Ardbeg, Ledaig, Longrow

Posted on 2004/09/22 22:26:54 (September 2004) by john.

Three more single malts to add to my collection.

Today I added three more bottles to my collection. Two I had ordered over the internet (having not been able to find them in the shops) and one was a very much appreciated gift from Nozaki Sensei (Chie's tutor from her university days).


Ardbeg. This means I now have a malt from each of the eight distillieries on Islay. Ardbeg is full of all the smoky, peaty oiliness I have come to love in the Islay style. In fact, I really don't know why I have left it so long to own a bottle - a set of Islay malts just isn't complete without this absolute classic. As for how it is to drink, well, it is the oily nature of it that is really a sure fire hit for me. After the initially smooth glide into your mouth facilitated by that oily texture, you are hit by a cloud of peaty smokiness which lingers pleasingly for a long while.


Ledaig 15 Year Old. I chose this whisky for several reason. In David Stirk's Malt Whisky Guide, he has a categorisation of whisky styles, and given that many of my favourites were in his "Medium - heavy, strong peat, tar, smoke" category, it seemed natural to explore the others to be found in this grouping. As an additional incentive, this is from the Tobermory distillery on Mull, and as you may have noticed by now I have a particular soft spot for the island malts. If I needed any more persuasion, I also found it pleasingly hard to get hold of - a surprising number of shops I went into, even those with otherwise respectable ranges of malts, had never even heard of it. As for the taste, well, this is a bit more subtle than the other two on this page, and I have to admit I have been somewhat overpowered by having tasted the other two first, to the extent that I am struggling to describe this one. Perhaps best drank in isolation!


Longrow. As with the Ledaig, I gained an interest in Longrow initially because of the categorisation David Stirk had given it. Although not an island malt, it is from Campbeltown, and the Kintyre Peninsula is about as close as you get to an island without being completely detached from the mainland. Geographically Campbeltown sits close to Islay, and whether this is pure coincidence or a genuine regional trend, David Stirk describes Longrow as "A taste of Islay from Campbeltown". Apparently Longrow is quite sort after. As with the Ledaig I was unable to find it in the shops, although the name did seem to ring a bell at least. It's desirable status is perhaps reinforced by the price I had to pay for it - the most I have yet had to shell out for a "regular" 10 year old. Taste-wise it is almost like drinking two whiskies. First there is a wave of sweetness, with a definite reminder of honey. At this stage you could be drinking one of the sweet highland malts, although where that wonderful sweetness comes from, I don't know, as apparently no sherry casks have been involved. In the second wave comes the smoke and the peat and here is definitely the strong influence of Islay. Very interesting one for me this. By adding this layer of sweetness, they have made something that has lot of individual character, but at the same time also taking advantage of all those Islay traits of which I am so fond.

john,mate, i think you must have what i can only describe as a 'Whiskey' problem ;), although you might prefer to call it more of a 'single malt issue'

Posted by kev at 2004/09/22 23:57:00.

Damn you Hawkins. Now I want whiskey.

Posted by tom at 2004/09/24 11:15:08.

There's no 'e' in scotch whisky guys - that's for the Irish and American stuff.

Posted by John at 2004/09/24 24:11:11.

Why don't you come over sometime for a tasting session then Tom? I have about 12 different malts now, all very interesting...

Posted by John at 2004/09/24 24:12:21.

Hmm. Now there is an offer...

Posted by tom at 2004/09/27 07:11:18.

Och laddie, if you've only been sampling Islay's peaty, smoky little 10 to 15-year-olds, ye've a treat in store. Once you taste the full-bodied honeyed sweetness of an 18-year-old like The Morag or The Ailsa. theer's nae lookin back...

Posted by dave at 2004/10/25 03:29:27.

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