A Merry Christmas with four Islay
Giants
Let me start this special blog with wishing all my readers a Merry Christmas! Today, we slow down and take a moment to reflect on the year that lies behind us. Happy times and sadness have close ties to each other. Today, I attended a funeral for my dearly beloved uncle Cees. I dedicate this blog and the whisky that I taste to him. He lived a long and rewarding life, may he rest in peace.
On Christmas Eve, we will find the perfect moment to pour an above average glass of single malt whisky. Personally, I have always chosen this evening to crack open one or maybe a few Islay malts. Most of them are often associated with a warming feeling, with the peat smoke creating images of fireplaces and spices in the mulled wine. Going throw the personal collection, I have rounded up two older and rare bottlings from Lagavulin and Caol Ila, and two newer releases by Ardbeg and (an independent) Bowmore. Please let me know what you put in the glass while reading this special Christmas edition of the Long Pour Session! We put these Islay Giants in order of abv, starting with the lowest version. Each whisky however was tasted entirely on its own over the course of weeks, in four delightful evenings, as they should be.
Ardbeg Vintage_Y2K, 23 years old, bottled at 46 % abv
First things first: It seems to be this bottling will be a first in a series of vintage 2000 releases from Ardbeg, that was undergoing some renovation in the late months of 1999. They certainly did not have the Millennium Bug on their minds. They laid down new stock of Ardbeg, only permanently reopened in 1997, to be savoured today. This 23 years old matured in bourbon and oloroso casks.
Upon Sipping: The first things that hits you is an incredible wave of peaty smoke and I have to say that surprises me. Normally, with peaty whisky, after 20 years the tropical notes set in. Not with this Ardbeg though. It is plain and simple: a terrific nose! Mostly medicinal notes, lots of soot and ashes, and in the distance oysters and sea water. On the taste, a weird bitterish note emerges, giving off lots of wood, while the peat indeed has a raw bite. Utterly surprising how devoid of fruit this Ardbeg is. Thinking of the slightly younger Traigh Bhan (19 years old), that one had a lot more pineapple juice, to name something. This Y2K edition is much more austere. An old soul, from times when Islay did not fuzz around and just kicked you in the teeth with an overdose of peat bog.
I wonder at what strength this Ardbeg Y2K came from the cask, but in any case we added some water to this 46 % abv expression. The peat remains, but there are stronger hints of lemon now. Some liquorice too, but it remains firmly maritime. More ashes also. Somebody forgot to keep the fire going, and now logs are smouldering in the fireplace. It is bliss, undeniably. On the taste, adding water causes a more lemony mouthfeel, but yes, maybe there is the slightest hint of something fruity to be found … on the finish this time. Smoked pineapple, with some mint.
Word to the Wise: Difficult, difficult, this is a beautifully austere Ardbeg delivering fully on classic Islay character. I was maybe hoping for something extra, perhaps an influence from the oloroso casks that would set this bottling apart from … say … the regular 10 years old? This is terrific whisky that nonetheless underdelivers. But on Christmas Eve this will go down like a charm.
Score: 88 points
Lagavulin 25 years old, 200 Years of Lagavulin Distillery Managers, bottled at 51,7 % abv
First things first: A beautiful 25 years old Lagavulin, bottled in the bicentennial year of the distillery in 2016, making this a Lagavulin distilled in the early 1990s. The whisky matured in sherry casks and 6.000 of them were bottled for the occasion of honouring all the names of the distillery manager’s in the then 200 year history of this King of Islay. My visit to the bicentennial celebrations during Feis Ile 2016 is still one of the highlights of my hobby life in whisky. I was there when the then manager Georgie Crawford read aloud the names of all her predecessors. It was a solemn moment. This particular bottle was released a little later in the year, both in 700 and 750 cl bottles.
Upon Sipping: Tranquil and blissful like a Queen song in the later years of Freddie Mercury’s life. The sherried character seems to drag peated influences out into the limelight. Absolute Grand Cru whisky in the glass here, on a combination of sweetness and smoky meat. Dunnage warehouse on Christmas day, damp air full of alcohol and earthen smells. Subdued, smouldering peat takes more and more centre stage.
