Ardnahoe 6-Years-Old “Small Batch” Private Aqvavitae Barflies Release

Ardnahoe 6-Years-Old “Small Batch” Private Aqvavitae Barflies Release

Ardnahoe Aqvavitae 6-Year-Old	Data Sheet
Private Bottling	For the Aqvavitae Barflies
Barcode	None
Distillery Owners	Hunter Laing & Co
Distilled	Feb 2019
Bottled	Aug 2025
Bottle No.	473 of 762
Price	£85
Alcohol Percentage (abv)	55%
Bottle Volume (cl)	70
Cask Maturation	3 First-Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrels
Non-Chill-Filtered	Yes
Natural Colour	Yes
Kashrus Status	No Kashrus issues
Kashrus certification	None

 Introduction

Continuing our theme on Islay whisky, I would like to review Roy Duff’s (of “Aqvavitae Barflies” fame), Single Malt Private Bottling, from Ardnahoe distillery. I’ve been sitting on this one for a few months now. Initially, I wasn’t going to review it as, after all, the bottle is very young and a one-off bottling from a brand-new distillery that’s only just started bottling its own spirit and perhaps will only be of interest to some. Besides, what’s the point of reviewing a Private Release Single Malt whisky (not even one of their official bottlings), that no one, who hasn’t already bought one of the 762 bottles, will ever get to try?

Well, I changed my mind. (1). Because Ardnahoe have just released a very similar young expression that’s also Ex-Bourbon Barrel matured, only it’s 5-Years, as opposed to this 6-Years. This is now available in the UK and I’m confident that it will be not dissimilar to this 6-Year-OLd, and (2) I believe that it will give us a very good indication of what the house style will be as far as peat strength and flavour profile of forthcoming releases from this fledgling but promising distillery. Besides, it's a great opportunity to give Roy's Aqvavitae YouTube channel a plug!

 

Ardnahoe distillery

The distillery was founded in 2018 by Hunter Laing & Co, owned by one half of the Laing family. It became Islay’s ninth distillery. (As of the time of writing, we are now up to eleven distilleries on Islay!). For the full story of the Laing family, their independent bottling company and the split that took place which resulted in two separate companies, Douglas Laing and Hunter Laing, please see my article here).

To me, “Ardnahoe” sounds like a Native North American tribe but it actually means “Height of the Hollow" in Scottish Gaelic. The name comes from the nearby water source, that is, Loch Ardnahoe.

We visited the newly opened distillery in 2019

The distillery is found in the north east of Islay on the road to Bunnahabhain distillery.

According to the Malt Whisky Year Book 2026, they have recently upgraded this road. I’m glad to hear it as I’ve driven up this road and I can tell you, it used to be a narrow single path with passing places every few hundred yards. I was always scared that at any moment, a huge lorry loaded with whisky casks would come hurtling around the corner, from Bunnahabhain distillery and that there’d be nowhere to move out of the way.

It is a beautifully designed building with a very impressive visitors centre including a café, bar and shop selling not only Ardnahoe products but other Hunter Laing bottlings as well

We visited in November 2019 when they as yet had no whisky. We hope to visit Islay Be’ezras Hashem, in February 2026 and perhaps I might be able to pick up a distillery bottling Ardnahoe Single Malt there, all be it young spirit. (Stay tuned).

Roy Duff And his Aqvavitae YouTube Channel

Roy began uploading videos on YouTube in 2016 from his home in Glasgow, Scotland and in less than 10 years has managed to develop his channel into one of the most influential and popular whisky YouTube channels out there with his catchphrase of “Whisky Evangelism".

From the beginning, what set his channel apart from the rest was his down-to-earth sincere and friendly personality along with his unique blend of authentic whisky education, entertainment, obvious passion for the subject and natural charm.

He saw initial success with his comprehensive guide to the pronunciation of Distillery names and then developed other running themed videos like his “Recycled Reviews” and of course, the “vPubs” (Virtual Pubs), his 3 hour long live streams every Thursday night. These vPubs exploded in popularity during the Covid era where, even though everyone was physically stuck in their homes all over the world, he brought hundreds of enthusiasts “together” to share in their love for all things whisky.

