Celtic rock band Skerryvore is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a collaboration with Islay distillery Ardnahoe. Originally formed in 2005 on the Isle of Tiree, the band joined Ardnahoe last year as global ambassadors.
The whisky release is a five-year-old single malt made up from ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. Each of the band’s eight members selected one cask to be included, resulted in the small-batch single malt.
The casks became Skerryvore XX, nodding to the band’s two decades. Like Ardnahoe’s inaugural release, which debuted in May 2024, the whisky has an age statement of 5 Years Old. Tasting notes provided by the distillery highlight flavours of candied almonds, salted caramel, and tropical fruit, with savoury coastal notes.
The band's whisky interest extend beyond the new bottling: as part of both the 20th anniversary celebrations and the partnership with Ardnahoe, Skerryvore has been hosting ‘Whisky Sessions’ events on its current US tour. The events include “stories, songs, and whisky tastings”.
Seven of the band’s eight members shared their thoughts on the milestone whisky collaboration with Whisky Magazine.
Did you ever envision that as a group, you would ever launch your own whisky expression?
Alec Daglish: We feel really fortunate as a group to have been offered such a hands-on experience with launching our own bespoke whisky expression. I don’t think we ever imagined we’d be afforded so much freedom and input on what the final whisky would taste like. It’s been an incredibly informative and rewarding experience and we hope that everyone loves it as much as we do.
You each selected a cask — how did you go about choosing the one that spoke to your taste and personality?
Fraser West: Selecting the casks was an incredible experience. We had around 30 different casks to choose from so it was a little daunting initially. The first thing I looked for was colour, I wanted something deep, rich, and powerful, a bit like the drums. I was looking for sweetness on the nose and a syrupy mouth feel, but with a little woodiness and a hint of smoke. I found it quite easy to identify the casks I liked after that — the hard part was deciding which one I liked best.
Any fun stories or disagreements during the cask selection process or tasting process?
Martin Gillespie: A day out making the cask selection and tasting process was a dream day for some of us in the band. As you can imagine there were a lot of drams to try from the different casks. Believe it or not there were quite a few drams we had all selected so whittling it down to the final eight didn’t cause any scraps! It was amazing to see the final dram come together.
How was that feeling of seeing the first bottles being filled? You must have been proud?
Alan Scobie: The day we all spent at the bottling plant was amazing. To see the finished packaging and label for the bottle for the first time was really exciting and to push the button to start the bottling process and see those first bottles being filled was a very proud moment for all of us.
Tell us about the ‘Whisky Sessions’ on your US tour — what’s been the audience reaction to mixing live music with whisky tasting?
Scott Wood: Our US audience seems to really react well to our Whisky Sessions. For the events, we curate and perform a piece of music for each whisky, to be enjoyed as the crowd finish each tasting. We typically choose a historic piece of music that originates from the region of the bottling, performed in a classic ‘Skerryvore’ style. You really can both clearly hear, and taste the differing identities of the Scottish regions, so it’s really perfect combination to marry great whisky and good music at once.
With only 2,000 bottles being released, will there be future expressions in partnership with Ardnahoe?
Daniel Gillespie: We had a fantastic time selecting the casks for the special release and have really enjoyed our first year as Global Ambassadors for Ardnahoe so hopefully this partnership can continue to produce more exciting times, collaboration, and whisky...
How does the whisky you’ve released parallel with your music?
Craig Espie: There are so many parallels between whisky and music; both being heavily influenced by regional characteristics, both involving complexity and layers of creativity and craft, and both having the ability to evoke emotions and memories in the consumer. With us celebrating our 20th year as a band, our music has evolved and matured over time yet remained uniquely ‘Skerryvore’. In the same vein, the release of Skerryvore XX is complex and wide-ranging yet distinctly Ardnahoe and, having each selected our own cask, represents the blend of our individual personalities and tastes which makes Skerryvore who we are.
Skerryvore XX will launch at 10am on 9th October 2025, sold exclusively via ardnahoedistillery.com and at the distillery.
