【Exclusive Interview】Fraser Hughes: Distillery Manager at Islay’s rising star, Ardnahoe Distillery

2018 Stuart Laing and his sons, Andrew and Scott, established Ardnahoe Distillery. On May 10th, 2024, Ardnahoe unveiled their inaugural bottle of 5-year-old whisky, which is a testament to Ardnahoe’s unique story and legacy.

An interview with Fraser Hughes, the seasoned Distillery Manager with a wealth of experience, will shed light on his background and the journey of Ardnahoe from its inception.

This article explores the story behind Ardnahoe Whisky, delving into the creator’s journey and the distillery’s efforts to compete with industry giants on Islay. Ardnahoe strives to establish itself as an independent whisky distillery by constantly producing exceptional whisky and embracing its heritage as being owned by spectacular whisky bottlers.

About Fraser Hughes

Introduction and Connection to Islay

Dear WHISKY：
Could you introduce yourself, please?

Fraser：
I am Fraser Hughes, Distillery Manager at Ardnahoe Distillery. I was born and bred in Inverness since my dad worked at Tomatin Distillery. I have been in the whisky industry most of my life, even as a young kid. My dad moved around different distilleries quite a bit, and two of my brothers are in the whisky industry, as well as my son, so it’s in the blood. My son works for Kilchoman Distillery, also in Islay. 

Dear WHISKY：
Did your father’s career inspire you to work in the distilleries?

Fraser：
Yes. As a young kid, I always grew up around distilleries, so it was a natural progression.

Listen, it’s the best job in the world. It’s not a job; it’s more of a vocation or a hobby.

You get paid for doing something that you enjoy.

Dear WHISKY：
What was it like to grow up in Inverness?

Fraser：
It’s all surrounded by whisky distilleries, not only in Speyside but more in the Highland regions.

Dear WHISKY：
When did you come to Islay?

Fraser：
This is the second time I’ve been here. My dad moved here in 1979, when I was 12 years old, because he was a manager at Bowmore Distillery. Later in life, I met and married my wife; she was from Islay. We travelled around Scotland, I worked for a few different distilleries and then moved back here in 2018. 

Joining Whisky industry

Dear WHISKY：
What was your first role when you entered the whisky industry?

Fraser：
My first job was as a tour guide at Bowmore Distillery in 1983, and I later progressed to a warehouse role there. Then I moved to Auchentoshan Distillery.

Dear WHISKY：
What was your role at Auchentoshan?

Fraser：
I started with a warehouse job and was given the mashman job later. I worked for ten years as an operator, mashman, and stillman.

Dear WHISKY：
What did you do after that?

Fraser：
I worked as a Senior Process Operator at Glen Garioch Distillery. Glen Garioch was mothballed in 1995 and reopened in 1997. I was asked to look after the refurbished distillating operation and eventually got promoted to the Distillery Manager.

At the same time, I was given the same position at Auchentoshan, so I had a dual managing role at two different distilleries.

Dear WHISKY：
How did you manage two distilleries at once?

Fraser：
I did two days a week at Auchentoshan and three days a week at Glen Garioch. I was moving around every week, living out of a suitcase. But my family was in Oldmeldrum (near Glen Garioch), so that was my base.

History of Ardnahoe Distillery

Origin of the distillery

Dear WHISKY：
When did the idea of establishment of Ardnahoe originate?

Fraser：
Probably all the way back in the sixties from Stuart’s point of view. Because he came to Islay and learned everything about whisky here, he has dreamed about building a distillery there since then. Obviously, it took him a few decades to get there, but the concept started adequately in 2013 or 2014. In these scenarios, you could buy or build a distillery.

I think it was around then he thought, “Why don’t we build a distillery on Islay?”

Dear WHISKY：
Why do you think he decided to build one?

Fraser：
I obviously don’t know everything in his mind, but I know that his dream was to one day either own or build a distillery on Islay. I think they tried to buy a couple of distilleries previously, but it isn’t easy to buy an established distillery. You’re fighting against so many different people, so why not build a distillery?

Perfect location for a distillery

Dear WHISKY：
How was this location chosen to establish the distillery?

Fraser：
There were five or six sites that the Laing Family were looking at on Islay, but this place wasn’t even on the radar, and they weren’t going to look at this area. They had already chosen one of the other five sites, but Iain Hepburn, Project Manager, and Jim McEwan wanted to come up to this place, thinking it was ideal. Although the Laing Family was not a massive fan of the uphill, they changed their mind when they came up and saw Loch Ardnahoe, an abundance of water for whisky production. It was a beautiful sunny day, and once they went over the hill and saw the view, they instantly forgot the other five.