Close your eyes and you see the embers light up bright red. The taste brings a lot of oloroso impact, very sweet with red fruits dominating. Somehow, I am strongly reminded of the legendary 1985 vintage of the Lagavulin 21 years old, but the fierceness of that bottling has been replaced with elegance and acquiescence (I translated the Dutch word for what I wanted to say, I did not have it on standby, I promise, but this word captures it exactly).
For scientific reasons, I added some water, even though this Lagavulin 25 years old comes oh so close to perfection just as it is. The peat smoke gains strength from the drops though, so you will get rewarded. Actually, the smoked ham with honeyed glaze was not there before. On the taste, peaty milk chocolate. The finish keeps you warm throughout the whole 25 minutes of Raymond Briggs’ “The Snowman”. What more do you need?
Word to the Wise: Lagavulin with nothing to prove, proving once again it is one of the absolute best single malts on this planet. Undiluted of encouraged with some drops of water, this is what whisky drinking is all about.
Score: 95 points
Caol Ila 1990, 28 years old, bottled at 55,3 % abv
First things first: A special treat during the Feis Ile celebration of 2019, this single cask of old Caol Ila, distilled in September 1990. The whisky matured in a refill American Oak ex-bourbon barrel carrying the number 9373-69. Only 180 bottles are known to exist. Thanks to a good friend I got my hands on a royal sample when it came out.
Upon Sipping: Lots of ashes and soot. Subdued lemons. There are lots of different kinds of characteristics because I also pick up minty notes and forest impressions. Then, it develops towards a more maritime soul. On the tongue, there is an overdose of lemon sourness that almost leans toward fruitiness of a more tropical kind. But this is Caol Ila, and that whisky does not turn deeply tropical, does it? No, this is an array of fruits that have a sour edge. Really something special, this 28 year old. With water, I uncover smoked grapefruit. Giving it some time, I strongly think of kumquat. Maybe I have to eat my words. This Caol Ila was distilled around the equator. I took another day for this sample because it is a tough one to decipher. But again, it eluded me. Sometimes, you just have to accept a whisky’s brilliance and move on. This was such a time. A baffling expression of this beloved Islay distillery.
Word to the Wise: Certainly not a typical (old) Caol Ila, but for sure an entertaining one. I do not recommend however to pay the hefty prices you see for this one on the secondary market, without at least trying if this is your cup of tea. Deliciously weird!
Score: 90 points
Bowmore 2004, 20 years old, bottled at 57,3 % abv by SMWS
First things first: Bottled under the inhouse number 3.353, this Bowmore matured for 20 years in an ex-bourbon cask, including a finish in a second Fill Ex-Oloroso Sherry Hogshead. Distillation took place on 16 February 2004 and 248 bottles remained when the cask was empty. The SMWS named this bottle “Please accept our apologies…”
Upon Sipping: Mature Bowmore to finish this session off. High alcohol volume and a finish, I do not know if this bodes well for the end result, but in the past the SMWS bottled some excellent Bowmore, so why would this example be any different? When we stick our nose in the glass, it remains rather silent however. Some apple pie maybe, and whiffs of grass. It really needs some time to open up. Then comes in cotton candy and wine gum. It remains a tad subdued, which is a pity. We will crack this one with water then! First an undiluted sip. Wow yeah, this is an extreme one. Very hot on the alcohol. Apologies received loud and clear, and now we understand why!
The finishing was no doubt intended to tame some of this beastly manner. A bullfight it is! Yeehaa! What we do manage to pick up is some fruit, mango on the finish, and a lot of wood (planks). Sawdust fruit, if that is a thing. I am grabbing the water bottle now.
The water brings out more sawdust and new wood. Fruits burst lose, mostly mango, that just got stuck in my head. Remarkably subtle on the peat, contrary to the Ardbeg with which we started this Islay Giants session. On the palate we conclude: this is much, much better! Tropical fruit juice with just a tad too much wood, almost a bourbon influence there. The alcohol keeps on biting, but it is very rewarding. The woody notes have turned into bitter chocolate. Nice to end with. I have to add, this Bowmore needs so time to properly open up. It grows more and more tropical.
Word to the Wise: This Bowmore is not for the faint of heart. Perhaps not everybody’s cup of tea, I have to admit it was not my favourite of this session, but it does leave a lasting impression. If you like your whisky with a fierce alcohol burn, then this is the one for you. I had loads of fun with it, no matter how destroyed I feel now. Merry Christmas!
Score: 87 points
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