I think it’s a tribute to Roy that in all the years I have been participating in these vPubs, I have never witnessed any heated argument, let alone an insult or crude comment either from Roy, his guests or anyone in the live chat. When you compare that to some other whisky YouTube channel live streams, that’s quite an amazing achievement.

He has a special skill of explaining complex whisky terminology in simple plain English. Most importantly, with so many whisky YouTube channel hosts out there masquerading as whisky experts but actually talking complete nonsense, Roy succeeds in gaining peoples’ trust, perhaps because it soon becomes clear that he actually knows what he’s talking about. This is due to his extensive knowledge of the world of whisky, his enthusiasm for the subject and willingness to always learn from others, as well as his many friends in the industry. It also doesn’t hurt that he conveys it all in his silky-smooth native Glaswegian accent.

Roy’s Private Bottlings

Taking advantage of his friendships with many distillery managers in his native Scotland, he started producing his own limited edition private bottlings to sell to his loyal YouTube “Barflies” (as he calls those who participate in his vPubs), giving priority to Patreon members clubs. So far, he has produced private bottlings from Ardnamurchan, Daftmill, Loch Lomond, Ardnahoe and Glasgow 1770. It is his Ardnahoe 6-Year-Old which is the subject of this review.

But first…

The Jewish Ethics of Live Streaming Whisky Blind Tasting Challenges

I do enjoy Roy’s YouTube “Barfly” live streams where he talks about all things whisky every Thursday evening, despite the not inconsiderable challenge of his 3-hour broadcasts going out live at 11:45 at night here in Israel. I particularly relish his streaming live from distilleries or other whisky events and his excellent interviews with personalities within the whisky industry.

Now, I don’t want my next comments to be taken out of context. Roy is the kindest person you’ll ever hope to meet. He has a special gift of putting everyone he meets at ease and with the natural warmth of his personality, he gives you the feeling that you’ve been best buddies with him for years. He always shows humility and never shows off at what he knows and who he knows. He is, as I remind him occasionally, “a real mensch”!

Nevertheless, there is one type of broadcast which he hosts that, as a religious Jew, I do have an ethical problem with. Occasionally Roy enjoys putting on a live Blind-Tasting Contests which he calls the “Blind Challenge”. This involves inviting his fellow YouTube whisky reviewers or members of whisky clubs to participate in a competition to guess a selection of whiskies placed before them, and as the name would suggest, whose identities are hidden. They don’t know even from which region the whiskies come from or even if they are Scotch or some other world whisky.

Moreover (and this is where I particularly have a problem), presumably to enhance the entertainment value, the whiskies are often specifically chosen in order to mislead the participants into going down the wrong path, whether it be the type of whisky or whiskey, the region, etc, whereby they might end up making a totally incorrect identification.

I assume that most people watching would consider this just a piece of harmless fun and that I’m making a fuss about nothing, and besides, the participants willingly agree to take part. Nevertheless, in my opinion, the situation can lead to someone being publicly embarrassed, humiliated or at the very least, cause them not a little discomfort at the thought of guessing wrong in front of an audience of their peers, even if the person himself or herself, declares that they are fine with it.

In the beginning, I tried watching these “Blind Challenges” but would at some stage always switch off, as I found them extremely uncomfortable viewing. What I perceived (or perhaps it was simply me projecting my own feelings), was that some contestants were becoming really uncomfortable and squirming in their seats when they were told to choose from a number of options to place each whisk(e)y into a category, at the end of each stage in the challenge,

They may well have laughed at themselves and put on a brave face, but guessing wrong in front of others, especially when others got it right (either from skill or just pure luck), must surely have been humiliating?

One might ask, what is the difference between Blind-Tasting and a Pub Quiz, for instance? Well, for one thing, no one is forcing you to answer any question and it’s acceptable to keep quite if you don’t know an answer. Where as with the Blind-Challenge, you are forced to make a decision and give an answer, and what’s more, whether one admits it or not, your reputation as a knowledgeable whisky aficionado, in on the line.

