Review #655 - Ardnahoe Infinite Loch

Finally, we get our hands on some Ardnahoe single malt. While this distillery has been making waves for the last year or so with its inaugural release and the following core range bottles, distribution has taken a little while to grow in the United States. That's not uncommon with these young Scotch distilleries, but this is a distillery which we've been looking forward to tasting. It isn't very often that we get to try young whisky from a 'brand new' Islay distillery.

Ardnahoe's Infinite Loch is named for a lake near the distillery - Loch Ardnahoe. Supposedly, 'no one' knows the true depth of this loch, hence the name 'Infinite.' The loch provides soft water for use in the distillery's production; they use malt which is peat smoked for 20 hours, and their fermentation time is 65 to 70 hours long, which is more than average, but not exceptionally long. A combination of shorter stills with descending lyne arms and worm tub condensers should give this single malt a nice heft after maturation.

This Infinite Loch expression is aged in a combination of ex-bourbon casks and ex-sherry casks, much like the Inaugural release that arrived in 2024. After an undisclosed maturation time (3 to 6 years, given the age of the distillery), this whisky is bottled at a strength of 50% ABV.

Ardnahoe Infinite Loch

Scotland/Islay - Single Malt

Price: USD 60 (2025)

Age Statement: NAS

Strength: 50% ABV

Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks

Details: Not chill filtered, no color added

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 3 months; bottles at 100%, 90%, and 80% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: It smells oily and briny, with moderate peat and some black pepper spice. Lemons, limes, and fleshy orange add a fruit side; icing sugar brings sweetness. At times it's a bit musty and vegetal, and we get some mineral notes.

Palate: The mouthfeel has a medium thickness; it's spicy up front, with relatively strong peat, hints of jalapenos, and a bit of wood smoke. Tart lemon and drying oak come in, but there's a juicy orange and lemon-lime soda note behind that; there's a strong mineral element, and we get a lovely petrichor note. It's quite oily, and a bit spirity and youthful, too.

Finish: Peat continues to grow stronger, and again there's some charcoal or wood smoke to add a smoky side. Lime and lemon citrus, sea salt, olive oil, and wood spice linger; there's a fizzy sensation, and then it begins to mellow out. It's a medium-long finish.

Final Note: There's some really nice character here - good building blocks, a really nice spirit character. This bottle is still a bit young and spirity, as you might expect, but it does have some nice fruity flavor development behind the peat smoke. Good whisky as it is, but we're looking forward to tasting some Ardnahoe with a bit more age on it.

Value is pretty good, above average. In the realm of Islay core range single malts, this bottle comes in around the middle, maybe even on the cheaper side of things, and it does have good quality.

Our Average Rating: 6.5 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 6.64

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.