Six decades ago, Stewart Laing set out on a journey to Islay in the hope of learning all there was to know about the art of whisky making.
The experience, so the tale goes, is regarded by the now managing director at Hunter Laing & Co as one of the happiest times of his life, sowing the “seeds of a dream” to someday build his own Hebridean distillery.
Alongside his sons, Scott and Andrew, this dream was realised in 2019 when the Ardnahoe Distillery opened its doors to the public for the very first time.
“Because Dad went over for work experience at Bruichladdich in the 60s, Islay has always had a special place in our hearts,” Scott Laing, Hunter Laing & Co business development director told the Herald.
“From a commercial point of view, we’ve witnessed that Islay has a special magic to it when it comes to whisky.
“People who are fans of Islay whisky are committed to it in a way that you don’t necessarily see with another region.
“Whenever we did a single cask from one of its distilleries, bottles would fly off the shelves.
“There’s a fascination with Islay whisky and we wanted to become a part of that.”
To establish themselves amongst Islay’s vibrant whisky community, first, the Glasgow-based blends and bottlers had to secure a home that matched their expectations.
During a visit to Ardnahoe on the northeast corner of the island in 2015, it was love at first sight.
Mr Laing said: “We had been shown around various potential locations by local landowners after deciding to build on Islay.
“Ardnahoe was the last site we looked at, but as soon as we saw it, we knew it was a standout.
“The views across the Sound of Islay and the Paps of Jura are picture perfect, almost as if the land had been created for a distillery before one was ever built there.
“It was an easy decision to go for it after that.”
Although the years between then and now brought with them challenges including a global pandemic and a cost of living crisis, Ardnahoe continued steadily on its path to an inaugural release while welcoming tens of thousands of visitors annually.
The whisky business tends to think in decades rather than years, after all, Laing points out.
“It felt like all we talked about for a long time when we were trying to get the distillery up and running,” he continued.
“Working with family means that you share all of the trials and tribulations which have brought us closer together in many regards.
“The night before the whisky launched this month we all sort of took a deep breath and thought, ‘well, this is it, we’ve made it here’.
“There were a lot of bumps in the road and hurdles to jump over in the nine years before then, but we got there in the end.
“Seeing our bottle on the shelves feels like we’re finally receiving the payoff at the end.”
Ardnahoe’s debut whisky has been created using traditional methods under the watch of distillery manager Fraser Hughes.
Soft-peated Islay loch water is drawn from nearby Loch Ardnahoe, while the distillery differentiates itself by using two traditional worm-tub condensers – the only ones on the island.
“This is a one-off bottling and we’re very pleased with it,” Laing explained.
“It’s a mixture of ex-bourbon and ex-oloroso sherry casks bottled at 50% alcohol without colouring or chill filtration.
“As an Islay whisky, there is of course some peat but because of the production process, it's multi-dimensional with a definite sweetness to it.
“You don’t often find that in other whiskies from the island.”
Enhancing the celebratory atmosphere at Ardnahoe, the distillery will next week host an open day on Wednesday, May 29 as part of the world-renowned Fèis Ìle festival.
There, visitors from across the world will have the chance to sample the inaugural release or get their hands on a limited-edition bottling available exclusively on-site.
Asked what the future holds beyond that, Mr Laing said: “We’re going to spend the next few months enjoying the reaction we’ve received and spreading the word.
“It’s usually only single casks that we sell so it’s small batch after small batch, always starting from the beginning again.
“But with this, we can build up a head of steam and for the first time, there’s the potential to become a global brand.”
Of this prospect, Laing’s father added: “Building our own distillery was a hugely important and long dreamed-of step and it’s been a personal ambition of mine ever since I was posted to work on Islay at Bruichladdich
“From finding the perfect piece of land on Islay for the distillery back in 2015 to now seeing our first whisky released it truly is the culmination of a lifelong dream for the Laing family.”
The family behind Hunter Laing have been connected to the whisky industry for more than three generations.
Chairman Stewart Laing founded the firm with sons Andrew and Scott in 2013, after Douglas Laing & Co, the family business – including brands and assets - he had run with brother Fred for more than 40 years was split in two as part of succession planning.
The company, which is headquartered in Glasgow’s Park Circus, exports its whiskies to more than 70 countries.
For more information click here or discover the inaugural Ardnahoe release, here.
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