I am actually not against the whole concept of Blind Tasting though, just not in a competition format. I think that there is a time and a place for it but only as a tool to educate in a non-threatening positive environment, by guiding people towards identifying different styles of whisky and then perhaps to identify the actual distillery. I do not think it should ever be used to try and trick someone, no matter how good natured it is and no matter how many times one says that “it’s just a bit of fun”!

It just so happens that this coming Shabbos we’ll be reading Parshas Vayeishev. This includes the story of Tamar and Yehuda (Bereishis 38:24-26). Tamar was brought before her father-in-law, Yehuda and accused of becoming pregnant through an illicit relationship. She offers no defence and Yehuda finds her guilty. She is then taken out to be thrown into a fiery furnace. Instead of pointing the finger directly at Yehuda in order to save her life, she simply sends a message to Yehuda (in the form of his seal, belt and staff, that he had given her after “the act” as collateral), that showed that in fact, Yehuda himself was the one who had gotten her pregnant.

רש"י   ...אָמְרָה אִם יוֹדֶה יוֹדֶה מֵעַצְמוֹ, וְאִם לָאו, יִשְׂרְפוּנִי, וְאַל אַלְבִּין פָּנָיו. מִכָּאן אָמְרוּ נוֹחַ לוֹ לָאָדָם שֶׁיַּפִּילוּהוּ לְכִבְשַׁן הָאֵשׁ וְאַל יַלְבִּין פְּנֵי חֲבֵרוֹ בָּרַבִּים:

Rashi to Bereishis 38:25: “…she said [to herself], if he admits by himself, then he will admit, and if not, they will burn me, but I won’t embarrass him [whiten his face]. From here, they said, ‘it is better for a person to throw himself into a fiery furnace than to embarrass [or humiliate] his fellow in public.” [See Gemaras in Berachos 43b; Bava Metzia 58b-59a and Sota 10b].

Upon receiving the items, Yehuda immediately owns up and publicly confesses the truth that it is him who has made Tamar pregnant.

The Rabbeinu Yonah (Sha’arei Teshuvah 3:139) likewise writes that the halacha of Halbanat Panim הלבנת פנים, is derived from the story of Tamar, and explains that shaming someone could be likened in many ways to actual attempted murder. That is, when the blood drains from the face of someone who is shamed, it is compared to actually shooting someone with an arrow and sheading his/her blood.

Based upon the above sources, I would have thought that participating in or even watching an event which might lead to someone being humiliated or embarrassed, is problematic to say the least. Torah Judaism places a very strong emphasis on preserving human dignity and avoiding actions that would cause shame or embarrassment to others. (As I have already mentioned, the Talmud actually equates this to the shedding of blood). I therefore decided not only not to participate in such Blind-Tasting competitions but not even to watch them*.

I must stress again that in no way am I giving a psak halacha. It’s simply my own very personal opinion. Am I exaggerating and taking this too far? Or perhaps you think that I haven’t gone far enough and it should be completely forbidden according to halacha, to participate in and watch such events? Please let me know what you think in the comments section below.

 

Ardnahoe 6-Years-Old “Small Batch” Private Aqvavitae Barfly Bottling – The Review

Product Design

Like the previous Single Malt I reviewed, this too comes with no protective box or container. Presumably, it’s all to do with “Saving the planet”. I personally would prefer some kind of box or canister. I’ve already given my reasons in a previous article. (See my review of the Deanston and Kilchoman Calvados Casks. Search for the keyword “earthquake”).

The bottle shape looks like a toilet brush and holder. The cork stopper is of the highest quality with a real wood top holding real cork with the distillery’s emblem tastefully burnt into the top.

The artwork is of a very minimalist design. Black lettering on a white background with a bit of gold trim around the edges and that’s about it. Information on the front label tells us everything we need to know, except the cask numbers used. However, unusually for even a Private Bottling, there is no back label, nor any splurge explaining what Aqvavitae is or how this bottling came about. There’s not even any “thank yous” or acknowledgements. Obviously, I would not have expected any marketing nonsense from Roy, but everyone likes to read something on the back label, whilst assessing the whisky. It might have been nice had he put his own personal tasting notes on the back? I feel that it was a wasted opportunity. Just my opinion.

