The Guide to Home Smoking: Ardbeg Kildalton

Blimey, that was a swift three weeks!  Our recent inactivity over the aforementioned period was largely down to travelling, spiritual enlightenment and a mixture of other interferences, but we return to our desks a little more well travelled, a little more enlightened and a little more interfer.... whoops... that didn't work did it....

Anyway, with the current clutch of whisky releases (Highland Park Dark Origins, Tomatin Cu Bocan 1989 and Kininvie 23 year old - which will all be reviewed in due course) we turn ourselves to another tasty titbit, which follows on nicely from our previous Islay-based post.  

Mention the word Ardbeg in certain circles and you'll usually be confronted by a frothing mess of superlatives delivered by a dribbling, stammering whisky obsessive -  usually from Western Europe or Scandinavia. In short, we can think of very few distilleries that have some how managed to capture the hearts of such an obsessive and tight-knit clique. Since the Ardbeg Committee sprung up in the year 2000, quickly gaining over 3,000 international followers, the reputation of the brand for being one of Islay's real treasures has truly unfolded. Today there are over 50,000 members of the committee, making it one of the most popular brand affiliation programmes (to use the formal tongue of marketing speak) within the whisky business. 

The committee release bottlings have historically been a way to gauge the progress of the development of the whisky released by Ardbeg: From Very Young For Discussion (the first taste of Ardbeg since it reopened) to the 'Oogling' (a work in progress version of Uigeadail) and latter day releases (Supernova, Rollercoaster, Alligator and Ardbeg Day etc) the committee members could get their mits on limited release bottles before anyone else.  

This however created a problem: Such exponential growth meant that, rather like concert tickets for a one-off Led Zeppelin (or One Direction, if you are that way inclined) concert you effectively had to be sitting at your computer at 8.59am, ready, logged in and poised to enter your Visa details before anyone else.  The releases went from 100's of bottles, to a few thousand to 10's of thousands, simply to cater for the mass disappointment felt when those not quick enough missed out.  

It's a case of damned if you do, damned if you don't.  

But with Ardbeg's newest release (ok not a Committee release, but a limited edition) the theme has changed somewhat.

Kildalton is an important name in the world of the Ileach - and the whisky connoisseur. Head to Islay and take the short drive down along the south shore road, past Laphroaig, Lagavulin and the Ardbeg distillery and eventually you will end up at a weather beaten, ruinous parish church. The Cross of Kildalton stands proudly on this hallowed spot and anyone who has visited will tell you that it is a very special place indeed. The cross itself is over 1,200 years old and acts as a symbol of of Hebridean life; it is a haven of tranquility and spiritual enlightenment.  

Ardbeg released an expression back in 2004 under the Kildalton banner. It was effectively a very lowly peated whisky at cask strength distilled in 1980, which was rated so positively by connoisseurs around the world, that any bottles still in existence are now becoming increasingly difficult to find.  A Kildalton from 1981 was also released as part of a special pack celebrating Ardbeg peat, which you can pick up at auction and is well worth hunting down. It also contains a miniature of the legendary Ardbeg 17 year old.

However, the name Kildalton has been resurrected once again -  and this time comes with a charitable connection.  

Sales of the new limited edition Ardbeg Kildalton bottling will generate funds for the North Highland Initiative, a charity that was set up by HRH Prince Charles to support fragile rural communities across the North Highlands. As part of this, the partnership will directly benefit charities and community organisations on Islay.   

So what of the whisky itself?  

Well the new Kildalton expression is bottled at 46%  and carries no age statement. Drawing on peated whiskies from both bourbon and sherry casks, it is quite different to the original Kildalton release, but is distinctly different from some of the more robust smoky expressions in the range.

Perhaps the most important part of the story is that until later this autumn, the whisky is only available to buy at the distillery itself, after such time it will be available online. The outturn remains unknown, but we suspect it will be enough to cater for the many thousands of die-hard Ardbeg fans out there. Worth taking a trip out to Islay especially?  Let's find out...

Ardbeg - Kildalton - 2014 Release - No Age Statement - 46%  - RRP £120 

Nose: Light and very creamy at first, with a mixture of soft toffee, dried flowers and a hint of floral style smoke, alongside some sweet Earl Grey tea. It is fairly gentle, with a graceful approach to smokiness, as opposed to kicking you in the nose with big bonfire or medicinal notes. Similarities to the original Kildalton?  Yes, for sure. Perhaps not quite as refined, but anyone finding the full blown notes from the distillery too overpowering will fall for this quite easily. 

Palate: Wow, there's the smoke. Incredibly dry, with a wood-influenced peatiness,  some coal tar soap, caramel and an earthiness all begin to develop. It's certainly a whisky of two minds, this one. Given time, the wood reveals a slight sweetness -  possibly a little sherry influence too, but it is well packaged and balanced all in all. 

Finish: A dry, lingering smoky residue is left on the tongue, with a touch of the medicinal side of smoke developing and some orchard fruit. 

Overall: Here we find Ardbeg in playful territory. It is smoky enough to give peat heads their fix (who wants the stupidly overly peated expressions these days?  Not us, that's for sure...) and has a delicious lingering freshness alongside. Yes it is expensive for a no age statement Ardbeg, but factor in the charitable connection and it's hard not to feel some affection for the new Kildalton.  

Worth taking a trip for?  It's Islay we're talking about here. Of course it bloody well is.  

