The Ardmore Legacy: A (slight) Return of the Unsung Smoky Hero

From Caskstrength.net

Everyone loves an underdog, don't they. Be it the minnows in the World Cup, or the most unlikely victors (recently Leicester City, known as the Foxes, beat the once mighty Manchester United 5-3, after coming from 3-1 behind) there's something to truly celebrate when a small time player comes from nowhere and trounces the competition.

Now, without patronising a clearly great distillery, The Ardmore, one of only a handful of malt distilleries on the mainland of Scotland to use peated barley in its production, never seems to be on anyone's radar when discussing the best smoky whiskies on the market.

Think Smoke - Think Laphroaig/Ardbeg/Caol Ila/Lagavulin/Bowmore etc and you begin to see a very clear picture of just how Islay has a major stranglehold on the world of peated Scotch whisky (not forgetting Skye's Talisker of course)

All this is fine and whisky makers, marketeers and everyone connected with promoting whisky likes to play on the obvious relevance of 'terroir' when it comes to peated whiskies.  The harsh island climates, the lonely peat bogs - in essence -  it's all encoded deep into the DNA of every Islay/Island whisky story.

But in all the swirls of mist, bottomless black lochs and 110 year-old peat cutters, we seem to have forgotten that great peated whisky can pretty much be made anywhere - not even just in Scotland- look at the mighty Hakushu in Japan and Connemara in Ireland for a global picture. 

Ardmore is one such distillery who has been making a whisky unlike any of their Highland neighbour’s wares. Ardmore Traditional Cask has long been on our list of undiscovered gems and a whisky that we often use to highlight the breadth of flavour when considering a 'peaty' whisky. It very much has its own style and as a result, counterpoints some of the more medicinal beasts from Islay.  

Recently, Ardmore Traditional Cask has been retired, in favour of a brand new whisky, The Ardmore Legacy, taking its place as the Highland challenger to the Islay-dominated smoky crown. 

Legacy continues on a fairly lightly peated trajectory, but don't let this put you off, if you are a fan of the bolder stuff. There's something unique about this whisky that allows it to sit comfortably next to its more medicinal Island brothers, highlighting a whole different world within the concept of peat.  What's more, it sits nicely at under £30 here in the UK....

The Ardmore -  Legacy -  40%

Nose: Fresh pine wood shavings, a hint of coal tar soap, some dry coal dust embers and then something altogether more floral: a sweet, incense note, candifloss and freshly laundered cotton sheets. It's fresh, youthful, but still full of complimentary aromas.  

Palate: A touch of dry oak, some creamy toffee, before the smoke delivers a fresh, almost fruity flavour -  think slightly smoked/charred citrus fruit and you're on the right way. There's a good helping of something a little dryer too, with a woody/bonfire note developing, but any overly dry notes are kept nicely in check here. Given time, some more floral, lavender notes develop, with a milky coffee note. Very well balanced indeed.

Finish: The slightly smoky/creamy coffee notes linger, with a hint of lemon zest returning as your palate dries.

Overall: A cracking introduction to peat if you are new to whisky, but with enough complexity going on to still put a smile on any peat head's face too. At under £30, it also represents a departure to where other whisky companies seem to be heading at the moment, so much so that we'd consider this a cabinet essential. 

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.  

The Skye's The Limit. Talisker's New Visitors Centre & Port Ruighe

Oh the irony. In both our professional and enthusiast capacity, we've visited a huge number of distilleries across the globe: from tiny craft operations in the middle of no where, making some seriously unusual hooch, to powerhouse many-million-litre industrial sites, which help to form the heart of some of the best loved spirits brands in the world.   However, in spite of all this we've never visited perhaps one of the most celebrated and popular destination distilleries in Scotland - Talisker, so thought it high time we get our act together.

