more than a decade since Stewart and Fred Laing split the business and their progeny joined them in earnest. The brothers and their respective companies of Hunter Laing and Douglas Laing still show much of the whisky DNA that their father built into it, and them.