Scottish whisky loses a pioneer: Stewart Hunter Laing has passed away

On 10 April, Stewart Hunter Laing passed away. He was one of the most influential figures in the Scotch whisky industry and enjoyed a long career in the whisky world. He died surrounded by his family at the age of 79. With his passing, the whisky world loses a pioneer who left his mark on the industry for more than 60 years.

Stewart Hunter Laing was the founder of Ardnahoe Distillery and managing director at independent bottler Hunter Laing, the company behind Old Malt Cask. His career had begun long before that.

Laing began his career in 1963 at Hiram Walker in the Dumbarton complex, where he gained experience in sales and administration. Shortly after, he went to work at the Bruichladdich Distillery, where he spent around six months. There he learned the art of distilling, which energized him immensely.

Laing spent most of his career at the family business Douglas Laing & Co Ltd. Together with his father and brother, he grew the company into an international player. For years he focused on blended whisky, but around the turn of the millennium he set his sights on single cask bottlings.

Around that time, he also launched Old Malt Cask. In 1990 the company received the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement, an accolade Stewart was particularly proud of. In 2013 a new chapter began when Laing founded Hunter Laing & Co Ltd together with his sons.

Although the company initially remained active as an independent bottler, he had one great dream left: to build a distillery of his own. That dream came true when he opened Ardnahoe Distillery on Islay in 2018. For his contribution to the whisky world, he was inducted into the Keepers of the Quaich and later honored as a Master. He was also a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Distillers.

Despite health challenges in his later years, Laing remained closely connected to his life’s work. He stayed involved well past the usual retirement age with all his bottlings and with Ardnahoe Distillery.

He is survived by his wife Yvonne, to whom he was married for 49 years, his children Anna, Andrew, and Scott, and his grandchildren Alice and Penny. On Instagram (see the post above), his family pays him a heartfelt tribute.