Update: Roy told me in a WhatsApp that apparently, it was part of the conditions of the distillery that he wasn’t allowed to put a back label on the bottle. Also, he sent me a photo of one of the Jim Beam Bourbon barrels. Also of interest, he sent me an article about how the UK government has scrapped the old pink TAX Duty Stickers. That’s a shame.

Lastly, for a full introduction of the Ardnahoe 6-Year-Old, see this video that Roy recorded whilst bottling this release.

Appearance

It’s a bright and confident golden straw colour, typical of maturation in quality First-Fil Ex-Bourbon Barrel. I thought it appropriate to use my “Ardnahoe” Glencairn glass which I bought when visiting the distillery. It would have been the first time that genuine Ardnahoe spirit would have been poured into there. Swirling the liquid around in the glass, it shows typical signs of non-chill filtration with thick, syrupy, more or less horizontal streaks of alcohol making rings around the inside of the glass. Excellent stuff.

Aroma

Putting this to my nose, the first thing I notice is a lovely gentle sweet peatiness. This is not one of your Islay Peat brutish monsters. There’s elegance and subtlety here, and a sense of proportion.

Even at a massive bottling strength of 55% abv, without water it’s surprisingly approachable on the nose. Even at 6 years, it has a very graceful and majestic nose to it. I’d love to see how Ardnahoe liquid behaves given more time in the cask to absolve all the oak influence, say at 10 or 12-Year-Old.

Fresh coastal air on a cold spring day.

Outside Swimming pools.

Vanilla pods and coconut milk.

Sea Salt.

Antiseptic cream

Clean ash from burnt paper.

Pencil led.

It’s fruity like something mildly tropical. It’s not pineapple, mango or passion fruit. Perhaps some kind of a lightly sweet yellow/green tropical fruit, fresh but not as tangy and rich flavoured as the fruits mentioned. Let’s say Kiwi, Star or Annona fruit.

A slight touch of apples and honey.

With water, the fruits really come into focus. The fruity notes become richer but remain yellow/green.

All in all, it’s a delightful nose. Light but surprisingly complex.

Taste

Nice, very nice!

This is one of those rare whiskies where flavours are actually richer, complex and more expressive on the palate than the nose. In almost all cases, in my experience, either the flavour compliments the nose and continues the general themes of the aroma, or the nosing notes fail to carry through to the palate, where for instance, fruity smells don’t follow through into fruity flavours. Here though, the flavours are a magnified and enhanced version of the smells.

Swirling the liquid around in your mouth, there are flavours reminiscent of peaches, pineapple and honeydew melon which, even with water, strangely enough, don’t really come out on the nose. The flavours are fuller and richer with more body, than the aromas would ever suggest.

It seems to be a topsy-turvy whisky.

The peat is there on the tongue but integrates perfectly into the tangy fruits. I’d describe it as barbequed pineapple, citrus tangerines, grapes, kiwi with a touch of fresh mint.

With water, it brings out more biscuity textures like Custard Cream biscuits.

It reminds me of a lighter version of the Ardbeg medicinal, sticky plaster peat style.

Dry Antiseptic with Lemon/Orange Citrus.

Finish

It’s a relatively short finish but clean, refreshing and fruity.

Conclusion

When introducing this Ardnahoe on one of his vPubs, Roy Duff spoke about how he sampled many different Bourbon barrels until he settled on these three. I think his palate is excellent. He chose well. This is a delicious Single Malt and although young spirit, it shows more maturity than many 10-Year-Olds and strongly indicates in which direction Ardnahoe is going as far as the house style in concerned.

Kol HaKavod for the decision to put a young Age Statement on the label. I wish more distilleries would have the backbone to do this. When you have a situation when you’ve got the majority of the spirit being 10-15 years and a small percentage being 6-years in order to bulk up the volume, I can understand why they would choose to make it a NAS. However, when you have the majority or even all the liquid aged for 6 years, there really is no excuse not to state the age. If it’s good whisky, like the case here, then it will speak for itself and anyone who is put off by the age statement, well, perhaps it’s just as well and this whisky isn’t for them.

