Scotland Road Trip 2018 - Day Five (Ardbeg, Lagavulin Warehouse Demonstration)
Although Monday was Caol Ila's Open Day, we skipped out on their offerings in favor of heading back down for another visit to the Big Three on the southern coast of Islay. We were particularly excited to meet one of the mini-celebrities of the whisky world, Iain McArthur, who has worked at Lagavulin for 47 or 48 years! Iain, known colloquially as "Pinky," now leads the warehouse demonstrations at Lagavulin and also selects the casks that make it into the Feis Ile bottle. Since our warehouse demonstration was in the afternoon, however, we dropped into one of our other favorite distilleries first, just a mile or so east.
Ardbeg
Ardbeg's explosive popularity since the turn of the century belies the fact that, in the 1980s and 1990s, the distillery went through tough times. It closed for much of the 1980s and then, although reopened in the 1990s, operated for only a small slice of each year. It wasn't until 1997, when Glenmorangie bought Ardbeg and spearheaded its revival, that the distillery became what we know and love today.
Out of the three southern Islay distilleries, Ardbeg -- perhaps because it has not been in continuous operation, and perhaps because it's warier than Lagavulin or Laphroaig of growing complacent -- is the most creative and quirky. They have few traditional, age-stated whiskies, with the 10 year old being the only one in their core lineup. Instead, they specialize in exotic and unconventional finishing and aging, including the use of almost every type of sherry under the sun. As a result, their whiskies tend to be darker, richer, oilier, and fruitier than their neighbors.
Ardbeg's first fan, no doubt
We didn't take a full tour at the distillery but were lucky to pick up a bottle of Ardbeg Grooves, this year's Feis Ile release, several days before its official debut on Ardbeg Day (the upcoming Saturday, and the last day of our trip). The distillery poured free samples of Grooves at its shop, yet another example of the generosity that seems to be part and parcel of the Feis Ile experience. I'll write full notes for that one later but, suffice to say, I loved it.
Instead of the tour, we opted to grab lunch at the Old Kiln Cafe, which is the casual seated lunch offered in the joint restaurant-gift shop. Ardbeg is the only one of the three southern distilleries to have a regular food service, and it also had a reputation for being some of the best Scottish food on Islay.
We ordered a beef pie and haggis, neeps, and tatties (haggis, combined with mashed rutabaga, or "neeps," and mashed potatoes). The haggis was a last-minute audible, as we were a little scared to try haggis and hadn't ordered it at any of our earlier stops. However, when we received our meal, including a few drams of Ardbeg Perpetuum and Uigeadail (the latter included with the haggis), we were blown away. Haggis is . . . really good, actually! It tastes like a mix between a meatloaf and a spicy beef casserole. That savory spice, combined with the buttery, creamy mashed root veggies, hit the spot. Just look at that face.
After grabbing our obligatory souvenir glass, our final stop was a peek inside the manager's archive room, the space where groups conduct their post-tour tasting. It had the feeling of a somber temple to whisky, with row upon row of ungodly expensive and rare editions of Ardbeg, including single casks from the 1970s.
Lagavulin Warehouse Experience
At 25£ per person, the warehouse tasting hosted by Iain McArthur at Lagavulin may be the best value and experience of any class or tour available on Islay, if not in all of Scotland. In exchange for that fee, you get to spend an hour with a man who has spent almost half a century working at the distillery, and he guides you on a tasting of 5 to 6 drams of Lagavulin, including multiple single casks that are 20+ years old. It doesn't hurt that he's a delightful and hilarious host, instantly developing a rapport with the distillery's fans.
While we were there, Iain played a great practical joke on me. Seeing the rips in my jeans (not a fashion statement, they're just really old but much loved jeans), he came over and, without saying another word, slapped a heavy piece of duct tape over the biggest hole. "In case you get cold in here," he cracked. I then pointed out to him that there was another hole, actually, closer to the inseam, but that I wouldn't make him cover that one up. Rising to the challenge, he came back over and hit me with another piece of tape!
The tasting began with a pour of this year's Feis Ile expression, which I reviewed briefly as part of the masterclass. After that, we had the opportunity to taste five more single-cask expressions:
In fact, we got a bit more than bargained for, because Iain switched out the 2002 single-cask for a 2000 barrel of 18-year old whisky! The amusing side of the tour hit its apex when Iain invited participants to come up and try their hand at using a valinch to draw whisky out of the casks. A valinch is a long, metal tube used to extract whisky, and it is, for all intents and purposes, the equivalent of a massive straw. The way to use it is to suck on a hole in the opening and draw enough whisky into the tube, plug the hole at the top with your finger, and then dump that whisky into a bottle. A diminutive Asian woman was the first to try it but overestimated how hard it would be to draw out the whisky, and ended up inhaling a massive mouthful of 60% ABV Lagavulin!
After that humorous interlude, we got down to tasting these delicious offerings.
Lagavulin 2012 Single Cask (61.0% ABV) - This is a mere six years old, but my major tasting note was, "They need to bottle this!" It's a remarkable whisky considering its youth. In just a short time, it already developed flavors of menthol smoke, vanilla, rice, sweet chili chocolates, and mint on the finish. If they bottled this, I'd be the first to rush out and buy it.
Lagavulin 2000 Single Cask (N/A) - I forgot to record the ABV of this barrel, which was a replacement for the listed 2002. This one felt the closest to the Lagavulins that are released to the public, with the distillery's signature peat and smoke complemented by toasted rice cakes (a common note for this distillery) and a pleasantly bitter espresso finish. This whisky reminded me of Lagavulin 12 or the Feis Ile 2018, both of which exhibit a similar flavor profile.
Lagavulin 1998 Single Cask (52.0%) - This single-cask spent its entire life in a sherry butt, and it really showed. There was surprisingly little smoke left after its two decades of maturation; instead, the taste was reminiscent of grape skins, toffee, and fruit compote. This dram showcased a different facet of Lagavulin's distillate, and likely would be combined with smokier, younger, ex-bourbon barrels if it were actually released.
Lagavulin 1993 Single Cask (49.2%) - Another sherry cask, this one a stunning 25 years old. Considering that Lagavulin 25 goes for 799£, this one was a treat. Again, there is little smoke and exuberant peat left after more than 20 years in the wood. Instead, a luxurious oak backbone and the distinct scent and taste of orange rinds -- slightly bitter, acidic, yet sweet -- defined this dram.
Lagavulin 1997 Single Cask (52.4%) - This one might have been my winner for the afternoon, although it also came as I was cresting the wave of happy tipsiness. This was another ex-bourbon whisky, but it developed a wide and varied palate of flavors: smoke, pear, peach, floral notes, toffee, and butterscotch. I honestly may have liked this one more than Lagavulin 25. It's a shame they don't bottle it!