Getting to Talisker is an eventful experience in itself.  If you're driving, it will take you near on six hours from Edinburgh. Of course, that's factoring in the obligatory lunchtime stop at the Green Welly in Tyndrum for a Scotch pie and a thorough wallet emptying in their whisky shop.  But to say the drive is arresting would be doing it a disservice.  Dependent on the season, the snow capped peaks and colourful fields of heather exemplify Scotland's bleak beauty.  It's no wonder that Sam Mendes decided to choose the breathtaking drive through Glencoe (which you take in on the way up to Skye) for one of the integral scenes in Skyfall.  

Would you accept a lift from this Skipper?

The other option is to take to the high seas and assuming you can find a suitably friendly captain, some Breton caps and oil skins, we'd wholeheartedly recommend the nautical approach.  Here, as you approach the jetty in Carbost, the 30ft climb up the rusting ladder is particularly bracing, especially as you watch your belongings being precariously hoisted up on a piece of rope alongside you.  

The payoff of course (apart from the unbelievable sea views, seal spotting and learning the ropes) is the distillery itself. Whilst not 'chocolate box' in the traditional distillery sense (a la Lagavulin or Strathisla) Talisker has a brooding sense of importance, with truly manifests itself in the spirit produced at the distillery.  At one point Talisker was triple distilled and wandering round the still house (which was rebuilt after a fire in 1960) the five stills (two wash, three spirit) are a formidable sight, knowing the character of what runs from them. If you're still wondering why Talisker is such an iconic distillery pop outside to see the worm tubs in action and then you'll finally get the sense of why it has a huge international reputation for being a powerhouse of flavour.  

A particularly wiggly worm.

Now, we mentioned that Talisker is a popular destination; not just for whisky pilgrims, but also tourists too. Annually, Talisker receives over 60,000 visitors, which, although is a spectacular number, has presented a (nice) problem to Diageo in terms of properly providing the full Talisker 'experience'. As a result, the visitors centre has just received a welcome £1 million facelift, turning an already successful operation into something highly inspirational.   

As we arrived, builders and designers were putting the final touches to the tasting rooms (which are neatly hidden behind pivoted wooden beams) and the wave-inspired opening display.  Impressive stuff indeed and very pleasing to see such investment in the home of an undeniably heavyweight whisky brand. But what about the liquid?  

Well, as you will have seen if you follow our other posts, the whisky itself hasn't been neglected. Like buses, along comes two new expressions in the Talisker range. Storm, which we reviewed recently has proved to be controversial addition, with some quarters arguing that as a non age statement whisky, it is a step in the wrong direction from the much loved Ten Year Old.  But for us, that's exactly the point. In the increasing world of no age statement whiskies, personality is absolutely paramount and in our opinion, Storm is rammed full of brooding intensity and youth, playing alongside some spicy fruit and classic Talisker bonfire chilli smoke. 

Box ticked. We like. 

Next up comes Port Ruighe. Taking its title from an old gaelic name for one of the larger port towns on the Isle of Skye, this expression, like the Distillers Editions has been additionally matured after its time in ex-American and European refill casks.  The final destination is rather aptly a port cask, which supposedly gives a distinct fruitiness to the proceedings.  Like Storm, Port Ruighe does not carry an age statement, so we're particularly keen to find out exactly where it sits alongside its tempestuous brother and the more well-known Talisker Distillers Edition (which carries a vintage and is also extra matured, but in an Amoroso sherry cask) 

Talisker - Port Ruighe -  45.8% - 70cl

Nose: Youthful, a little spirity, but with plenty of zest and bite.  Undiluted, you'll find masses of white pepper, a hint of spicy stewed apple, some wet cardboard and black treacle.  Given time, a little dried ginger emerges and perhaps a touch of earthy truffle oil. With water, a dark caramel note sets in alongside a hint of fruity perfume.  

Palate: Hot and very fiery with familiar Talisker smoked chilli, hickory and a sweetness (icing sugar) hitting first.  A slightly charred woody note develops alongside, developing further with the addition of water- which this whisky really benefits from. 