As far as the best up and coming distillery, making phenomenal Integrity quality whisky, for me, it comes down to Lochlea, Glasgow 1770 and Ardnahoe this year. (I don’t consider Kilchoman and Bruichladdich “up and coming” anymore. They are pretty well-established distilleries now).

Despite its high price, I am very pleased I bought this bottle, not only because it’s tasty whisky but also because it supports Roy’s work. He deserves it. Having said that, because of its high price, it isn’t in the running for candidate for my personal Whisky of the Year 2025.

Comparing The Ardnahoe 6-Year-Old with the Bruichladdich Organic Barley 2012

Yes, I've had this bottle since before Rosh Hashana

After the Seudas Shabbos, I was sitting with a close friend and neighbour last Friday night, and we were comparing this Ardnahoe 6-Year-Old alongside the Bruichladdich Organic Barley 2012 10-Year-Old. For me, it was an unfair comparison as the Bruichladdich showed richer juicier plush fruits contrasting with complex savoury flavours and oak spices, as it would for an older Single Malt.

If you remember from my last review, I did note down “peach” as one of the fruity flavour notes for the Bruichladdich, but it was truly amazing just how dominant that peach juice flavour became whilst switching to and from the Ardnahoe.

But my friend then completely blindsided me when he announced that he much preferred this Ardnahoe to the Bruichladdich, finding it fresher, fruitier and more exciting. Being a bit of a Peat-Head, he also was no doubt enjoying that elegant Ardnahoe smoky peat, which of course, the Bruichladdich lacks.

I agreed that the Ardnahoe is lovely young whisky and its peat was something really special, but putting it up against this Bruichladdich Organic Barley 2012 for me, there was no competition. The Bruichladdich is in a different league.

For me, it’s like comparing the excellent and much-loved Toyota Rav4 Hybrid 2025 (at about £45,000) with the Land Rover-Range Rover Hybrid (costing just under £100,000). The Range Rover is more powerful, sturdier, statelier and more refined.

However, that’s where the SUV analogy ends because both the Ardnahoe and Bruichladdich cost the same amount of money, that is, £85. Yes, I know that the Ardnahoe costs more than an official Ardnahoe bottling because it’s a private bottling, but £85 is £85, and if I were to spend that amount of money on a bottle again, it would be the Organic Barley every time.

The Ardnahoe 5-Year-Old Bourbon Barrel official bottling is selling for £70, which being young spirit, seems a little excessive to me. So, compared to Roy’s release, perhaps another £15 for an extra year’s maturation as well at it being a private bottling doesn’t seem so bad now. Nevertheless, speaking objectively, it’s still not terrific value for money, and that’s why it's not in the running to win my Whisky of the Year 2025 award.

As I mentioned earlier, I’d be very interested in trying an older Ardnahoe at say 10 years when it’s releases in a few years’ time, although I fear that, going by current distillery pricing decisions, the RRP for an Ardnahoe 10-Year-Old might be well outside of my budget.

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* For further reading on this subject see “The Implications of Preventing Embarrassment” by Rav Binyamin Zimmerman :

The Penei Yehoshua (Bava Metzia 58b) offers another possibility in the name of the Tosafot Yom Tov, citing the Midrash Shemuel: one who embarrasses another and strips away his or her sense of dignity violates the Tzelem Elokim, the image of G-d in which every human is created.

It is this divine image that reflects the Neshama (soul).  Therefore, one who displays a disregard for his image by volunteering to be placed in a humiliating situation, thereby undermines the dignity of his own neshama.

Interestingly, this would seem to be the source behind the Ashkenazi minhag that a single official be appointed to a shul as the Ba'al Koreh - for reading from the Parshas HaShavuah, rather than each person being called up for his Aliyah and made to read for himself. The Tosafos (Bava Basra 15a; Rosh Hashanah 27a; Menachos 30a) write that this was done to ensure that those who don't know how to read from the Sefer Torah will not be made to be publicly embarrassed.