As night fell, the smoke and mist rose up in a late autumn haze and we ducked under the cover of our own darkened den, a safe haven underground called the Jefferson.
The beauty of this vertical tasting is to explore the Ardbeg Day whisky as part of the Ardbeg story.
Author: Tash McGill
Exploring New Frontiers (Ballechin #6).
Half the pleasure is in seeking the treasure. It’s not that this whisky is the best whisky ever made. But in nosing the glass and enjoying the spirit, we are participating in the golden age of whisky experimentation and re-definition.
A Taste Of The Dark Cove (Ardbeg Day 2016)
Reminds me of an orange and almond cake I make. Caramelised vanilla sugar crust with the sharpness of citrus developing. Now I taste elements of Persian orange water. Slowly more baked apple emerges with cinnamon and nutmeg. Big, tobacco leaf and old leather starts to emerge out the back where the peat overtakes any leftover smoke. Now it’s starting to feel like a true Ardbeggian expression.
Douglas Laing, Premium Barrel Talisker 6 year old.
The bottle alone is something to gaze at. Be warned, it doesn’t pour that well and takes a practiced hand. You’ll get plenty of practice though, because for a young whisky it exudes character beyond its years. Not surprisingly, because this is a Talisker and I believe whisky is indelibly marked by the people who make it and the place comes into being from.
5 Essential Ardbeg Cocktails
Delightful things happen when delicious ingredients are shaken, muddled, thrown, stirred and strained together. Scotch whisky is notoriously difficult to use in cocktails, however there are a few classics that not only stand up to Scotch whisky but cry out for the complexity, richness and smoke of a classic Islay single malt like Ardbeg.
The Long Road to Ardbeg, Isle of Islay.
The crisp white wall of the distillery buildings and the signature name etched along the foreshore stands firm and concrete. I wandered down to the foreshore and skipped stones into the sea, smelt the freshness of the ocean and thought to myself, some things find a way to survive so long as they are loved.
A Night In Paris (Butter).
Last night, I spent the evening in Paris Butter (the restaurant, not the condiment) and I remembered. Firstly, I remembered delicious meals at Vinnies, as I stepped over the familiar V in the entrance tile. And then I remembered Paris, with the winter light crisp in the air and the delight of the menu du jour awaiting me.
With Love, From Mea (Culpa)
We used to say if on a bad day you ended up at Mea Culpa and on a good day you started there, then everything was going to be okay.
The Mother of (Japanese) Whisky
The Taketsuru Pure Malt (a non-age statement version). And here’s to drinking to a legend and a woman behind the bottle who loved and persevered. Happy Mother’s Day, Rita. Thanks for the malt.
The Joy of Independent Bottlings: Glendullan 1993
When I first started drinking whisky, it was simpler. I wanted to try everything I could lay my hands on but that wasn’t a vast range. Most of it was major brands that were instantly recognisable. As with most things though, over time your understanding deepens and you start to see with better eyes. I began to labels that were nearly written in code, with colours, maps and distillery names I’d barely heard of.