Day 13: Islay

First full day on Islay, an island of whisky, peat, and history. We did a bit of all three. We kicked off the day at Ardbeg, a distillery currently thriving but went through some challenging times through the 1970s to the late 1990s. Last time I was here they had not long restarted distilling, and I bought a bottle of their Very Young for about 25 pounds. I’ve had a lot of Ardbeg since then, of many expressions, and while I’ve enjoyed some more than others I’ve never had one that I haven’t found something good in.

I’ve also never had an Ardbeg like the 4 that I tasted today. P and I signed up for the Guardians of the Warehouse tour and tasting, which comprised of Distillery Manager Colin and Store Manager Wee Yogi leading us through dunnage Warehouse 3, selecting casks of interest for about 30 of us to try. We started with Ardbeg new make spirit, a surprisingly sweet tasting spirit, with a hint of peat, but also some citrus flavours (though the nose did have a solid note of burnt rubber, volatiles that obviously dissipate early in the maturation period). The next dram was from a 2005 third fill bourbon barrel, which Wee Yogi tapped and drew from before our very eyes, pulling out enough of the golden liquid for his glass flask. He then proceeded to pour everyone a very generous measure, almost enough to make Colin’s eye’s water. We estimated this 17-18 year old to be around 50% abv, and didn’t need water. The nose was sweet, lots of bourbon flavours, and the flavours were wonderful, very creamy, it was Ardbeg, but not significantly peaty, having mellowed with time. A stunning opener.

Then we wandered up to the other end of the warehouse, where Wee Yogi climbed up to tap a second-fill bourbon cask. We were instructed not to take pics of the individual cask details, so all I can say is that it was distilled in 2001, and the barrel number was between 900 and 1,000, presumably the numbers restarted when Ardbeg recommenced distilling in the late 1990s. Despite being 4 years older than the third fill, this dram had a bit more peat and smoke, but neither particularly overpowering. There were hints of fruit and dessert spices, maybe also a touch of citrus and pepper. Also excellent.

Third taste was a first fill, this time an Amontillado cask filled in 2011. The colour was a deep red, stunning, and the whisky was really well balanced, which doesn’t always happen with peat and sherry. A rich creamy dram, so many good dark fruit flavours, stunning nose. Probably the most unexpectedly good find — Ardbeg in bourbon is an easy match, but it doesn’t always sit well with other casks (the least impressive Ardbegs I’ve had have all involved finishes other than bourbon).

The final dram was a second fill rum cask from 2006. No idea which rum distillery the cask came from, the no longer have any records. This one had probably the most mixed response from the group, though I did enjoy it quite a lot. Again, the smoke had subsided, and the cask brought out some additional notes of fruit and spice. When paired with a strip of pineapple leather the whisky really gained a new level.

We must have been a good group, as the tour went about 30 minutes over time, and finished off with the only commercially available dram of the lot, Ardbog, a 2013 limited release. A mix of bourbon and Manzanilla sherry casks, this was also a very decent drop, and it says something that while a fabulous dram, it was possibly my least favourite of the lineup. We then said our farewells to Colin and Wee Yogi, and set off for the gift shop.

Sadly there don’t appear to be any plans for Ardbeg to release single cask bottlings, as Colin explained they aren’t even selling casks to independent bottlers at present. They have their vision and their plans, and it’s unlikely that at any point will I or anyone be able to buy exactly what we tasted today, and even less likely if they did bottle these that I’d be able to afford it. So instead I’ll put a big tick on the bucketlist, and try to hold on to the memories of these fine casks.

From Ardbeg we headed east to the Kildaton cross, one of the oldest surviving Celtic crosses anywhere. it sits next to an old ruined church, surrounded by a flock of talkative sheep and old tombstones.

Ardbeg is at the end of a road that also has Lagavulin and Laphroaig, about half a mile between each, so our trip back involved a stop in each for photos and gift shop. At Laphroaig we also got to inhale some wonderful smoky peat, I’m guessing the maltings were operating there. We also scored a welcome dram of this year’s Feis Ile Cairdeas expression, aged and finished in Madeira and White Port casks, and it’s a decent drop (also, at 80 pounds a bottle, one of the more affordable drams of Feis Ile. I also collected my annual rent of 50mL of 10 year old Laphroaig.

We found a late lunch at a cafe in Bowmore run by the lovely Mary, that has been on the main street for over 30 years. It’s possibly there that I first had Stornaway black pudding all those years ago, though I remember the cafe being on a street perpendicular to there. This time I had a baked potato with haggis, brie and chutney, and it was possibly the best haggis I’ve had so far on this trip, full of oaty pepper flavours.

After a short break, it was a stroll (well G felt it was a stroll, i thought it was fricking marathon) a couple of miles down the road to the Ballygrant Inn. A wonderfully friendly border collie helped show us to the front door (which was around the back) and it was time for dinner and a couple of drinks. Thursday night is curry and a pint night, and excellent curries they were. I went for the venison bhuna curry, a medium spicy curry with a thick sauce. The flavour was magnificent, the venison falling apart, and the heat decent. The pint was a Belgium beer, not sure if it was a lager style or a light ale, but quite tasty. I also had they Feis Ile ale they had on tap, and that was a decent drop, lots of aromatic hops, a bit for flavour, but not overly bitter.

We then went for dessert, and I scored with the chocolate mousse with Laphroaig. It was a wonderful rich mouse, lots of dark chocolate flavours, and the Laphroaig smoky peaty note at the end was marvellous. A dessert worth savouring.

Then came the whisky. We felt we should have a few drams as they had about 1,000 on offer. Started off with an 11 year old limited release Bunnahabhain, finished in brandy casks, and very decent. Next up G bought me a private cask Bruichladdich, finished in rum casks, and bottled at an eye opening 65.3%, I’m not sure I’ve ever encountered an Islay close to this. It had wonderful flavours, though a little bit of water not only released the oils it also stopped my face going numb. Followed this with a 15 year old unpeated Caol Ila, an uncommon but decent bottling, showing the malt and citrus sweetness that lies under the bold Caol Ila whisky. Finished with a Kilchoman 2019 Feis Ile release, a bold peaty mix of bourbon and sherry and really one of the best Kilchoman I’ve tasted.

Among all this we conversed with a couple from near Koln, who come to these things far too often, a US couple from Staten Island, and Euan and his dad, who was half of the cooking team that prepared our amazing fare. We had a great chat about many things whisky, food and Islay.

Then it was time to call Colin, a local taxi driver, who was able to fit in taking us home among his busy schedule. A great day and a good night had by all. Tomorrow involves an early morning, a short ferry ride to Jura, and an afternoon at Bunnahabhain.