This was the place; this was a site that they wanted.

Independent distillery caried by dream and passion

Dear WHISKY：
What is the strength of being an independent distillery? 

Fraser：
It’s a family ethos for me. Producing new make spirits and making whisky is about the family and the passion you can bring. It’s different with an enormous corporation because you’ve got shareholders and people to appease. Meanwhile, with a family and a smaller independent company, you can pick up the phone or email the head guy directly. And likewise, they can pick up the phone and email me about anything. This is what traditional distilleries were like before bigger corporations bought them all. 

Encounter with Ardnahoe

Joining as the initial member

Dear WHISKY：
When did you join Ardnahoe?

Fraser：
It was in 2018. The building was three-quarters of the way complete when I came here. The pot stills and the mash tun were sitting outside, waiting to be put into place. However, the bulk of the design and the building work was completed before I came on board.

Dear WHISKY：
How were you introduced to Ardnahoe?

Fraser：
Through Jim McEwan. I have known Jim for a long time since he was the person who gave me my very first start in the whisky industry as a warehouseman at Bowmore Distillery.

Dear WHISKY：
Did you guys work together back then?

Fraser：
When I was at Bowmore, Jim was the Distillery Manager because he took over from my dad in 1985. He gave me my first proper distillery job, pushing barrels as a warehouseman.

Jim and I go way back; we kept in touch even after Jim went his own way, and eventually, he got me involved here.

Coming back to Islay

Dear WHISKY：
Were you aware of Ardnahoe being built?

Fraser：
Jim and I talked a bit about it previously, he said, “There might be something coming up on Islay for you. Would you move back?” At the time, I said no, but then my wife and I were on holiday in Islay; we were walking the dog up Main Street in Bowmore with Jim. Jim asked me again in front of my wife, knowing she was desperate to get back as an Islay native. Obviously, I had to say yes. 

Dear WHISKY：
What was your initial impression?

Fraser：
Jokes aside, I was delighted to come back to Islay. Who gets the opportunity to actually start the distillery from the ground up? It was a great opportunity and timing. 

Dear WHISKY：
I would assume your wife is happy to be back as well.

Fraser：
Yes, of course, she is very happy.

Happy wife, happy husband.

Working at Ardnahoe Distillery

Role at the Ardnahoe

Dear WHISKY： What is your role at Ardnahoe Distillery?

Fraser：
As a Distillery Manager, I do everything and anything daily. I can give a VIP tour if the guys need a hand on tours. I even help out by making coffee from time to time. We cover shifts. We’ve got three management here. We’ve got myself, a Distillery Operations Manager, and a Compliance Manager. We can all kick in and cover shifts if it’s required.

Dear WHISKY：
What is it like working in such an environment?

Fraser：
To me, that’s what it’s all about. It’s being hands-on at the same time as being hands-off in directing and quality. And that’s another good thing about a small independent company.

You get the opportunity to do all the hands-on stuff.

While with the more giant corporates, once you become a Distillery Manager or a Site Operation Manager, that is your job. 

Employment strategy

Dear WHISKY：
How many people work at Ardnahoe currently?

Fraser：
We have six operators, three Visitor Centre staff, Elizabeth as the VIP executive, and Billy and Marie as the customer service executives for giving tours. Then we have Julie at the coffee bar, which Marie also helps. They’re all front-facing people who are great with people. It’s a small team of people who can all do a bit of everything.

Dear WHISKY：
What kind of people do you employ?

Fraser：
It all depends on the personality and character. Of course, experience also goes a long way, but so does common sense. We are a traditional distillery, so things do go wrong from time to time. That is why I’m looking for somebody with common sense who can take direction but can also operate well on their own under pressure.

Dear WHISKY：
Would you employ someone with no experience at all? 

Fraser：
Hundred percent! I like taking on green people, I mean people new to the industry, as long as they’ve got a passion for it.

Ultimately, every distillery has its own way of producing.

This means if I were to hire somebody from another distillery in the northeast of Scotland and bring them over here, what experience would he bring here? We are making nothing else but Ardnahoe Whisky here. 

Hiring people without an experience

Dear WHISKY：
What do you look for when hiring green people?

Fraser：
If they are willing to learn, I’m happy with that. It’s then about the person because we are a front-facing industry. The tour guides, staff, coffee bar, and operators will all interact with people. Therefore, we need to be human as well. We’ve got to communicate and actually have time to speak to you guys.

Dear WHISKY：
Why do you value communication that much?

Fraser：
The last thing I want for the tour guides is to rush through a tour rather than give visitors the time and experience you’re looking for.