Islay Odyssey - Day Six: Single Malt Scotch Westie

Hello! it's a Jubilee Special, folks... woof. 

A crack of dawn start and both Caskstrengthers are up, washed, coiffured and ready for the final day of the Feis - Ardbeg Day.  If this was a music festival, it would be 'Islay of Wight' and Ardbeg's open day would be the headlining act; everyone piling down to this quirky south shore distillery to see just how mad the events are and what the distillery staff are wearing (last year, it was flamenco gear)

Eminem...or Mickey H?

This time around, what with some 'other'  low-key sporting event happening somewhere in the south of England the theme of the Ardbeg open day is sports related and everyone is decked out in tracksuits, trainers and sweatbands - with the 'Daley Thompson' of Ardbeg, Mr Mickey Heads himself (aka Mr H)  wearing a huge bling'y gold chain.

The Olympic-themed day had its very own opening ceremony, with the crowds invited to group together under their nation's flags:  Ridley was the proud bearer of the Cross Of St George, with 20-or-so English folks following behind. Alas, the same cannot be said for Harrison.  Carrying the flag of Norway (his other home nation) he failed to attract any Norwegian visitors, despite loudly bragging that 'we've got all the oil'.  Eventually he found some friends and the parade of nations could begin in earnest, to the strains of The Proclaimers- I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)

Ardbeg have always excelled at bringing in and entertaining the crowds during their open day and this year is no exception: Events ranging from sheep tossing, canine racing, (using long bungee cords and dog suits) to cask end discus a cracking 70's rock cover band and acrobatic display team.  What's not to like about that?

But of course, the whiskies on offer need to be as top notch as the entertainment and this year the masterclasses, also themed with sporting titles were excellent.  Bryony MacIntyre was back from her new exciting role in the blending labs to host a great tasting - Bryony's Phenolic Gymnastics, which demonstrated the peating levels in several expressions: Ardbeg Kildalton Four Year Old - 2008 - 60.8% (still work in progress, but full of light buttery character, fresh zesty fruits and bags of vanilla) Alligator, The Ardbeg Day festival bottling (which we reviewed here) and a new single cask sample from 2002 in first fill bourbon 57.8% (with superb soft 70's style peat, charcoal/BBQ notes and vanilla custard)

Mickey's tasting also had a superb cask sample from 1998, matured in refill sherry - perhaps one of the best examples of whisky from the modern day era of Ardbeg and hopefully destined to see the light as a single cask in the future (please)

There was a little chatter about the (not-so-secret) Galileo bottling from 1999 -  matured in wine (Marsala?) We hope to bring you more news as it comes.

The closing medals ceremony saw the various event champions awarded gold, silver and bronze - amazingly the lovely Cat from Master Of Malt and our good friend Eugene Van der Meer winning the raffle prizes of some classic Ardbeg expressions and a giant sized 4.5 litre bottle of the festival bottling (looking like a normal sized bottle in Eugene's hands!)





Altogether, a thoroughly superb way to end the Feis and once again setting the bar high for next year's festival.

Feis Ile Day Eight: "I Hate This Car, And I Hate Being In This Car With You"

Day Seven: “I hate this car. And I hate being in this car with you.”

NON-WHISKY DAY ALERT!!
(although there was a quick dram hidden in there somewhere)

Today has been a mixed day. The sun has been shining (the sunburn is all the proof I need!) and temperatures, according to the KIA’s trip computer, reached as high as 21 degrees. The open day today was at Bunnahabhain but we decided not to make it over there, having spent some time there earlier in the week with Distillery Manager John MacLellan (See tasting notes on their 21 YO festival bottling from a previous day).

Instead, your intrepid reporters decided it would be a good day to discover some of the island we had not been to before. We jumped in the KIA, checked the trip computer which told us we had 109 miles of fuel left and headed off for the Cross of Kildalton. What a glorious drive down past Ardbeg and into the wilds; roe deer running by, eagles circling the deep blue sky and remarkably unspoilt sandy beaches that bare more resemblance to the Caribbean than Kildalton!!

On our travels we have tasted some clearly brilliant whiskies, but feel that the wonderful environment and spectacular weather this week on Islay, have added at least another 50% to the overall enjoyment of this trip.

Our drive back from the Cross of Kildalton took us past the entrance to Ardbeg. With nothing else planned for the day and being two able bodied “young” men, we popped in to see if there were any tasks that we could help with in readiness for the Open Day, just a few hours away. After a short spell of helping clean chairs and tables, we were taken for a swim off the pier round the back of the distillery. A keen-eyed Angus spotted a star fish which made for a very amusing photo.

Having dried off in the afternoon sun, we headed home for some tea, but DISASTER STRUCK....

The KIA, which had been doing so well thus far, proved to be the weak link in our adventure and decided to run out of petrol. Ok, so it was probably our fault for neglecting to fill the tank sufficiently (who knew the petrol stations all close at 6pm on Islay??!!) but the onboard trip computer did tell us we had a rocking 30 miles till empty...

Help was at hand however when Jimmy, owner of the Bridgend Spar sold us a tenners worth of fuel after hours!!

Buoyed with our successful blag, we decided to celebrate heavily and, on our return home and once full of home-made fish pie, we headed out to the Lochside Bar in Bowmore to partake in a local past time: drinking loads of beer and watching a great Celtic band.