Islay distillery, Ardbeg, has announced a new whisky, Ardbeg Anthology: The Harpy’s Tale. This is the first release in the brand’s Anthology Collection, which aims to present a series of single malts matured in different cask types.
The Harpy’s Tale has been aged for 13 years in both ex-bourbon and Sauternes wine casks. This combination results in a whisky with characteristics from both cask types: the recognizable smoky notes of Ardbeg and the sweetness from the Sauternes casks. The packaging references the harpy, a creature from ancient mythology, representing the merger of two different entities.
Dr. Bill Lumsden, Ardbeg’s Director of Distilling and Whisky Creation, commented on the dual cask maturation process and highlighted the whisky’s distinct character. He mentioned that the Anthology Collection will include more releases, each matured in different cask types.
Ardbeg Anthology: The Harpy’s Tale is priced at £141 with an alcohol content of 46%. It’s available on Ardbeg.com, at Ardbeg Embassies, the Distillery’s Visitor Centre on Islay, and some whisky specialists.
For further details on Ardbeg and its products, interested individuals can visit www.ardbeg.com/ardbeg/committee. Ardbeg also has a presence on social media platforms: Instagram (@ardbeg) and Facebook (@ardbeg).
I’m not always excited to review cigars and whisky.
I might be a jerk for saying that, but the simple truth is, I sample a lot of “meh” product, and not many deserve 500 words of description. So it’s always a treat when I’m sitting down to review a product that I know will challenge my palate, patience and mindfulness. And so it is with Ardbeg Corryvreckan, which took me a number of sittings just to start putting my initial notes together.
Before we get to the review, some quick background on Ardbeg. Located on the south coast of the isle of Islay, the distillery’s first drops of whisky were produced in 1798. The distillery’s water source is Loch Uigeadail (yep, just like the famous Ardbeg Uigeadail), and it uses barley from the maltings in Port Ellen. Like many other distilleries, its product was mostly sold for use in blended whiskies. The company itself changed hands multiple times in the twentieth century, and today is owned by Moët Hennessy.
Corryvreckan comes bottled in a dark, brooding bottle. The whirlpool on the label (and for which the whisky is named) references Corryvreckan, the world’s third largest whirlpool. The whirlpool itself has a kind of mythical ethos, and not only as a wonder of the natural world. George Orwell, for example, nearly drowned in the Corryvreckan whirlpool. The story goes that he had traveled to Jura to focus on completing 1984, and after misreading the tides on a boating day trip, his boat was pushed near the whirlpool, which promptly pulled the engine clean off. Orwell and his friends were only saved from a watery (and noteworthy) demise when the whirlpool receded, allowing them to paddle out of its grip.
Where was I again? Ah, right. The review.
The whisky itself is an old gold bordering on amber.
Nose
No need to put your nose to the glass on this one. In fact, you can probably pick up half of the following notes from across the room. Tobacco, leather, charcoal, old oak, sea spray, sherry, and rhubarb pie (yeah it’s left field for me too, but close your eyes, hold that image, and take a whiff).
Palate
For a split second, Corryvreckan starts out a bit sandy and nondescript. Then, a flame of flavor, which expands quickly into a fire and from there, a bomb. Medicinal notes, charcoal, peat, heavy black pepper, salt, stone fruits, and sherry. I’m most certainly missing a few descriptors, if only because at each sitting with Corryvreckan, you’re liable to experience it just a bitdifferently.
One other note here: have a glass of water on hand. The extreme amount of peatiness in this whisky will dry your palate out, so stay hydrated or you’ll end up drinking glass after glass of water for an hour or so after a glass of Corryvreckan.
Finish
Long (thirty seconds!) and palate-numbing! Lots of peat and charcoal, along with hints of sweetness and maltiness.
Conclusion
Corryvreckan is a hell of a whisky. From nose and palate through the finish, the flavors come rushing forward like gale force winds… and yet somehow remain in balance.
I recently reviewed Uigeadail, which is seen by many as the quintessential Ardbeg. In that review, I questioned whether Corryvreckan might offer some additional flavor while still remaining balanced. In the course of writing this review, I think I can answer (for myself) in the affirmative. Uigeadail is great, but I prefer Corryvreckan.
Up for review today is Ardbeg Uigeadail. It’s a bottle of scotch that in some sense needs no introduction. It has, after all, been introduced by many whisky experts so many times before, including by Jim Murray, who in 2015 named it the World Whiskey of the Year. That designation alone (setting aside the whisky’s many other accolades), makes it a difficult dram to introduce.
“Uigeadail” (pronounced ‘Oog-a-dal’) derives from the Scotch Gaelic for ‘Dark and Mysterious Place.’ The whisky inside the bottle delivers such complexity of flavor I’m temped to say that I was left in a bit of a dark and mysterious place while writing this review. But after a number of separate sittings, I think I’m ready to put metaphorical pen to paper.
Distiller: Ardbeg Distillery (Isle of Islay, Argyll, Scottland)
Mash Bill: 100% malted barley
ABV: 54.2% (108.4 proof)
Casks: first and second-fill ex bourbon oak casks and sherry butts
Age: No Age Statement (NAS)
Price: $75
Appearance
The bottle carrying Uigeadail mirrors its name: dark green, shadowy, and brooding. The whisky itself is the color of a light, thinly spread honey.
Nose
Deeply complex. The aroma off of the glass is balanced between meaty aromas of smoke, salt, and old leather, sweet notes of stone fruits (plumbs) and floral, all rounded out with oak.
Palate
Uigeadail enters smooth and sweet, with butter and caramel. Within about four seconds, the flavor expands across the palate and quickly brightens. The caramel note vanishes, replaced with drier notes of tobacco, black pepper, and peat.
Finish
Long, roughly twenty seconds. Leather, heavy charred wood/charcoal, brown sugar, and bread.
Conclusion
Ardbeg Uigeadail is legendary for good reason. It’s a superbly complex, expertly balanced dram that made me second guess my tasting notes more than once. Is it my favorite Ardbeg? It’s hard to say. Uigeadail hits the gas pretty hard on flavor and manages to stay firmly in balance. But I do wonder if releases like Corryvreckan manage to pack just a bit more flavor and remain as balanced as Uigeadail.
All of that, however, is a bit irrelevant. Uigeadail sips like a $300 bottle of scotch. $75? $90? $100? A no brainer. Give it a try.
Disclaimer: Though by no means my first ever (or second or third ever) bottle of Ardbeg, this bottle was gifted for review by Ardbeg.