 Finish: Oaky notes, some very dry smoke and a hint of dried fruit.  

Overall: Enjoyable, but very much reliant on water for the full effect. Here's the rub. Talisker has set such a high benchmark with several of its existing expressions, which are now hewn into the fabric of what are known by many as 'classic' whiskies.  Port Ruighe is a solid enough contender and a very direct one at that, full of youthful bite, but in our opinion it lacks a little of the finesse of the Distillers Edition, the Ten Year Old and now the mighty Storm. That's not to say it doesn't have its own place. Right now however, we're left wondering exactly where that might be.  

For More information on visiting Talisker, visit:  Visit Scotland or The Classic Malts websites.

The (Smo)King Of Dufftown...Glenfiddich Release Something A Bit Different.

Funny how whiskies have a habit of creeping up on you, when you least expect it.

Here we are, heading up to Glasgow and a quick cursory glance as we walk past Gatwick Airport's World Of Whiskies revealed something very interesting indeed.  Travel retail is clearly a HUGE market for whisky companies and, as we've often mentioned in the past, a proving ground for potentially new products.  Admittedly, some of them are destined never to make it past the security scanners into the specialist whisky shops, but occasionally some bottlings (such as Laphroaig's Triple Wood) seem to make a peaty bid for freedom, much to the delight of consumers across the globe.

So it was perhaps rather timely that Glenfiddich decided to do something a little different, in a bid to spring a surprise on the whisky buying traveller.

Glenfiddich are no strangers to the travel retail game.  The success of the Age Of Discovery series (see our previous review for more details) has clearly given the Dufftown giants a taste for further exclusive bottlings.  And with that in mind, they've drawn on the rich heritage of the distillery.  Their brand new travel retail release (which has apparently, according to World Of Whiskies, just hit the shelves this week) harks back to a time when most distilleries were swathed in a rich, pungent peat smoke.

The Glenfiddich 125th Anniversary Edition is a distinct departure to any Glenfiddich expression we've tried before.  Bottled with no age statement, the liquid will surprise and delight in equal measure... let's find out why...

Glenfiddich - 125th Anniversary Edition  -  Travel Retail Exclusive -  N.A.S. - 43% - £70

Nose: Hang on... this isn't right, is it?  Alongside the familiar notes of rich dried fruit and citrus oranges is a weighty smokiness, mixed with a touch of Islay'esque carbolic soap.  That's right -  it's truly a smoky devil.   In a blind tasting we'd be fairly confident that not a single person sampling it  (perhaps excluding the whisky's creator, Brian Kinsman and Glenfiddich's indefatigable ambassador Jamie Milne) would pick this out as a 'Fiddich.  The smoke is wonderfully balanced, refined and sweet, partnering the orange zest perfectly.  Think a nice big thick slice of buttered toast, slathered liberally in dark, rich, thick cut marmalade, which has been enhanced with a little bit of your favourite peated whisky and you're on the right lines. 

Palate:  Bang -  there it is again, but in greater intensity.  The peat smoke partners with rich orange marmalade, dark chocolate, malt extract and notes of dried apricots.  The whisky is viscous and sweet on the tongue initially, leading to a drier oaky note further in.  Lovely stuff.

Finish:  The smoky notes linger, alongside a tart orange zest and a hint of creamy (more familiar) 'Fiddich maltiness.  

Overall:  Did not expect this, at all.  Let us quantify that statement.  There's no doubting that this is a well put together whisky, but the additional smokiness really raises the stakes to become an absolute  'must try' dram.  For those of you who have wondered what Glenfiddich would be like with a fairly weighty waft of smoke at its heart -  this is the moment you've been waiting for.  You will of course have to get yourself on a flight somewhere, but leave enough time to drop by W.O.W.   Running to gate 55 as the final call for BA2958 to Glasow is announced, with a mouthful of peated whisky isn't advised -  as enjoyable as it may seem!