Ardnahoe Chairmans Selection 6 y.o. - Heavily Peated Sherry & Bourbon Casks

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 60.2% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

This limited six-year-old Chairman’s Selection is the first release from Ardnahoe’s heavily peated stocks. It combines first-fill Oloroso hogsheads, first-fill PX quarter casks and first-fill bourbon casks. Following the specifications of founder and chairman Stewart Laing, the whisky was bottled at a cask strength of 60.2%, with no added colouring and without chill filtration. Each 0.7-litre bottle also comes with a personal letter from Stewart Laing.

The combination of the three cask types meets a distinctly smoke-led aromatic profile: coastal salt and cocoa accompany the peat smoke, while lemon curd, honeyed malt and stewed plums provide sweet and fruity contrasts. Ash, black pepper and salted toffee define the dry finish.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Powerful peat smoke reaches the nose with coastal salt and rich cocoa.
• Palate: On the palate, the smoke becomes earthy and smouldering, while lemon curd, honeyed malt and stewed plums provide sweet and fruity contrasts.
• Finish: The long, increasingly dry finish combines ashy peat embers, freshly cracked black pepper and a nuance of salted toffee.

Distillery/Bottler:

Ardnahoe Distillery produces and bottles this Islay single malt. The distillery stands beside Loch Ardnahoe in north-eastern Islay and grew from Stewart Laing’s wish to make his own whisky with his sons Andrew and Scott after founding Hunter Laing & Co. in 2013. Construction began in late 2016; the first distillations took place in October 2018, and cask 001 was filled on 9 November that year.

Ardnahoe uses water from nearby Loch Ardnahoe in its production. Fermentation lasts around 65 to 70 hours. Two stills with unusually long, downward-sloping lyne arms provide extensive copper contact; the vapour is then condensed in traditional worm tubs, an uncommon feature on Islay. Through slow, gentle distillation, Ardnahoe aims to create a fruity, peated spirit.

Facts: