Review #794 - Ardnahoe 5 Year Inaugural Release
Ardnahoe's inaugural release in 2024 was the first initial bottling we've seen from Islay since Kilchoman's launch back in 2009. While some new distilleries have been releasing 3 year old whisky as their first bottlings, which is the minimum age required to be called Scotch whisky, Ardnahoe waited until the spirit from their first year of production was 5 years old.
This single malt was aged in a combination of ex-bourbon casks and Oloroso sherry casks (made with European oak). In the classic Islay fashion, this is a heavily peated single malt - the barley used in production is peated for around 20 hours to add that characteristic smoke note. The distillery bottled this 5 year single malt at a solid strength of 50% ABV, so we should get plenty of flavor delivery.
As the newest distillery on the 'whisky island,' there's quite a bit of hype to live up to - let's see how Ardnahoe handled it.
Ardnahoe 5 Year Inaugural Release
Scotland/Islay - Single Malt
Price: USD 70 (2026)
Age Statement: 5 Years
Strength: 50% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled 2019, bottled 2024
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 6 months; bottles at 100%, 80% (blind tasting), and 70% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Peat starts subtle but grows over time, and there's nice depth overall. Orange, grape, cranberry, and blackberry jam lead a cadre of fruits, and there are baking scents of vanilla and cake icing. Musty notes and some salinity build, and we get a backbone of malt. Accents include mineral notes, more brine, and herbs.
Palate: Grilled jalapenos, medium to strong peat, good texture - there's a nice weight to this, and the mouthfeel has a medium thickness or so. Drying wood smoke, charcoal, and salt are balance by subtle dark fruit like raisin. There's a hint of pipe tobacco and black pepper as well, and we get green notes like lime and moss.
Finish: Ashy tobacco, mineral notes and salt - it's quite coastal, and the peat smoke is relatively strong but not overwhelming at this point. Fizzy soda and tart lemon add a bright side, and we get a subtle medicinal note. The aftertaste is full of buttery malt; it's a medium-long finish.
Final Note: This is a great inaugural release, one of the best that we can remember from this new wave of distilleries over the past 15 years. Despite that age of 5 years, it doesn't taste too youthful - the casks are well integrated and cover up the sharper edges of the spirit.
The amount of peat is good but not quite as strong as some Islay competitors like Laphroaig and Ardbeg; we also enjoyed the nice mixture of facets to the flavor profile, including fruits, baking notes, and malt. There's a great weight to this spirit too, almost definitely helped by the use of worm tubs in the condensation process during production.
In terms of value, we think this is a great bottle. In some markets, this release is now getting a bit harder to find, but we still see it regularly here in the US; at a price of $65 to $70, this brings a lot of potent flavors and complexity.
Our Rating: 7.4 / 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: 7.26
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.
Check out our other Ardnahoe reviews:
