Whisky Stories – my first trip to Islay

All whisky drinkers have a story to share, whether it’s a visit to their favourite distillery or perhaps the day they opened a life-changing dram. We’d love to hear your whisky stories and we’ll be publishing our favourites – tell us all about them here. To set the scene, Stuart recalls his first trip to Islay…

Ardbeg is one of a trio of whisky producers on Islay’s south coast, along with Laphroaig and Lagavulin, collectively known as the Kildalton Distilleries

‘Stu, Ardbeg is launching a new whisky. Fancy going up to Islay for a couple of days?’ I remember the day very clearly, in the spring of 2006, when my editor asked me the most rhetorical of questions.

I don’t think I’d ever been so excited to go on a trip. I was going to Islay – Islay! – that magical island where they make whisky like no other, to mark the release of Ardbeg Still Young.

the peat generation

Given that I’d really got into peaty whisky just a year or two before, you’ll understand my excitement. I was a keen whisky drinker, but like many people, I didn’t take to peaty whisky straightaway. The first one I tried was Laphroaig 10 Year Old; its no-holds-barred medicinal hit took me by surprise.

But I persevered, and I was struck by how those layers of peat and smoke could add so much to a whisky. Peaty whisky quickly became my favourite style, and the marked contrast between Islay distilleries was a revelation, too: Ardbeg 10yo and its smoked-bacon character; the clean and citrusy Caol Ila 12yo fattened up with a beautiful oiliness; and Lagavulin 16yo, a glorious combination of fruit and smouldering bonfires.

Shortie, Ardbeg’s most famous resident

And so to the trip. You can’t fly direct to Islay from London; you take a flight to Glasgow then hop on a very small plane for the second leg, often greeted by plenty of turbulence, but this just added to the sense of adventure. Once on dry land, we headed south to Port Ellen, passing Laphroaig, then Lagavulin, then we were there: Ardbeg.

food, glorious food

The first brilliant thing about the trip: Ardbeg bread. Arriving at the distillery, we made for the Old Kiln Café (Ardbeg is one of only two Islay distilleries that serves food; Kilchoman is the other) and all of us got stuck into this amazing smoky, peaty bread that was served with our soup. It tasted of Ardbeg! It was made with the grist (the leftover ground-up barley) and it’s a taste I will never forget.

Another thing that struck me was how few people actually work at the distillery, given its size and how much whisky is made there. Other than the distillery manager, I could count the number of employees I saw on one hand, something I would soon learn is the norm in whisky distilleries! The other highlight of the trip was trying new-make spirit – the distillery’s DNA. In the case of Ardbeg, the beautiful smoke shone through.

why i LOVE ISLAY

I got to see a fair chunk of the island, too. During the trip, I discovered:

• the charming way all drivers on Islay greet each other with a wave as they pass
• that Islay water is a disconcerting shade of brown
• that people from Islay are known as ‘Ileachs’.

The sun setting over Laggan Bay on Islay

My trip wasn’t just about visiting a whisky distillery. For me, it was about visiting an island where whisky plays such a leading role, an island teeming with history, and an island that was just so different to any other part of Scotland I’d been to before. And now, every time I drink an Ardbeg, I think about that trip, and it brings back many happy memories.

Got a whisky story of your own? We’d love to hear about it.

Great Independent Grains

Single grain whiskies have their own different styles and are now highly prized by the whisky enthusiast. Great value old vintages and closed distilleries are regularly bottled by our independent bottlers including Cambus, Caledonian and Port Dundas. Grain whiskey is an essential component of blended Scotch. Single grain whiskies have there own different styles and are now highly prized by the whiskey enthusiast. Distilled using any cereal grain including wheat, maize, oats or rye. Single grain Scotch is regularly bottled by our independent bottlers Hunter Laing & Co. for the Sovereign series and Signatory Vintage of the Cask Strength Collection.

Shop – Single Grain Whiskies

The Victoria Whisky Festival 2018 has now come and gone, and Pat Dunlop of thewhiskymafia.com was there! On the ground and in the trenches with Mrs. Whiskymafia and pair of whisky cohorts in tow, Pat absorbed the sights, sounds, smells and feelings of #VWF2018 and documents them in trademark style for your reading pleasure.

Click here for more.

Ralfy celebrates 100,000 subscribers with Ralfy Review 711 – Brora 30yo @ 56.3%vol (4th release)

ABERLOUR SCOOPS PRESTIGIOUS CREATIVE AWARD FOR LET THE DEED SHOW

Congratulations to Aberlour which has been recognised for its creativity at the Mobius Awards 2017, taking home a First Place Statuette and Best of Show Nominee in the 360 Brand Design category for its brand identity, ‘Let the deed show’.

The Mobius Awards, established in 1971, is one of the leading competitions for creative agencies worldwide.

Aberlour’s award-winning brand identity, developed with agency Williams Murray Hamm, honours its founder James Fleming’s age-old family motto, ‘Let the deed show’.

The motto which translates as ‘actions speak louder than words’ was brought to life in collaboration with a Scottish linocut artist.

The early 1900s storytelling technique of drawing, lino carving and then printing with inks, rooted in craftsmanship, illustrates a series of brand deeds captured since 1879.

The creative highlights how James Fleming’s actions and now the skills of the craftsmen today define the exceptional artisanal character of Aberlour, leaving the quality of the whisky to do the talking.

Watch Aberlour’s award-winning entry below:

http://mobiusawards.com/2017-winners/

Miriam Eceolaza, Global Marketing Director  said: “We are delighted that the creativity and all the hard work of the team involved with ‘Let the deed show’ has been recognised with this prestigious award.”

Best of luck to Aberlour on 30th January when the The Mobius Best In Show winner will be announced at a ceremony in LA.

WHISKY GALORE AUCTIONEERS LTD 

Auction is now LIVE and will run until Saturday 3^rd February 2018 and finish at 8pm!

We would like to welcome all our new customers who have registered since our last Auction and we do welcome all new Whisky Galore customers so please visit us at www.whiskygalore.uk.com

We are busy here at Whisky Galore HQ getting things ready and in place for our next Auction so maybe something for you to consider is that we do NOT charge sellers any commission nor do we charge for you putting bottles in nor do we charge you for putting a reserve on your bottles.

So the question we ask is:-

“What do you have to lose – Certainly not your BOTTLE”!

REMEMBER: There is still time to enter our current competition to win all 3 bottles in the Glenfiddich Experimental Series…… ie IPA, XX and Winter Storm so go on register with Whisky Galore Auctioneers Ltd at www.whiskygalore.uk.com and we will automatically enter you into our draw TO give you the chance to win the LOT!

So happy bidding, happy selling and Good Luck in our competition.

Kindest Regards

Whisky Galore Auctioneers Ltd

“More than just an Auction Site”

A Classic Bottling for All Fans of Japanese Whisky
Suntory “Hibiki Japanese Harmony” ($59.99)
“Exemplary blending skills and classically Hibiki.” – Whisky Advocate

While age-statement whiskies from Japan appear to have gone the way of the Dodo, that doesn’t mean you can’t still get your fix. Suntory’s “Hibiki Japanese Harmony,” while not bearing an age-statement, still offers the classic profile collectors and connoisseurs expect from this legendary distiller. While there may have been a bit of skepticism when Suntory announced the inaugural release of “Harmony,” any hesitation was quickly swept away upon tasting.

A beautiful whisky by any measure, it is delightfully complex while remaining approachable and utterly delicious from the first sip to the last. Smoky flavors mingle with subtle touches of oak, lemon, toffee, and vanilla. Perhaps most striking, is how gracefully elegant the delivery is, especially given its underlying power and verve. Very attractively priced at under $60, the “Harmony” is a very affordable way to enjoy a classic Japanese whisky from one of the most highly regard distillers in the world. Our allocations of “Harmony” always sell in the blink of an eye, so don’t delay in securing your bottles.

Suntory “Hibiki Japanese Harmony” Japanese Whisky (750ml) ($59.99)

91 points Wine Enthusiast: “The newest blended whisky offering from Hibiki is burnished gold in the glass and has a bold aroma that mixes vanilla, fresh pear and a hint of smoke. The smokiness comes forward at the first sip, wrapping around a core of oak and vanilla custard and finishing long, with a mouthwatering bitter chocolate note. *Best of 2016* (KN)” (03/2016)

90 points Whisky Advocate: “Poised and complex, with typically lifted fruitiness: strawberry ice cream, pineapple, peach, balanced by delicate oak, bamboo shoot-like delicacy, then lemon. The palate is more rounded than that very forward nose, with toffee notes adding some weight. A touch of smoke comes along in the mid-palate, before fruits and caramelized coffee biscuits. Water allows the flavors to flood the palate. Exemplary blending skills and classically Hibiki. (DB, Winter 2015)” (12/2015)

Wine & Spirits: “You cant be a Japanese whisky enthusiast without having noticed that theres a shortage of the stuff. What once was readily available is now hard to find. What once was affordable now costs various bodily limbs. It is due to more than a fad. The best Japanese whisky is remarkable stuff, and none are better than the top single malts from Suntory, Yamazaki, Hakushu and the blended whisky Hibiki. Hibiki comes in 12-, 17- and 21-year-old expressions, but even the youngest of these is now allocated. Harmony, the newest release, carries no age statement, indicating that it contains younger whiskies than other bottlings. Nevertheless, this is a welcome concession, with Suntorys classic sense of balance, nuance and delicacy. *Best of 2015*(JM)” (11/2015)

K&L Notes: The newest incarnation of Suntory’s hugely popular Hibiki series, this time without an age statement attached. The same soft, mellow, vanilla-laden flavor is still here, however. It’s a true harmony of pure Hibiki flavor.