This is because you guys are our ambassadors.

You guys are taking away stories from here. To me it’s about our whole distillery. Even if it is an experienced guy who wants to join us, he’s got to be the right person to fit in with what I’ve got here.

Whisky Production

Ingredients

Dear WHISKY：
Where do you source the water from?

Fraser：
All the production water is taken from the Loch Ardnahoe. And since this is a peated land, we are producing a peated new make spirit. It’s incredible how water from here enhances the whisky. It’s like we’ve got peated water mixed with peated malted barley, and the softness of the water gives an outstanding smooth balance in a new make spirit. 

Ardnahoe Whisky

Dear WHISKY：
What kind of spirit does Ardnahoe produce?

Fraser：
We make fruit-forward, sweet, and smoky whisky that comes up in layers.

You get the fruit upfront, then get the sweetnesse, and finally the smoke comes up.

But the smoke is lovely; it’s not the spicy, in-your-face kind. It just comes up and lingers.

Commitment towards fruit-forward whisky

Dear WHISKY：
How do you achieve that flavour profile?

Fraser：
The grind has to have the right consistency. If you grind too tight, it will have more flowery consistency. So you’ll get more of the oils and wax that comes through. To create that lovely fruit-forward spirit, we break it open gently and have bigger bits of middles (grits). The ratio we like is 65% middles, 25% husks, and 10% flowers.

Dear WHISKY：
What is your mashing process like?

Fraser：
Using those corser grists, we drop in the first water, which has to have a perfect temperature because we look for optimum extract as much as optimum quality. However, getting both right simultaneously is extremely hard, and that’s why the grind is most important. Our process is unique because although we’ve got a semi-lauter mash tun, we use it like a traditional mash tun and don’t agitate it too much. This produces an excellent clear wort suitable for secondary fermentation.

Dear WHISKY：
Why does having a clear wash result in a fruitier spirit?

Fraser：
In the cloudier wort, the yeast would have less impact with sugar, and waxes and oils from flour could mask some of the fruits you’re looking to produce.

However, because our work is nice and clear, yeast has a more significant impact on the wash, resulting in fruitier flavour development.

Distillation process

Dear WHISKY：
What does your distillation look like?

Fraser：
We run our stills slower and methodically to give it as much copper contact as possible.

This is why we got the longest lyne arms in Scotch whisky distilleries.

Dear WHISKY：
How does a warm tub influence your spirit?

Fraser：
Warm tubs are great. We’re back to tradition with warm tubs because you can produce many different bodies of new make spirit with a warm tub, depending on how you run the stilts.

Although a warm tub offers less copper contact than a shell & tube, you get to control and adjust how heavy you want the spirit to be.

This allows us to make different types of spirits, such as more heavy-bodied or more smoke coming through.

Dear WHISKY：
Why do Ardnahoe Distillery stick to traditional methods? 

Fraser：
Quality. It’s a passion inside me, and there’s nothing better than your eyes, ears, and nose. You can set the parameters and let the machine do the job. Still, I trust more in operators being proactive and making minor tweaks rather than computers fighting against problems constantly. That is why I’m an advocate for traditional methods.

Dear WHISKY：
Which whisky production process is the most crucial stage for Ardnahoe?

Fraser：
In terms of getting fruit-forward spirit, you must get the recipe right in the mash tun. What you do in the mash house is the most crucial part of making Whisky. Fruit flavour is all about the mash tun’s temperatures, flow rates, consistency, and recipes.

That said, making a new make spirit for me is only 30% of the whisky production. The cask selection is 70%.

Because no matter how great of a new make spirit you make, you will ruin it if you put that into the wrong cask. 

Ardnahoe taste

Dear WHISKY：
How was Ardnahoe’s taste created?

Fraser：
It was a joint effort. My assistant David Livingston and Jim were involved as well at the start. On top of that, the Laing family were heavily involved as well. Andrew, Scott, and Stewart had a vision that they wanted an iconic island smokey but different and unique from other distilleries on Islay. 

Dear WHISKY：
How do you come up with the recipe?

Fraser：
To start a new distillery and produce a new make spirit or a brand new whisky, you’ve got to know what you want to begin with. And then, you’ve got to work back the way to the start. It’s like making a pot of soup; you have to decide what kind of soup you want in order to start cooking. With the basic recipe, you can change things as you move along to get there.

That’s my philosophy on creating a brand-new whisky. 

Ardnahoe Brand

Story behind the logo

Dear WHISKY：
Could you explain the logo design?

