Immediately north of Islay lies the rugged island of Jura. Simply northwest of Jura, separated by a slim strait, is the uninhabited island of Scarba. The Corryvreckan whirlpool types within the Gulf of Corryvreckan, which is the stretch of sea between Jura and Scarba. The distillery at Ardbeg is roughly 30 – 40 kilometres south-east of the whirlpool (because the crow flies).
The title Corryvreckan comes from the Gaelic Coire Bhreacain, which implies “cauldron of the speckled seas”, and one of many core releases from Ardbeg is called after this well-known and harmful whirlpool.
Famously, George Orwell had a near-fatal encounter with the Corryvreckan whirlpool in 1947. He was spending a big period of time on Jura, the place he was engaged on what would turn out to be his last novel, Nineteen Eighty-4. Someday, Orwell and a small group – together with his younger son Richard – set out on a ship journey across the north finish of Jura. They both underestimated or miscalculated the tides and bought caught within the pull of the Corryvreckan. They went via the whirlpool twice earlier than managing to tug clear. Their boat capsized, nonetheless, as they approached the shore of a small rocky island. They had been rescued solely after a hearth they’d lit was seen by passing lobstermen. Shortly after the incident, in his diary entry from August 19, 1947, Orwell said: “On return journey at this time bumped into the whirlpool & had been all almost drowned.” Fortunately he prevented drowning – Orwell accomplished the primary draft of Nineteen Eighty-4 a number of months later.
Ardbeg Corryvreckan was first launched in 2008 and is now a part of Ardbeg’s core line-up – however I solely first tasted it myself a lot of years later.
The very first Ardbeg I ever tasted was really the Uigeadail. I keep in mind my first impressions had been very, very beneficial – my very best intermingling of smoky and candy notes. I recall not figuring out very a lot about Ardbeg beforehand, aside from that they had been a distillery on Islay. And I recall being requested by somebody quickly after tasting it what my favorite whisky was – at all times an nearly unattainable query for me to reply, as my reply could change relying on my temper. However with out desirous to ramble on too lengthy to that individual individual about this, I made a decision to easily cite Uigeadail. I assumed that I’d picked out one thing uncommon, a lesser-known whisky – after which found shortly afterwards an insane cult-following not just for Ardbeg, but it surely appeared to me for Uigeadail particularly.
This may sound weird, on condition that Ardbeg Day (an annual celebration held on the ultimate Saturday of Fèis Ìle, a famend whisky and music pageant on Islay) is now internationally celebrated (no distillery go to required!). But till very lately most traditional bottle shops in South Africa stocked a collection of perhaps 10 to twenty totally different sorts of whisk(e)y – half of which might have been very easy-drinking, bottom-shelf blends. Then they could have had two or three barely extra attention-grabbing blends, and maybe a handful of single malts – usually saved behind locked glass cupboard doorways. Issues have modified a bit within the final 5 years or so, and there’s now a wider choice on the cabinets. Something uncommon will nonetheless should be sought in specialist boutique whisky shops, nonetheless. To be truthful, Ardbeg not falls into the class of “uncommon”, and I’ll see a few of their core releases in most traditional bottle shops these days. These will principally be Wee Beastie, An Oa, or the Ten. If I’m fortunate, I’ll sometimes see the odd bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail or Corryvreckan.
After doing just a little extra studying about Ardbeg and their whiskies after my preliminary discovery, I heard it prompt that Corryvreckan was really the extra spectacular whisky of their core vary… so I decided to present it a style. I discovered, nonetheless, that I most well-liked the Uigeadail. I’ve discovered since that I nonetheless do. I feel it’s actually nearly private desire right here – I merely want the sweeter, sherried notes I get from the Uigeadail.
Corryvreckan is a no-age-statement single malt whisky, matured in a mix of ex-bourbon and new French oak casks. It’s pure color, non-chill filtered, and bottled in batches at a robust 57.1% ABV.
Ardbeg Corryvreckan – Overview
Color: Honeyed gold.
On the nostril: Huge peat. Smoked ham. A contact of kippers, maybe. Vanilla. Somet citrus-y notes. Candy, recent cherries. A faint suggestion of chlorine (sitting by a pool on a summer time’s day). Snorkelling gear. A touch of spearmint, alongside some freshly dug, earthy notes. Cloves.
Within the mouth: Heat and intensely peaty A full, chewy, texture which additionally prickles (as a result of excessive ABV?). Some malva pudding. Cherry liqueur sweets, and coarse black pepper. Inexperienced bananas. Almonds. The meaty peat is lengthy and lingering, accompanied by sugary sweetness. A drying end, whereas one’s tongue continues to tingle.
I discovered my emptied glass, bizarrely, jogged my memory just a little of Coca-Cola.
Conclusion:
A really pleasant whisky in case you’re searching for one thing highly effective and peaty. It’s usually described as a whisky that’s not for inexperienced persons, however having stated that I’ve additionally identified a couple of individual to be fully transformed to whisky after sipping one thing intensely peaty.
It’s pretty expensive, nonetheless, so maybe one thing to sip on particular events (though very inexpensive when in comparison with Ardbeg’s particular releases). I can discover a bottle for round $92 (roughly the identical worth as a bottle of Glen Scotia 15).
