Ardnahoe, a young Islay distillery founded in 2017, sits between Bunnahabhain and Caol Ila, offering stunning views of the Sound of Islay with Mull and Jura in the background. Owned by independent bottler Hunter Laing, it boasts Scotland’s longest lyne arms at 7.5 metres and uses wooden worm tubs for condensation. They waited until their whisky reached five years to launch their Ardnahoe 5-year-old Inaugural Release earlier this year – better late than never for me to finally taste and review it!
Ardnahoe 5-year-old Inaugural Release Review
This Ardnahoe Inaugural Release matured for five years in a combination of ex-Bourbon and ex-Oloroso casks, bottled at 50% ABV without colouring nor chill filtration. An impressive 70,000 bottles were released, a strong start for an inaugural whisky. Still available at a fair price for a 5-year-old from a new distillery, around €80 in Europe.
Colour:
Burnished
Nose:
Neat: Bold oak smoke from a fireplace leads, followed by BBQ-grilled lemons, orange, charred beef, and a touch of paprika spice. Maritime peat notes emerge with seaweed, while the Oloroso influence lingers subtly with hazelnuts and figs, all well integrated. Intense and quickly perfuming the whole room.
With water: Hints of tar, soot, and rum raisin ice cream.
Palate:
Neat: Smoky and peaty with a slightly oily, mouth-coating texture – though it could be thicker. Boldly salted, featuring smoked lemon, pomelo, grapefruit, barbecued pork chops, dark chocolate, and lit menthol cigarettes. Heat from Tabasco, paprika, and white pepper is present but well balanced.
With water: Adds wood bitterness, lemon juice, and more pomelo. A fleeting sweetness alternates with spiciness, creating an amusing dynamic.
Finish:
Spices and smoked citrus linger, joined by charred oak and a hint of dentist moulding paste.
Comments:
A perfect blueprint for an inaugural release: a flavourful whisky, widely available, and fairly priced. This approach builds trust and loyalty. Their core range seems to follow suit, though without the age statement. I tasted a cask sample last year after lunch with Georgie Crawford at the distillery, and it showed great promise—they’ve definitely delivered on that promise.
Rating: 7/10
Thank you, Xavier! Bottle photo courtesy of Whiskybase.
