Al Spoklie
A Wee Dram
The Isle of Islay (pronounced eye-la) lies off the south-western coast of mainland Scotland and is home to nine distilleries. This small island has the reputation of distilling the smokiest and strongest peat flavours of all of Scotland's whisky producing regions. One of those is the Ardbeg Distillery.
The Ardbeg Distillery has had a rollercoaster of a history since its construction. Although the MacDougall brothers built the distillery in 1798, it wasn't officially opened until 1815. Since then they have been in turmoil and suffered the same fate as other whisky producers, closing down during the American prohibition, the Great Depression and the Second World War. However, since the mothballs were dug out of the plant in 1989, it only produced small quantities until it was rescued in 1997, when the Glenmorangie group bought the distillery. Since then, the fortunes of Ardbeg have had a turn for the better as Glenmorangie returned the distillery to working condition.
Situated on the south coast of Islay, just east of the Lagavulin and Laphroaig distilleries, Ardbeg has the reputation of making the peatiest single malt scotch whisky in the world. With only one wash and spirit still, Ardbeg makes one million litres a year, which is a small production compared to others that can produce six to 10 times that. It has only 10 employees under the leadership of Michael Heads, an Islay native.
The malted barley is prepared for Ardbeg by the now defunct Port Ellen Distillery, and the water used is from Lock Uigeadail, just north of the facility. Old American bourbon barrels are used for aging, and former sherry casks are required for the finishing.
The production is small and the process seems simple, yet the whisky produced has had enormous acclaim. Jim Murray, the author of The Whisky Bible, has named one Ardbeg whisky as the "best single malt whisky" in the world for the past three years. Not only was the Ardbeg 10-year-old and the Uigeadail named Best Single Malt Scotches, but they were also Murray's picks for the "World Whisky of the World" awards in 2008 and 2009. In 2010, it was the Ardbeg Supernova that took the title of Scotch Whisky of the Year and Best Single Malt Scotch. These single malt whiskies have done well in other arenas too.
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition awarded Ardbeg with many gold and silver medals in the past four years.
Whether you are already a lover of the peat, or just curious about what makes these Islay scotches earn the awards they have received, then I have an extraordinary opportunity for you.
At 6 p.m. tonight, the Prince George Scotch Whisky Society is hosting a tasting in the banquet room of the Twisted Cork Restaurant. For further details, you can contact the restaurant at (250) 561-5550. These three award-winning scotches will be poured, along with a bonus pour of the Ardbeg 18-Year-Old Douglas Laing.
Douglas Laing is an independent bottler in Glasgow who buys rare casks and markets them in Ardbeg's line of Old Malt Casks. Only one hogshead (a cask holding 238 litres) of Ardbeg 18-year-old was bought by them, and of that only 208 bottles were released worldwide.
This Ardbeg is the lightest of their whiskies in peat, and with so few bottles produced it will be a treat to taste.
