Review by: dustbunna

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Distillery: Ardnahoe.

Bottler: Distillery bottling.

Region: Islay.

ABV: 50%.

Age: 5 years. Bottled in 2024.

Cask type: Ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry vatting.

Price: $59 USD for 350mL (bottle split, full bottle cost $118).

Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Bottle open across approx. 3 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.

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Nose: twiggy smoke, pool chemicals, wet rocks, lemon and orange candies, icing sugar, hints of Thai curry spices.

Palate: full and oily body ~ lemons, minerals, TCP, herbs (Ricola lozenges), brine, mellow floral notes in the background, cotton candy, more wet rocks, lime zest.

Finish: long ~ thick medicinal smoke, hints of mint leaf and moss, a bit more TCP, honey.

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Conclusion: Wow, Ardnahoe comes out swinging right away with this inaugural bottling. The first modern worm tubs on Islay, plus a release delayed while they waited for their stock to mature to 5 years, meant that there was a lot of expectation for this distillery from the community—and in my opinion, they delivered. This is wonderfully engaging for its age, bold and flavorful, but not brutish like some other young Scottish peat (both on and off the island.) Ardnahoe has put forward a style that reminds me strongly of both Caol Ila and Ardnamurchan in different facets, balancing medicinal, forested and fruity elements nicely. Like with many newer distilleries, I’m really interested in seeing how their whisky ages, but it’s incredibly enjoyable right now—they’ve quickly shot to the top of my watch list for other releases to try.

Final Score: 87.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.