Ardnahoe

In January 2016 Hunter Laing lodged plans for an £8 million malt whisky distillery on the site.^1,2,5 Argyll and Bute Council approved the plans in September 2016, and ground was broken late that year.^1,2,5 In February 2017 Jim McEwan, formerly master distiller at Bruichladdich, came out of retirement to join as production director.^1,6,9 He worked on the layout with Stewart Laing and architect Iain Hepburn, and later moved into an ambassador role.^1,6,9 The first spirit ran on 14 October 2018, and cask 001 was filled on 9 November.^1,2,3 On 12 April 2019 Lord Robertson of Port Ellen officially opened Ardnahoe, the first new distillery built on Islay since 2005.^3,6,10 Hunter Laing spent £12 million on the project, though ScotchWhisky.com put the distillery and visitor centre at £14 million.^3,6,10

Its malted barley comes from Port Ellen Maltings; it is dried over peat smoke and has a phenol content of 40ppm.^1,5,8 Water comes from Loch Ardnahoe, a stone's throw from the distillery.^5,8 It has 4 Oregon Pine washbacks, where yeast turns the sugary wort into wash, a weak beer.^1,5,6 Fermentation lasts about 65 to 70 hours, which the distillery says gives a fruity wash.⁵ Speyside Copperworks made its one wash still and one spirit still.^3,5 The lantern-shaped stills have what is thought to be the longest lyne arms in Scotland, at 24.5ft; these pipes carry vapour from the still.^1,5,11 Steam heats the stills, which are run slowly for greater copper contact.^1,5,11 Its worm tubs hold 77 metres of copper coil in tanks of cold water, which the distillery says condense the vapour gently and add texture and complexity.^1,5,6 The distillery describes its new spirit as fruity and peaty.^1,5,6 It can make about 900,000 litres of alcohol a year.¹

By February 2021 Fraser Hughes was the distillery manager.^8,11 David Livingstone, who worked on Ardnahoe's set-up before managing Lochranza distillery on Arran, returned to Islay in September 2021.^12,13 By December 2025 he was Ardnahoe's distillery manager.^12,13 Stewart Laing, whose lifelong ambition the distillery fulfilled, died on 8 April 2026, aged 79.^2,4

Sources

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