Fraser：
We have the Paps of Jura in the back and the Sound of Islay with the waves. The distillery is in the centre, so it is a well-thought-out design.

Dear WHISKY：
It’s amazing how the beautiful view from the distillery is converted into the logo.

Fraser：
Initially, the distillery was going to be facing the Paps of Jura, but the design engineer, Iain Hepburn, decided to move it a few degrees. So when you look out, you’re still getting the Paps, but you’re also getting the Isle of Mull and Oronsay.

Like that, even that slight change just opened up the view.

Building a distillery on top of the hill on Islay

Dear WHISKY：
What is your favourite part about the building?

Fraser：
The design team made it industrial, so even in the cafe section, you’re getting the different smells from the mash, tun, and distillation through the ventilation. This is because this part of the building was meant to be a malt floor and a kiln, but they decided to put a coffee bar instead.

Dear WHISKY：
What was the biggest challenge in building this distillery?

Fraser：
All of the above. Because we are sitting on a hill, we had to move hundreds of thousands of tons of rock to get the base for where we are. The amount of hill they had to dig away was phenomenal. That was a big challenge. 

Dear WHISKY：
Were there Islay specific issues that you faced?

Fraser：
Getting the materials onto Islay was a big challenge, but that was not it. In 2018, I was here when the external frame was up, but they still had to do the internal block work. At that time, the Beast from the East (extreme cold wave) hit mid-March and went all the way through to the end of April.

The builders were mixing the cement, but it was going off due to cold wind before they could even put it onto the bricks.

This put the building plan back six weeks. This was a major challenge. 

Ardnahoe Whisky

Inaugural Release is out now!

Dear WHISKY：
Are you excited about Ardnahoe’s first release on May 10th?

Fraser：
It’s very exciting, but at the same time, it’s apprehensive because, obviously, we want the world to love it. 

Dear WHISKY：
What would you describe this whisky as?

Fraser：
It has got good complexity and maturity for a 5-year-old. The balance is impeccable as you get the right flavours at the right timing you should be getting. The fruits forward, the sweet flavors coming through and then the smoke coming up at the end.

Dear WHISKY：
What would be the release plan from now on?

Fraser：
To create the story, I would like it to be an annual thing.

We don’t have hundreds of years of history, so it’s about building a story until we reach a core range of 10, 15, or 20-year-olds. It’ll be an ongoing story-building.

Future Prospects

Future products

Dear WHISKY：
Will Ardnahoe stick to light or medium-peated whisky in the future?

Fraser：
We have yet to find out, and that’s the great thing about working for an independent company. I want to produce different things, let them mature and then see what we can do with them. But that’s the Laing family’s decision.

Hence, as a new distillery, we want to get our core Whisky right.

We need that to start building your story, but you still need other offshoots from the trees to do different things.

Dear WHISKY：
What is your strategy for creating a good core range?

Fraser：
You’ve got to get the consistency at the start, whether bad, indifferent, or good. You can work on improving the bad consistency as long as it’s consistent. The last thing you want is to produce different standard Ardnahoe Whiskies every year. 

The goal of the distillery

Dear WHISKY：
What is the goal for Ardnahoe Distillery?

Fraser：
To make another iconic Islay Whisky and join the greats. It will take 50 or 60 years of making a great Whisky and letting people enjoy that story as we go along. Additionally, we want to reinvest in the environment as part of the distillery’s growth. 

Dear WHISKY：
What is your next personal goal?

Fraser：
I don’t set goals personally because I enjoy doing what I do. If I were to set a goal, it would mean moving away from what I do. Instead, you’ve got to set self-targets to achieve.

This is only the start of the journey.

The first step was building, the second step was producing, and the third step was maturing. There will be different targets, one after another. 

Message for Dear WHISKY Readers

I started my career with Morrison Bowmore Distillers, and then Suntory came along. I was at Auchentoshan Distillery when Suntory got their guys through Herriot Watt University. Then, they would come to Auchentoshan to get practical experience in mashing and distillation. So, I was lucky enough to meet many talented Japanese whisky makers. Japan has a great philosophy and some absolutely superb quality whiskies. 

At Last

Ardnahoe Distillery’s internal connection to create a fantastic whisky and distillery experience is an inspiration to many companies, even outside of the whisky industry. Fraser’s love and enthusiasm towards whisky making are outstanding.

What’s even more fascinating is his dedication to future-proofing the distillery by hiring people with great personalities and creating a story through consistent whisky production.

The Ardnahoe Inaugural Release are available now and will reach countries worldwide. Please take advantage of an opportunity to get your hands on them since there will only be 75,000 bottles available globally!