Darkess! Shall fall…

The fantastic range of Darkness whisky has arrived at Milroys. Tirelessly sourced rare old casks are bottled at cask strength, but not before finishing the whiskies in smaller casks that have previously held sherry or fortified wine to add significant levels of complexity and deliciousness…

Buy Whisky Now

Buy Invergordon 25 Now

INVERGORDON, 43 YEAR OLD, DARKNESS!, OLOROSO CASK FINISH, 49.3% 50CL

£149.95

An extremely old cask of Invergordon grain whisky finished in Oloroso Sherry.

Buy Invergordon 43 Now

TOBERMORY, 22 YEAR OLD, DARKNESS, MOSCATEL CASK FINISH, 49.2%, 50CL

£79.95

A wonderful whisky from the idyllic Isle of Mull. This Tobermory has been finished in a Moscatel cask adding complex layers of fruit undertones.

Buy Tobermory 22 Now

Hi folks,

that’s us live with the 82nd auction.

Happy Bidding!

THE 82nd AUCTION

Maclean’s rule the world on Burns’ Night 

WITH Hogmanay behind us, what do we Scots like to eat and drink? Scots butcher Simon Howie (Perthshire) has teamed up with tv Masterchef champion Gary Maclean to devise new ways to enjoy haggis on Burns’ Night, January 25. The three recipes: crispy fried haggis, the haggis burger, the haggis Yorkshire pudding (no very Scottish by the way). Mr Howie said: “We know families up and down the country will be celebrating Robert Burns’ birthday with haggis, and we wanted to offer some new ideas on how to enjoy our national dish beyond  the well-loved classic of haggis, neeps and tatties. What better way to toast Burns than our National dish with a dram or two of our National drink? For example, enjoy Old Perth, this whisky company are just a few miles fae Perth city centre.

We will be enjoying a Burn’s Night away from Perth with a two day whisky educational journey into the Highlands. Liz and Paul will be at Kincaird castle near Dalmore staying in the Highlands drinking health to everyone!  The trip includes other locations on the trip include;

Glen Ord Distillery Muir of Ord Founded 1838  by Thomas Mackenzie in the Black Isle – a peninsula of rich, which is perfect for growing barley. Immediately after construction Thomas Mackenzie licensed the distillery to the Ord Distillery Co., set up by D. McLennan and Robert Johnston.

DALMORE   1263. BRAVERY IS BORN  The real test of courage is how someone reacts when faced with true danger. A moment in 1263 – a hunting party that accompanied King Alexander III of Scotland. During the hunt, a stag charged at the King, and of all the men there only one acted, Colin of Kintail, Chief of the Clan Mackenzie. He speared the stag, crying out ‘Cuidich ‘n’ Righ’, Gaelic for ‘Save the King’. The act of saving King Alexander III’s life would prove to be a defining moment for Colin of Kintail, the Clan Mackenzie and in the history of The Dalmore.. As a sign of gratitude for saving his life, King Alexander III awarded him the lands of Eilean Donan and the motto ‘Luceo Non Uro’, which translates to ‘I Shine, Not Burn’. But most importantly Colin of Kintail and his Mackenzie clan were given the right to bear a 12-pointed Royal Stag as their crest.

In 1843, William Matheson founded the Glenmorangie Distillery. In 2018 Liz and Paul will be here!

GlenWyvis. Has gone from a green field site to a working whisky distillery in just ten months. GlenWyvis Distillery Upper Docharty  Dingwall  are waiting for them! As we are not fully open for visitors as of yet just let me know what day and time you want to come up.Kind Regards Michael

Since 1790, Balblair only ever release whisky when it’s ready. Distillery Manager, John MacDonald good man so he is may well be getting a visit.

The Dornoch Distillery was founded by brothers Simon and Philip Thompson, the twosome will also  call into Eagle pub and Whisky shop to see Michael Hanratty,  Whisky Cellars

Clynelish Distillery Brora was established in 1819 by the Marquess of Stafford to create a market for the barley produced on his lands. In October 2017 Diageo revealed plans to reopen both Brora and Port Ellen distilleries, which also closed in 1983. Subject to planning permission, the two sites are expected to be operational once more by 2020, Liz and Paul will be at Brora in January.

– slainte!

Paul mcleanscotland.com and whiskytours.scot