Our Story

When Stewart Laing and his sons Andrew and Scott formed Glasgow-based Hunter Laing & Co. Ltd as a blender and bottler of scotch whisky in 2013, they knew it was finally time to also realise their long-held ambition of making their own whisky.

With a family background in the whisky business dating back to the 1940s when Stewart’s father founded his own blending and bottling company, Stewart’s own experience in the industry dating back well over 50 years and whisky stocks from all around Scotland carefully acquired over 6 decades - they had a strong foundation from which to build.

With a strong affinity for Islay and a reverence for its distinctive, peated malt whiskies, there was no doubt that the fabled Whisky Isle had to be the site for their own distillery.

In 2015 they located the perfect four-acre site by Loch Ardnahoe on the Northeast of the island, with access to the deep loch waters, and having purchased the ground and secured planning permission ground was broken for Islay’s ninth distillery in late 2016.

First runs of distillation began in October 2018 with Cask number 001 filled on the 9th November that year. The realisation of a dream, and the beginning of an exciting journey.

The team at Ardnahoe have been chosen for their skill, experience and dedication to the art of distillation.

Not only do they share a passion for the potential and eventual quality of the spirit, they are eager to ensure a perfect process from start to finish.

That’s exactly the ethos at Ardnahoe; it’s the process that favours quality over quantity and taste over time to ensure the consistently high quality of spirit being produced at our distillery.